[REVIEW] SQUIDDIES PICKS: Snap Critiques on Infinite Judgments (Long)
Randy Lander
Okay, here's the entire post. Look through it and see if there are any
changes. If not, let me know and I'll post it under the heading
[REVIEW] SQUIDDIES PICKS: Snap Critiques on Infinite Judgments. I was
planning on posting to misc, dcuniverse, and info. Do you think we
should cover any others?
"If We Picked the Squiddies"
by Donald MacPherson and Randy Lander
Donald: Have you ever seen that special Siskel and Ebert show in
which the famous pair of movie critics list the various film
professionals they think should be nominated and should win at the
Oscars? Well, welcome to our version of "If We Picked" for comics.
Randy and I will list a number of worthy candidates in each category
(though we passed on a few categories, actually), and we'll each offer
up our picks for the winners. Please keep in mind that these are only
our opinions and are not meant to influence voting. Think of this
post as "1996:A Year of Comics in Review."
Randy: Mind you, if you *do* vote for the ones we suggest, Donald will
give each one of you a shiny new quarter. :) This is only my second
year voting in the Squiddies, but unlike last year I'm coming in with
much stronger ideas who I'd like to win. I know it's not like giving
them an Oscar or anything, but I think it's nice that we can repay the
creators who give us all this hobby by showing them what they mean to
us.
COMICS WRITER OF 1996
Randy: I had to eliminate a few biggies from my choices, including my
favorite writer John Ostrander, and Priest, although I bet he winds up
in the running for writer of 1997. My selections? Karl Kesel (for
SPIDER-BOY and DAREDEVIL particularly), James Robinson (STARMAN and
LEAVE IT TO CHANCE), Garth Ennis (Mostly for HITMAN, but PREACHER
too), Warren Ellis (EXCALIBUR and especially <plug>*BUY STORMWATCH
NOW*</plug> STORMWATCH), and Kurt Busiek (KBAC, UNTOLD TALES OF
SPIDER-MAN, NINJAK).
And my pick? When it all comes down to it, Kurt Busiek has to be the
choice. Kesel and Robinson have weak moments in their writing more
frequently, and while Ellis and Ennis are good at what they do, their
stories are rarely as touching to me as Kurt Busiek's.
Donald: As I suspected, Randy and I have a lot of the same choices,
though not exactly the same. Busiek made my list as well, as NINJAK
and ASTRO CITY have never disappointed, but SHATTERED IMAGE did.
Kesel is up there as well, not only for SPIDER-BOY, but for THE
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN (the strongest of the Super-books), X-PATROL
(lots of fun) and THE FINAL NIGHT (the best DC cross-over in years).
I'm also a big James Robinson fan.
I was surprised to see Mark Waid absent from Randy's list; just look
at his 1996 body of work, most of which was excellent (FLASH, IMPULSE,
A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE, CAPTAIN AMERICA v.1, X-O MANOWAR, X-MEN, JLX,
SUPER-SOLDIER and KINGDOM COME).
However, 1996 belonged to Garth Ennis. PREACHER and HITMAN never
disappoint, and SAINT OF KILLERS, BLOODY MARY and SHADOWMAN were
strong as well. THE STORY OF YOU-KNOW-WHO and THE DARKNESS were much
less than ideal, but overall, Ennis-written books are always the first
ones I read in my weekly pile o' comics.
COMICS PENCILLER OF 1996
Randy: I'm definitely a writer-oriented person, as I had to cut
writers back to have a limited number of choices, but these were all
the artists who stood out to me. Others work well in teams or impress
me on specific issues, but these are the ones who consistently give
great art, no matter what book you seem to put them on. They are MD
Bright (ICON, QUANTUM & WOODY, deserves much more recognition than he
gets), Humberto Ramos (IMPULSE, DV8, he does something different than
anyone else, and does it well), Jeff Moy (LEGIONNAIRES), Prentis
Rollins (HARDWARE, a surprisingly strong penciller, who has been a
long-time inker at Milestone), and Phil Jimenez (whose TEMPEST
mini-series was absolutely gorgeous).
Phil Jimenez stands out as my choice, despite the comparatively little
exposure I've had to his work. While the other four all have great
skills, Jimenez showed the most imaginative and expansive undersea
scenes I've seen in a long time. I think he is George Perez' heir
apparent, and I would *love* to see him get on a big DC crossover or a
book like JLA, where he can use his ability to draw grand and sweeping
storylines.
Donald: Hmm, our lists are starting to differentiate more already. I
would agree with Jeff Moy and Humberto Ramos as being among the top
five pencillers of 1996, and I would definitely like to see more work
from the former in '97. I also think Steve Dillon (PREACHER) and
Peter Gross (THE BOOKS OF MAGIC, THE BOOKS OF FAERIE) deserve
accolades for their work with DC's Vertigo imprint.
One penciller really stood out in my mind when I considered this
category. For his work on THE FINAL NIGHT and THE ADVENTURES OF
SUPERMAN, I would pick Stuart Immonen as the pencilling star of 1996.
COMICS INKER OF 1996
Donald: I had a hard time coming up with an extensive list of inkers,
as determining an inker's ability can be extremely difficult. But a
great inker can really carry the art. I have managed to come up with
four names who really bring a lot to the books they work on.
Jose Marzan, Jr. did some great work on FLASH, THE FINAL NIGHT and THE
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN in 1996, and Wade Von Grawbadger, as always,
did great work on STARMAN, and saved the art on BIRDS OF PREY: MANHUNT
at times. I wasn't going to include W.C. Carani (LEGIONNAIRES) until
I saw Jeff Moy's pencils (sans Carani) in LSH #89 recently; the art
was still wonderful, but it made me realize just how much Carani adds
to LEGIONNAIRES. And for his work on DC VERSUS MARVEL, SUPERMAN and
DC/MARVEL: ALL ACCESS, Josef Rubenstein definitely deserves to be on
the list.
However, I find I'm at a loss for selecting just one of these men as
the Best Inker of 1996. Perhaps the answer will come to me with
further reflection.
Randy: Wade Von Grawbadger made my list for 1996 as well, as I think
it takes a skilled hand to work with less straightforward art like
Tony Harris'. W.C. Carani was on there for LEGIONNAIRES, and RH Boyd
for LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES. Having seen a sketch of Gates from RH
Boyd, I'd be curious to see him do some pencilling. My other choice
would be Will Blyberg, for his work with Brent Anderson on ASTRO CITY
and NIGHT FORCE.
Unlike Donald, however, my choice is clear. All of the above gentlemen
are talented, but Wade Von Grawbadger turns in a consistently great
job on STARMAN.
COMICS PAINTER OF 1996
Randy: This one is pretty easy, since there weren't all that many
painted comics in 1996 and I can only remember buying one of them. Add
to that the fact that he always does stunning work, and the only
choice I can come up with for Comics Painter is Alex Ross, primarily
for his work on KINGDOM COME.
Donald: Well, my interpretation of "Comics Painter" as defined by
Francis Uy must be much broader, as it describes a comics painter as
"Someone who did painted, computer-generated,or other non-pen&pencil
art for a comic." Using that definition, I must say the following
deserve to be recognized for their work in 1996: Glenn Fabry
(PREACHER, SAINT OF KILLERS and THE STORY OF YOU-KNOW-WHO covers),
Gavin Wilson (SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE covers), Dan Brereton
(THRILLKILLER, among other projects) and Tony Harris (who painted the
covers to STARMAN).
However, it's hard to deny that 1996 was a great year for Alex Ross.
In addition to the amazing work he did on KINGDOM COME, he also
provided beautiful covers for ASTRO CITY and a hilarious cover for
LETHARGIC LAD.
COMICS LETTERER OF 1996
Donald: Another difficult category. While it's easy to spot really
bad lettering, singling out those who excel in this field is
incredibly difficult. Only two names come to mind: Richard Starkings
(Comicraft) (ASTRO CITY, among other projects) did fantastic work, as
did Todd Klein on the final two issues of SANDMAN. Since I will be
forced to choose between the two, I have to go with Klein.
Randy: Richard Starkings and Comicraft made my list as well, and in
fact would have been my choice had another employee not beat him out.
Dave Lanphear, also of Comicraft, is almost singlehandedly defining
all the different Valiant books' lettering styles, and doing a fine
job of it.
COMICS COLORIST OF 1996
Randy: This category gave me a really hard time last year, as I
couldn't distinguish between who was good and who wasn't. Now
colorists and separations are starting to make much clearer
differences on a book. I like everything Tom McCraw (LEGIONNAIRES,
About half of DC's output) does, and Atomic Paintbrush (X-O MANOWAR,
NINJAK) does for Valiant's colors what Comicraft does for their
letters. Surprisingly on my list is Pat Garrahy (JLA), whose work some
find bright and garish but I actually really enjoy on Howard Porter's
pencils. But my choice, and she has been since I finally started
noticing her name in the credits of books like SPECTRE and HITMAN, is
Carla Feeny. She's got something of a heavy color style, but it
absolutely fits the books she works on and she defines them as much as
the penciller or inker.
Donald: Tom McCraw was a given on my list; he earned his CBG award
(presented at the Chicago ComiCon in June, 1996). I also felt Trish
Mulvihill had a great year as well; among her credits were WONDER
WOMAN and BATMAN/CAPTAIN AMERICA, both John Byrne projects.
However, the folks at Atomic Paintbrush get my nod in this category.
As Randy notes, their work on the new Valiant Heroes titles from
Acclaim Comics is amazing.
COMICS CREATIVE TEAM OF 1996
Donald: I had no problem coming up with names for this category; my
troubles arose when I tried to whittle the list down to five teams who
stood out from the rest. Even more trying was my attempt to choose
one of them as the top team of '96. The five I managed to single out
were:
Mark Waid/Ron Garney/Scott Koblish - CAPTAIN AMERICA,
Garth Ennis/Steve Dillon - PREACHER,
John Ney Rieber/Peter Gross/Peter Snejbjerg - THE BOOKS OF MAGIC,
Karl Kesel/Stuart Immonen/Jose Marzan Jr. - THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
and THE FINAL NIGHT, and
James Robinson/Tony Harris/Wade Von Grawbadger - STARMAN
For me, it comes down to a tie between the PREACHER team and the
STARMAN team.
Randy: Same problem here that Donald had. It's a good sign that we're
seeing creative teams with this much synergy at this point. The
PREACHER crew made my list, as did the STARMAN crew. My other choices
were more than likely on Donald's "whittled down" list. John
Ostrander/Tom Mandrake/Carla Feeny are on my list for their work in
THE SPECTRE, as there can be no doubt that's a true team effort. The
same is true for Kurt Busiek/Brent Anderson/Will Blyberg for KURT
BUSIEK'S ASTRO CITY.
But the winner in this category for me, and one I was surprised to see
missing from Donald's list, was the LEGIONNAIRES/LEGION OF SUPERHEROES
team of Tom Peyer/Roger Stern/Tom McCraw/RH Boyd/WC Carani/KC Carlson.
Every one of these people is a consummate professional with stellar
credits, and they've made the Legion tops on my stack of comics every
week it comes in.
COMICS COVER ARTIST OF 1996
Randy: A lot of Donald's choices for favorite painter find their way
onto my list here. Alex Ross (ASTRO CITY, KINGDOM COME), Glenn Fabry
(PREACHER), and Tony Harris (STARMAN). Also on my list are two people
whose interior art I miss, but who are doing fantastic cover art. Alan
Davis has a wonderful ability to capture the LEGION OF SUPERHEROES,
and Jerry Ordway's painted POWER OF SHAZAM! covers always make me long
for another story like the fully-painted hardcover that preceded the
series.
However, when I think about all of the covers, Glenn Fabry's stand
out. He's got a great sense of what will draw a reader in, and during
the brief time I wasn't collecting PREACHER, I'd inevitably be drawn
to each issue anyway.
Donald: Yep, my Painter and Cover Artist lists are similar. Alex
Ross, Glenn Fabry and Tony Harris are all there, but none of them take
the top honors with me. That is reserved for Gavin Wilson and Richard
Bruning, the team which brings us the wonderful covers of SANDMAN
MYSTERY THEATRE each month. For eight issues now, they have created a
"movie poster" theme for the covers, and it works wonderfully.
COMICS EDITOR OF 1996
Donald: Another difficult category, but I have managed to come up with
a few names. Just about anybody on the Vertigo editorial staff merits
recognition, as does LSH/LEGIONNAIRES editor KC Carlson. Fabian
Nicieza's overseeing of the relaunch of the Valiant Heroes line for
Acclaim definitely proves him to be a great editor.
However, the winner in this category, for me anyway, belongs to yet
another "team": Mike Carlin and the late Mark Gruenwald. Without the
efforts of these two men, DC VERSUS MARVEL never would have come
about. I realize that MARVEL VERSUS DC was not a great mini-series,
but it did open the door for the Amalgam line of comics to be
produced. Amalgam was one of the best things to happen to comics in
1996, and I'm looking forward to the twelve new upcoming stories.
Randy: It's kind of sad that for me, it's easier to think of "worst
editor" than "best editor." But there are a few that stand out for me.
KC Carlson is one of them, as is Fabian Nicieza.
My choice, however, is DK Thorslund (Dan Thorsland) and Dread Kali
(I've blanked on her real name), who have put together three books
with great potential in their weirdoverse line without segregating it
from DC continuity entirely.
COMICS STORY OF 1996
Randy: Does it say something about my tastes that of my six (sorry, I
couldn't keep it to five) choices for story of 1996, only *one* was
more than one issue? Self-contained stories were some of the best this
year. Among them, IMPULSE #12 (the XS-Impulse story), KBAC v1 #6 (the
Winged Victory-Samaritan date), SPIDER-BOY #1, LEGIONNAIRES #43
(Legionnaire Tryouts), and STARMAN #27 (the Christmas issue).
The feature length story, crossing four issues of HITMAN, was "Night
of Ten Thousand Bullets". But, much as I enjoyed the cynical
camraderie displayed in that story, my vote ultimately comes from my
sentimental side and picks KBAC v1 #6 as my favorite story of 1996.
Donald: Boy, our lists really differ here. A Legion story did make
my list, but not the tryout issue; the Fatal 5/President Chu saga from
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES and LEGIONNAIRES did. I also felt "The
Haunting of America" in THE SPECTRE was one of the best stories of
1996 (I can't believe it didn't make Randy's list, as I know he's a
big Ostrander fanboy <g>). I also loved Ted McKeever's "Perpetual
Mourning" from BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE #1.
Two Vertigo stories are also among my five choices for Comics Story:
"Rites of Passage" in THE BOOKS OF MAGIC and "Crusaders" in PREACHER,
both of which are still ongoing. However, my number one pick has to
be KINGDOM COME, which really spoke to a longtime fan like myself.
ESTABLISHED COMICS SERIES OF 1996
Donald: Here's one of the biggies¦ I highly recommend all of these
titles: LEGIONNAIRES (of the two Legion titles, this one is the
superior), KURT BUSIEK'S ASTRO CITY v.1 (it qualifies), THE BOOKS OF
MAGIC and STARMAN.
However, the best Established Series of 1996 was PREACHER. This
series is Ennis at his best. He definitely a full vision of what this
series is meant to say. It's about friendship and honor and justice.
About love and laughter. It just has a different way of saying those
things.
Randy: With Donald on every single one of his picks, particularly
PREACHER, which I got back into after constant rave reviews from him.
I'd also pick LEGION OF SUPERHEROES, which, although not as good due
to its current storyline, is still a fine example of team comic books.
The other two books on this list for me are both Image books.
WILDC.A.T.s has been nothing short of brilliant, given what Alan Moore
did with its (IMO) limited potential. And Warren Ellis is turning in
the second best superhero team written right now on STORMWATCH.
But it's still only second best, and that's why LEGIONNAIRES is my
pick for best series of 1996.
BEST NEW COMIC SERIES OF 1996
Randy: Plenty of new start-up series this year, although some of them
were volume twos or threes. For example, NINJAK and ASTRO CITY, both
written by Kurt Busiek. My two other choices are pretty much
diametrically opposed: Garth Ennis and John McCrea's HITMAN and James
Robinson/Paul Smith on LEAVE IT TO CHANCE.
Even in such fine company, however, KBAC v2 stands out. Despite
excruciating delays and the 1/2 issue debacle, KBAC is the one comic I
know won't disappoint me. (Note: This vote may be disqualified, so if
it is, I would choose HITMAN.)
Donald: All four of Randy's picks made my list for Best New Series
(though I almost didn't include ASTRO CITY, since it's only kind of a
new series, as opposed to NINJAK, which is completely different from
its v.1 counterpart). I also think the new SUPERGIRL series merits
inclusion on this list, though.
My pick for the single best new series, though, is HITMAN. The themes
of friendship and community currently being explored in the series
make this book one of the best in the DC Universe line.
LIMITED SERIES OF 1996
Donald: DC Comics has completely taken over this category. The two
best Batman comics produced in 1996 were mini-series: BATMAN: BLACK &
WHITE and BATMAN: GCPD. 1996 also marked the return of the Good
Crossover, which is why THE FINAL NIGHT made my list. Rounding out
the list are two Elseworlds titles: KINGDOM COME and THRILLKILLER. As
you may already suspect, KC was my fave mini-series of '96.
Randy: Despite my heavy leaning on DC books for my comic diet, DC did
not entirely dominate my limited series picks. One of my picks, Warren
Ellis' PRYDE & WISDOM, is a Marvel creation, and another pick (which
I'm not entirely sure fits the category) is AMALGAM comics, from
Marvel and DC. On the sort-of DC side, we've got HEROES, the second
best Milestone comics produced this year. Waid is on the list twice,
with KINGDOM COME and JUSTICE LEAGUE: A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE.
However, my favorite choice is the miniseries which made me a fan of a
character I previously didn't even care about. One that was obviously
a personal project for its creator and one that had an impact on its
main player. I'm referring to TEMPEST, by Phil Jimenez.
SINGLE COMIC ISSUE OF 1996
Randy: This category reads a lot like my earlier best story category,
and I'd include most of those in this category as well. I would add
ASTRO CITY v2 #1, which showed what it must be like to be human in a
world of Storm Gods and mysterious forces of darkness. Also, STEEL
#34, Priest's introductory issue, was a fantastic blend of humor
and...well, more humor.
This is the category where I choose to reward SPIDER-BOY #1, the
Amalgam I most wanted as an ongoing series. Kesel and Wieringo truly
created something wonderful with this story, giving a sense of who the
character was and introducing us to all the "continuing" subplots in
only a single issue.
Donald: SPIDER-BOY #1 definitely merits mention in this category. It
represented everything that Amalgam could be and should be. LEGION OF
SUPER-HEROES #85, the first 20th Century issue, also deserves
recognition. While many fans don't enjoy the 20th C storyline, and
subsequent issues have not been as good, #85 clicked perfectly for me.
DEATH: THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE #1 was also one of my favorite single
comics from last year. I know people felt the series did not live to
Gaiman's usual potential, and I agree that #s 2 and 3 were not as
strong as I expected them to be. But #1 was wonderful. So was ASTRO
CITY #1 v.2, as Randy notes above.
A second Gaiman project made this list as well: SANDMAN #74, what I
consider to truly be the final issue of that series. That story was
one of transition, from moving on from one phase in one's life to a
new one. When forced to choose one comic as my winner in this
category, this is the one which comes out on top.
ORIGINAL GRAPHIC NOVEL OF 1996
Donald: Lord, I'm having a hard time coming up with nominees for this
category. Francis Uy's description of what qualifies is "a new comic
of 65 or more pages published in 1996." That rules out BATMAN/CAPTAIN
AMERICA, which I think deserves a shot at this award.
The only thing I've been able to think of is SUPERMAN: THE WEDDING
ALBUM, which turned out to be one of the best Superman comics to be
released in '96, even though it was a rush job (thanks to the Warner
Bros. Television people).
Randy: Wow, I didn't read the categories carefully enough, because my
vote also went to BATMAN/CAPTAIN AMERICA, which is without a doubt the
best choice in this category. My only other choice would be SUPERMAN'S
METROPOLIS, which I found to be an interesting and unusual project,
perfectly served by Ted McKeever's artwork.
COMIC REPRINT COLLECTION OF 1996
Randy: Lots of good collections this year, from Waid's best arc on
FLASH, THE RETURN OF BARRY ALLEN to Kurt Busiek's first foray into
ASTRO CITY with LIFE IN THE BIG CITY. Both are examples of what the
superhero genre can be. But my pick in this category goes to a non
superhero category, Terry Moore's STRANGERS IN PARADISE: I DREAM OF
YOU. It tells a complete story, and much as I liked the mini-series,
is much more what SIP is about than stories before or after it. Anyone
reading the Homage comics who doesn't really understand what all the
buzz about SIP is should pick up this trade, as should anyone who
enjoys the Homage issues.
Donald: LIFE IN THE BIG CITY was not only an excellent collection, but
an excellent marketing tool for Busiek's ASTRO CITY concept. WHATEVER
HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW?, reprinting the Alan Moore/Curt Swan
story published just before John Byrne revamped the character was a
great idea from DC. However, the best reprint of 1996 had to be THE
COWBOY WALLY SHOW, by Kyle Baker. Until Marlowe & Company reprinted
it, COWBOY WALLY was really nothing more than a Net legend; I'm glad
I got to read the legend.
Randy: I can't believe I forgot COWBOY WALLY. Definitely one of my
favorite books of the year, but it doesn't change my vote.
Donald: Randy and I are going to skip the Newspaper Strips categories,
as they are outside our field of...uh, expertise. Yeah, that's it.
COMIC COMPANY OR IMPRINT OF 1996
Donald: This category was a simple one for me; I had no problem coming
up with five choices: DC Universe, DC Elseworlds, Vertigo, Homage and
Acclaim's Valiant Heroes. And even though it really only lasted a
brief time, Homage takes the prize (at least from me), as all three
titles it produced (ASTRO CITY v.2, LEAVE IT TO CHANCE and STRANGERS
IN PARADISE v.3) were unique and wonderfully entertaining.
Randy: And, in the most repetitive category, my choices are exactly
the same as Donald's, with one questionable addition. If it can be
considered an imprint, I'd say AMALGAM was definitely one of the best
this year. But I really have to agree with Donald that for talent and
a three for three record of excellent quality, Homage comics wins this
category hands down.
COMICS CHARACTER OF 1996
Randy: To begin with, both of the non-human Legionnaires, Gates and
Sensor, make my list. Gates is still a little one-note, and Sensor is
seen by some preboot fans as a backstab, but for my money, these are
the reason to read Legion books. In the original powers department,
Hawksmoor of STORMWATCH gets the nod. A character whose powers deal
strictly with being in a city, and who can't live outside a city.
Oracle is, as always, on my list and I wish we could see her more
often by Ostrander and/or Yale.
However, my true choice came down between two very human characters.
Jack Knight (STARMAN) and Tommy Monaghan (HITMAN). Between the two, I
have to say I find Tommy more interesting. While Jack is, at his
heart, a good guy, he can be a selfish jerk. Tommy seems more human
and, despite his profession, more likable overall.
Donald: So -- many -- choices --- Can't -- choose... All but two
characters on my list are DC characters: Brainiac 5
(LSH/LEGIONNAIRES), Oracle (BIRDS OF PREY), Jesse Quick
(FLASH/IMPULSE/WONDER WOMAN PLUS), Jack Knight and the Shade (STARMAN)
and Tommy Monaghan (HITMAN). The non-DC characters are Chance
Falconer and her pet Dragon, St. George from LEAVE IT TO CHANCE. In
the end, I'll have to agree with Randy, and go with Tommy from HITMAN.
COMIC CHARACTER TEAM OF 1996
Donald: The casts of the Superman books and of STARMAN make this list
easily; the supporting characters in those comics bring so much to the
titles that they wouldn't be able to thrive without them. The
supporting cast in NINJAK also make that book more the richer.
However, choosing a top dog in this category is simplicity itself: the
Legion of Super-Heroes. The Legion is a unique entity in comics,
inspiring a Legion of Super-Fans. There's really nothing else like it
in comics.
Randy: I'm surprised Donald missed one of the best supporting casts in
comics, that of HITMAN. Six-Pack, Noonan and (now deceased) son, and
Detective Tiegel are great characters. I also think STORMWATCH, while
light on supporting cast, has a great team of starring characters,
many of them new Ellis creations.
But in the end, I have to agree with Donald. The Legion of
Super-Heroes are my favorite characters in comics, ever since picking
up on the reboot. I suspect they put something addictive in the paper.
:)
Donald: D'oh! You're right about the HITMAN cast, Randy!
OTHER-MEDIA ADAPTATION OF 1996
Randy: I've only got one choice for this category, but it's a doozy.
The Superman Animated series does for Superman what the Batman series
did for Batman. My only complaint is their decision to start with only
13 episodes instead of the full order like Batman had.
Donald: Apparently, Randy doesn't watch Fox. Spider-Man: The
Animated Series and The Tick are great programs, as is WB's Superman
series, as Randy notes. I also happened to catch a couple of episodes
of The Maxx on MTV ODDITIES in 1996 (on YTV in Canada late at night)
and was really impressed.
However, of all my nominees, Spidey comes out on top. Producer John
Semper seems to really have a vision for this series, as it is
presented as a saga. The animation has improved steadily since its
debut, and the awkward computer graphics have been cut down
considerably.
COMICS PUBLICATION OF 1996
Donald: I have no suggestions for this category, as no print
publication about comics really stands out as worthy of recognition.
WIZARD and FAN have potential, but end up playing up to the Kewl
crowd. COMIC SHOP NEWS is not the place to go to for comics news, and
COMIC BUYER'S GUIDE is a pricey ad rag (which is too bad, as it
features columns like "But I Digress," "POV" and "Tony's Tips" which I
would enjoy reading each week).
Randy: I'm in the same boat here. I read occasional issues of WIZARD
or FAN (I prefer the latter), and I never read COMIC BUYER'S GUIDE
because of the reasons Donald cites. If they would cut it back to
monthly or fewer pages (I mean, there isn't *that* much news in comics
every week that you need that thick a publication), I'd buy it just
for the columns. As it is, my votes go to FAN, the lesser of two evils
in slick comic book magazines.
COMICS WEB SITE OF 1996
Randy: While there are a lot of web sites I visit on a regular basis,
there are two fan-built sites which stand out as professional quality
and one professional site that gets a daily visit from me. The GL
Corps Page (www.epix.net/~lbmgmd/glc/glcorps.html) is a tribute to the
Corps, to stand as a monument until a wise editor at DC consents to
bring them back. And the Marvel Family Page
(www.imginfo.com/homepages/waltg/marvelfamily/index.html) is one of
the most beautiful, professional-looking pages I've ever seen.
However, much as I enjoy the character pages, my favorite thing on the
web is the information and news. Smash! (smash.mgz.com) gives that in
spades, with a Daily Buzz, feature articles, and a budding library of
character profiles.
Donald: This is another category in which our choices differ
radically. I think Jonah Weiland's comics resources pages
(http://comics.envisionww.com/) are wonderful, as is Charles Lepage's
New Comics Releases List site (http://www.ccse.net/~ncrl/), which I
have been unable to connect to since it moved to its new site in
December for some reason. Howard the Duck creator Steve Gerber has
also put together a great page
(http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/sgerber/), the best feature
of which are the comic script templates for Microsoft
Word.
However, my favorite web site has to be Warren Ellis's Smoke Damage
(http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/WarrenEllis/). His monthly
rants on comics and the industry in general are thoroughly
entertaining.
RAC'ER (ONLINE CONTRIBUTOR) OF 1996
Donald: This was an easy one. There are plenty of deserving
candidates, but my choice for my fave RAC'er is: RANDY LANDER!
Randy: While I appreciate the thought, Donald, it's simply not right.
The RAC'er of 1996 was clearly DONALD MACPHERSON!
Donald: I must protest your choice, Randy. You are by far the cream
of the crop.
Randy: While I blush at such misguided praise, you are mistaken.
Clearly, your contributions to Usenet make you the logical choice.
Donald: No, you.
Randy: No, no, it's you.
Donald: You.
Randy: You.
________________________________________________________________________
Donald MacPherson and Randy Lander are two reviewers of comics on
Usenet. Their reviews, "Critiques on Infinite Earths" and "Snap
Judgments", respectively, can be seen weekly on Usenet and at
http://www.io.com/~rwlander/comics.html. Rumors that the two were
twins, separated at birth, were dispelled at Chicago last year when it
was revealed that Randy was in fact the love-child of Garth Ennis and
Tipper Gore and that Donald was actually an artificial being
synthesized from a spoiled package of Jell-O.
Elayne Wechsler-Chaput
Randy Lander (rwla...@io.com) wrote:
: Okay, here's the entire post. Look through it and see if there are any
: changes.
Er, Randy, I think someone pressed the wrong button. :)
But no matter. I applaud the both of you for doing this; it's a lot of
fun to read, and I don't think I could do something like this myself.
Donald sez:
: I was surprised to see Mark Waid absent from Randy's list; just look
: at his 1996 body of work, most of which was excellent (FLASH, IMPULSE,
: A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE, CAPTAIN AMERICA v.1, X-O MANOWAR, X-MEN, JLX,
: SUPER-SOLDIER and KINGDOM COME).
Yeah, Randy, whassup with that? I thought you were something of a Waid
fanatic. This is rather surprising.
Randy:
: Phil Jimenez stands out as my choice, despite the comparatively little
: exposure I've had to his work.
Hear hear.
: COMICS LETTERER OF 1996
: Donald: Another difficult category. While it's easy to spot really
: bad lettering, singling out those who excel in this field is
: incredibly difficult. Only two names come to mind: Richard Starkings
: (Comicraft) (ASTRO CITY, among other projects) did fantastic work...
Slight correction: While Starkings is the fellow in charge of Comicraft,
the person at the studio who's doing most of the ASTRO CITY work is John
Roshell (formerly Gaushell).
: Donald: Tom McCraw was a given on my list; he earned his CBG award
: (presented at the Chicago ComiCon in June, 1996). I also felt Trish
: Mulvihill had a great year as well; among her credits were WONDER
: WOMAN and BATMAN/CAPTAIN AMERICA, both John Byrne projects.
: However, the folks at Atomic Paintbrush get my nod in this category.
: As Randy notes, their work on the new Valiant Heroes titles from
: Acclaim Comics is amazing.
The folks at Atomic Paintbrush are godlings. I can't remember ever seeing
such vibrant colors. However, since I'm bribable I'd still vote for
McCraw. <g>
Randy:
: My choice, however, is DK Thorslund (Dan Thorsland) and Dread Kali
: (I've blanked on her real name)...
Ali Morales (currently out on maternity leave, BTW).
Randy:
: However, my true choice came down between two very human characters.
: Jack Knight (STARMAN) and Tommy Monaghan (HITMAN). Between the two, I
: have to say I find Tommy more interesting. While Jack is, at his
: heart, a good guy, he can be a selfish jerk. Tommy seems more human
: and, despite his profession, more likable overall.
: Donald: So -- many -- choices --- Can't -- choose... All but two
: characters on my list are DC characters: Brainiac 5
: (LSH/LEGIONNAIRES), Oracle (BIRDS OF PREY), Jesse Quick
: (FLASH/IMPULSE/WONDER WOMAN PLUS), Jack Knight and the Shade (STARMAN)
: and Tommy Monaghan (HITMAN). The non-DC characters are Chance
: Falconer and her pet Dragon, St. George from LEAVE IT TO CHANCE. In
: the end, I'll have to agree with Randy, and go with Tommy from HITMAN.
Must be a testosterone thing. Steve voted for Tommy too. <g>
: RAC'ER (ONLINE CONTRIBUTOR) OF 1996
:
: Donald: This was an easy one. There are plenty of deserving
: candidates, but my choice for my fave RAC'er is: RANDY LANDER!
: Randy: While I appreciate the thought, Donald, it's simply not right.
: The RAC'er of 1996 was clearly DONALD MACPHERSON!
This was absolutely adorable, guys. :)
: Donald MacPherson and Randy Lander are two reviewers of comics on
: Usenet. Their reviews, "Critiques on Infinite Earths" and "Snap
: Judgments", respectively, can be seen weekly on Usenet and at
: http://www.io.com/~rwlander/comics.html. Rumors that the two were
: twins, separated at birth, were dispelled at Chicago last year when it
: was revealed that Randy was in fact the love-child of Garth Ennis and
: Tipper Gore and that Donald was actually an artificial being
: synthesized from a spoiled package of Jell-O.
Very funny sig, but boo on the both of you for exceeding McQ. <g>
Great read, guys; nice job!
- Elayne
--
Please be aware that my news feed from Panix has recently been VERY
erratic, meaning that many of your posts are scrolling to my server out of
order or late (a few as much as *nine days* afterwards). So trust me, I'm
probably not ignoring you. <g> Thanks for your patience and understanding!
Donald MacPherson
Elayne Wechsler-Chaput <fire...@panix.com> wrote in article
<5c8hj0$d...@panix.com>...
> Randy Lander (rwla...@io.com) wrote:
> : Okay, here's the entire post. Look through it and see if there are any
> : changes.
>
Wasn't me. :)
> But no matter. I applaud the both of you for doing this; it's a lot of
> fun to read, and I don't think I could do something like this myself.
Even though we asked her to. ;)
> Donald sez:
> : I was surprised to see Mark Waid absent from Randy's list; just look
> : at his 1996 body of work, most of which was excellent (FLASH, IMPULSE,
> : A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE, CAPTAIN AMERICA v.1, X-O MANOWAR, X-MEN, JLX,
> : SUPER-SOLDIER and KINGDOM COME).
>
> Yeah, Randy, whassup with that? I thought you were something of a Waid
> fanatic. This is rather surprising.
Hmm, a slot may be opening up in Elayne's Minions...
> : COMICS LETTERER OF 1996
>
> : Donald: Another difficult category. While it's easy to spot really
> : bad lettering, singling out those who excel in this field is
> : incredibly difficult. Only two names come to mind: Richard Starkings
> : (Comicraft) (ASTRO CITY, among other projects) did fantastic work...
>
> Slight correction: While Starkings is the fellow in charge of Comicraft,
> the person at the studio who's doing most of the ASTRO CITY work is John
> Roshell (formerly Gaushell).
Didn't Starkings handle the KBAC lettering at some point?
> Randy:
> : However, my true choice came down between two very human characters.
> : Jack Knight (STARMAN) and Tommy Monaghan (HITMAN). Between the two, I
> : have to say I find Tommy more interesting. While Jack is, at his
> : heart, a good guy, he can be a selfish jerk. Tommy seems more human
> : and, despite his profession, more likable overall.
>
> : Donald: So -- many -- choices --- Can't -- choose... All but two
> : characters on my list are DC characters: Brainiac 5
> : (LSH/LEGIONNAIRES), Oracle (BIRDS OF PREY), Jesse Quick
> : (FLASH/IMPULSE/WONDER WOMAN PLUS), Jack Knight and the Shade (STARMAN)
> : and Tommy Monaghan (HITMAN). The non-DC characters are Chance
> : Falconer and her pet Dragon, St. George from LEAVE IT TO CHANCE. In
> : the end, I'll have to agree with Randy, and go with Tommy from HITMAN.
>
> Must be a testosterone thing. Steve voted for Tommy too. <g>
I assume you didn't vote for him, Elayne, but do you think Tommy is worthy
of the honor. I know you just started reading HITMAN; even though he's a
cold-blooded killer, do you think he's a solid character?
> : Donald MacPherson and Randy Lander are two reviewers of comics on
> : Usenet. Their reviews, "Critiques on Infinite Earths" and "Snap
> : Judgments", respectively, can be seen weekly on Usenet and at
> : http://www.io.com/~rwlander/comics.html. Rumors that the two were
> : twins, separated at birth, were dispelled at Chicago last year when it
> : was revealed that Randy was in fact the love-child of Garth Ennis and
> : Tipper Gore and that Donald was actually an artificial being
> : synthesized from a spoiled package of Jell-O.
>
> Very funny sig, but boo on the both of you for exceeding McQ. <g>
McQ? I assume this has something to do with sig length... just keep in
mind that there are really two sigs in one there.
Donald MacPherson
Elayne Wechsler-Chaput
Donald MacPherson (don...@gov.nb.ca) wrote:
: Elayne Wechsler-Chaput <fire...@panix.com> wrote in article
: <5c8hj0$d...@panix.com>...
: > I applaud the both of you for doing this; it's a lot of
: > fun to read, and I don't think I could do something like this myself.
: Even though we asked her to. ;)
The idea was bandied about among you, Randy, me, and Dave Van Domelen.
Then it died. I was waiting to hear back from the three of you. <g>
(And where *is* that FAQ we were all talking about, anyway?)
Be that as it may, I suck at this sort of thing, so in retrospect it's a
good thing that I didn't participate.
: > Yeah, Randy, whassup with that? I thought you were something of a Waid
: > fanatic. This is rather surprising.
: Hmm, a slot may be opening up in Elayne's Minions...
(1) Waid's Minions and Elayne's Minions don't necessarily intersect.
(2) I thought you didn't WANT to be a Minion. <g>
: > Slight correction: While Starkings is the fellow in charge of Comicraft,
: > the person at the studio who's doing most of the ASTRO CITY work is John
: > Roshell (formerly Gaushell).
: Didn't Starkings handle the KBAC lettering at some point?
No, that's been John from the beginning. John works at Starkings' studio.
: > Must be a testosterone thing. Steve voted for Tommy too. <g>
: I assume you didn't vote for him, Elayne, but do you think Tommy is worthy
: of the honor. I know you just started reading HITMAN; even though he's a
: cold-blooded killer, do you think he's a solid character?
I think he's a fascinating character, but he's certainly not my favorite,
and I do not hesitate to admit that the constant moral ambiguity and
exaggerated violence is a part of that. I voted for my favorite
superhero, Raquel Irwin (Rocket from ICON), like I always do.
: > Very funny sig, but boo on the both of you for exceeding McQ. <g>
: McQ? I assume this has something to do with sig length... just keep in
: mind that there are really two sigs in one there.
McQuarry, who I guess (Mike Chary can probably help out here) was the
person who devised the 4-lines, 80-characters-per-line maximum signature
length as the least burdensom on Usenet. And it doesn't matter that it's
a combined sig, it still exceeds McQ and is therefore warlordable. Good
thing IHNW. <g>
- Elayne (but one of these days I'm warlording Leonard Kirk <vbg>)
Rich Johnston
In article <01bc09f7$c4fcb880$161b...@gov.nb.ca>, "Donald says...
>
>> : COMICS LETTERER OF 1996
>>
>> : Donald: Another difficult category. While it's easy to spot really
>> : bad lettering, singling out those who excel in this field is
>> : incredibly difficult. Only two names come to mind: Richard Starkings
>>
>> Slight correction: While Starkings is the fellow in charge of Comicraft,
>> the person at the studio who's doing most of the ASTRO CITY work is John
>> Roshell (formerly Gaushell).
>
>Didn't Starkings handle the KBAC lettering at some point?
>
I'm still going for Dave Sim on this. Dave's lettering is part of the art,
as important to the comic as the characters. It is intrinsic to the artwork,
while commercial artists tend to add the lettering afterwards, Dave integrates
it. And he does GREAT effects... I defy anyone to beat his Cerebus unconscious
while Squinteye walks through the pub.
Rich J
Charles S. LePage
rwla...@io.com (Randy Lander) wrote:
>Donald: This is another category in which our choices differ
>radically. I think Jonah Weiland's comics resources pages
>(http://comics.envisionww.com/) are wonderful, as is Charles Lepage's
>New Comics Releases List site (http://www.ccse.net/~ncrl/), which I
>have been unable to connect to since it moved to its new site in
>December for some reason.
Well, I don't know why you can't connect to my site, but I do thank you for the
recommendation, and I hope everyone votes for the NCRL site. :)
*************************************
* Chuck *
* http://www.ccse.net/~ncrl *
*************************************
Jack Grimes
In article <5c897l$ltr$1...@nntp-3.io.com>, rwla...@io.com (Randy Lander) says:
>
>COMICS WEB SITE OF 1996
>
>Randy: While there are a lot of web sites I visit on a regular basis,
>there are two fan-built sites which stand out as professional quality
>and one professional site that gets a daily visit from me. The GL
>Corps Page (www.epix.net/~lbmgmd/glc/glcorps.html) is a tribute to the
>Corps, to stand as a monument until a wise editor at DC consents to
>bring them back. And the Marvel Family Page
>(www.imginfo.com/homepages/waltg/marvelfamily/index.html) is one of
>the most beautiful, professional-looking pages I've ever seen.
>
>However, much as I enjoy the character pages, my favorite thing on the
>web is the information and news. Smash! (smash.mgz.com) gives that in
>spades, with a Daily Buzz, feature articles, and a budding library of
>character profiles.
It was, truly, an honor to be nominated. :) *Much* thanks, Randy.
---
Jack R. Grimes | http://home.aol.com/lbmgmd |Email: |
|Coming soon: Brand new Web Page! |LBM...@epix.net |
------------------------------------------------------------------------|
"Super-heroes were created to represent the best in all of us. We should|
aspire to match their nobility, not their ability to shoot big chrome |
guns." -- Mark Waid. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Randy Lander
fire...@panix.com (Elayne Wechsler-Chaput) wrote:
>Donald MacPherson (don...@gov.nb.ca) wrote:
>: Elayne Wechsler-Chaput <fire...@panix.com> wrote in article
>: <5c8hj0$d...@panix.com>...
>: > I applaud the both of you for doing this; it's a lot of
>: > fun to read, and I don't think I could do something like this myself.
>: Even though we asked her to. ;)
>The idea was bandied about among you, Randy, me, and Dave Van Domelen.
>Then it died. I was waiting to hear back from the three of you. <g>
We thought you didn't want in, dear. Maybe next year.
>(And where *is* that FAQ we were all talking about, anyway?)
Um...I'm working on it? Slowly? Like Jim Lee on WildCATs slowly? :)
>Be that as it may, I suck at this sort of thing, so in retrospect it's a
>good thing that I didn't participate.
Yeah, right, I hate all those joint reviews you do with Johanna and
Ed. :)
rwla...@io.com<*>
My Home Page:http://www.io.com/~rwlander
This Post contains the opinions of one Randy Lander.
Had it been the biblical truth, your bushes would be
on fire.
Randy Lander
fire...@panix.com (Elayne Wechsler-Chaput) wrote:
>Randy Lander (rwla...@io.com) wrote:
>: Okay, here's the entire post. Look through it and see if there are any
>: changes.
>Er, Randy, I think someone pressed the wrong button. :)
No, someone (that would be me) forgot to chop the first sentence out
of the post. No, wait, it was an in-joke, I was asking for comments
from all of Usenet! Yeah, that's it...okay, I screwed up. :)
>But no matter. I applaud the both of you for doing this; it's a lot of
>fun to read, and I don't think I could do something like this myself.
>Donald sez:
>: I was surprised to see Mark Waid absent from Randy's list; just look
>: at his 1996 body of work, most of which was excellent (FLASH, IMPULSE,
>: A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE, CAPTAIN AMERICA v.1, X-O MANOWAR, X-MEN, JLX,
>: SUPER-SOLDIER and KINGDOM COME).
>Yeah, Randy, whassup with that? I thought you were something of a Waid
>fanatic. This is rather surprising.
Nah, Waid's been on my "fading" list for a while. Flash has been
coasting for me, Kingdom Come was good but not all it could have been,
and he killed off the best character in X-O Manowar (aided and abetted
by Brian Augustyn, and no I will not let it go. :) Combine that with
the death of the Rogues and despite all his talent I can't in good
conscience put him on my best writers list.
Randy Lander
"Donald MacPherson" <don...@gov.nb.ca> wrote:
>Elayne Wechsler-Chaput <fire...@panix.com> wrote in article
>> Yeah, Randy, whassup with that? I thought you were something of a Waid
>> fanatic. This is rather surprising.
>Hmm, a slot may be opening up in Elayne's Minions...
You just watch yourself, buddy. Us Minions will fight for our tenure.
:)
Mike Escutia
In article <5c897l$ltr$1...@nntp-3.io.com>, Randy Lander <rwla...@io.com> wrote:
>COMICS PUBLICATION OF 1996
>[Stuff about Wizard, FAN, etc. deleted.]
What I want to know is whatever happened to Comics Scene? It was THE best
magazine about comics, IMHO. It looked professional and didn't hurt the
eyes like Wizard, et al seem to do. Okay, so it didn't have top ten
lists and lists of new releases, or price guides, but the lack of these
all-too-overused things is what set it apart from all the Wizard clones
out there.
-Mike
--
Mike Escutia - m...@hopper.unh.edu - http://www.eyrie.org/~ergh/
"So don't slow down, / The wheels are turning, / The fire's burning in us
now / Don't slow down, / Don't lose the magic, / We've come too far to turn
back now." -- Mr. Mister, "Don't Slow Down"
Elayne Wechsler-Chaput
Randy Lander (rwla...@io.com) wrote:
: fire...@panix.com (Elayne Wechsler-Chaput) wrote:
: >The idea was bandied about among you, Randy, me, and Dave Van Domelen.
: >Then it died. I was waiting to hear back from the three of you. <g>
: We thought you didn't want in, dear. Maybe next year.
: >Be that as it may, I suck at this sort of thing, so in retrospect it's a
: >good thing that I didn't participate.
: Yeah, right, I hate all those joint reviews you do with Johanna and
: Ed. :)
You misunderstand. I don't suck (at least, I don't *think* I do) at
reviewing stuff that's right in front of me as I'm talking about it. But
my Sieve-Brain (TM) doesn't allow me the luxury of keeping all this stuff
in my head for up to 12 months after I've read it. I remember bits and
pieces-- RAY #25, IMPULSE #12-- but not really the big picture, and my
files are relatively inaccessible (I'd have to spend a lot of time
unstacking the boxes in order to look stuff up). I'm really in awe of
people who have enough memory of what's happened in the past year to be
able to talk about it at length the way you, Donald, and Dave have done.
- Elayne
srowe...@aol.com
>What I want to know is whatever happened to Comics Scene? It was THE
best
>magazine about comics, IMHO. It looked professional and didn't hurt the
>eyes like Wizard, et al seem to do. Okay, so it didn't have top ten
>lists and lists of new releases, or price guides, but the lack of these
>all-too-overused things is what set it apart from all the Wizard clones
>out there.
It ended about nine months ago or so. Wasn't it the first magazine about
comics on the newstand?
Steven Rowe
Abhay Khosla
On 25 Jan 1997, Mike Escutia wrote:
> In article <5c897l$ltr$1...@nntp-3.io.com>, Randy Lander <rwla...@io.com> wrote:
> >COMICS PUBLICATION OF 1996
> >[Stuff about Wizard, FAN, etc. deleted.]
> What I want to know is whatever happened to Comics Scene? It was THE best
> magazine about comics, IMHO. It looked professional and didn't hurt the
> eyes like Wizard, et al seem to do. Okay, so it didn't have top ten
> lists and lists of new releases, or price guides, but the lack of these
> all-too-overused things is what set it apart from all the Wizard clones
> out there.
> -Mike
It started coming out slower and slower over time so all the stories were
old. I think that probably hurt. But Comics Scene was the only magazine
about comics that I could get at the local grocers. I found out about
just everything through that magazine since I didn't have a comic's store-
what Frank Miller was doing, who Neal Gaiman was, Ted Mckeever and Phil
Foglio in one issue, what a few good alternative books were. I think it
had a fairly strong editorial team- good mix of alternative and mainstream
articles.
But it had two weaknesses, for my taste. An over-obsession
with media tie-ins- every issue had three articles on just horrible movies
like the Captain America fiasco- and ... there's no reason for anyone in a
comic shop to get it. Some nice interviews- a good Gaiman one and a good
ALan Grant one, a great Frank Miller one in the very first one(I actually
bought that one, still look at it occaisonally... good Ann Nocenti article
in it)- but ... it was just telling fans what they'd already find out in a
couple months for themselves. No thought in it.
I always rather liked Comics Interview. Lots of pencil art, sometimes
Kirby stuff, and just interviews which I guess I like the most. Some bad
issues, but they'd do an issue with Brian Stelfreeze and hear what he had
to say about mechanical vs. organic drawing or how he paints, or Dave
Mazzachulli's issue(s?) where you found out he was an art teacher while he
was gone. They had a massive Frank MIller issue after the first Sin City
that I still wouldn't mind a look at... but thats basically the kind of
thing I like to hear- creative people talking about how they work and why
they work...
-Abhay
akh...@umich.edu
Donald MacPherson
> Donald MacPherson (don...@gov.nb.ca) wrote:
> : Elayne Wechsler-Chaput <fire...@panix.com> wrote in article
> : > I applaud the both of you for doing this; it's a lot of
> : > fun to read, and I don't think I could do something like this myself.
>
>
> Then it died. I was waiting to hear back from the three of you. <g>
I thought you and Dave weren't into the idea, for various reason I won't
get into since we already know 'em. ;)
> : > Yeah, Randy, whassup with that? I thought you were something of a
Waid
> : > fanatic. This is rather surprising.
>
> : Hmm, a slot may be opening up in Elayne's Minions...
>
> (1) Waid's Minions and Elayne's Minions don't necessarily intersect.
>
> (2) I thought you didn't WANT to be a Minion. <g>
Sure I do... I just haven't had the opportunity to display my
qualifications of membership. Hmm, that doesn't sound good...
Donald MacPherson
Don Brinker's Older Evil Twin
rwla...@io.com (Randy Lander) wrote:
>Randy: Mind you, if you *do* vote for the ones we suggest, Donald will
>give each one of you a shiny new quarter. :)
A quarter *per*? Oooh, big bucks :-)
<Big snip>
>RAC'ER (ONLINE CONTRIBUTOR) OF 1996
>
>Donald: This was an easy one. There are plenty of deserving
>candidates, but my choice for my fave RAC'er is: RANDY LANDER!
>Randy: While I appreciate the thought, Donald, it's simply not right.
>The RAC'er of 1996 was clearly DONALD MACPHERSON!
>Donald: I must protest your choice, Randy. You are by far the cream
>of the crop.
>Randy: While I blush at such misguided praise, you are mistaken.
>Clearly, your contributions to Usenet make you the logical choice.
>Donald: No, you.
>Randy: No, no, it's you.
>Donald: You.
>Randy: You.
If this gets any more sickeningly sweet, I think I'll vomit.
- Don
Bob Heer
rwla...@io.com (Randy Lander) wrote
> COMICS PUBLICATION OF 1996 >
> Donald: I have no suggestions for this category, as no print
> publication about comics really stands out as worthy of recognition.
> Randy: I'm in the same boat here.... As it is, my votes go to FAN,
> the lesser of two evils in slick comic book magazines.
Hm, seems a shame to vote for a "lesser of two evils" in a category that
would include THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR, JACK KIRBY QUARTERLY and Robin
Snyder's THE COMICS. All with great articles and some great art you'll
see nowhere else (latest TJCK has the pencils and notes to a late-60s
horror short Kirby did that ended up butchered thanks to Marvel, latest
JKQ had pages of amazing Fourth World toy designs, latest THE COMICS had
pages from an unpublished RUDOLPH tabloid by Sheldon Mayer). My vote
would go to TJKC, since it's more frequent than QUARTERLY and thicker than
THE COMICS, and it's distributed to comic stores so more people have seen
it. Take a look. Even if you're one of those who don't love Kirby (and
may god have mercy on your soul) you'll probably be impressed with the
production and content and obvious enthusiasm for the subject.
Bob
bg...@torfree.net, occasional editor of Gunk'l'dunk,
a Beanworld newsletter. E-mail me for details
++
Sssso. Have you... seen Spot run...?
--
Mike Escutia
In article <Pine.SOL.3.95.970125...@qbert.rs.itd.umich.edu>,
Abhay Khosla <akh...@umich.edu> wrote:
[My question about Comics Scene deleted.]
>I think it had a fairly strong editorial team- good mix of alternative and
>mainstream articles.
It did. I see CS as being oriented more towards older readers who don't
care for the glitzy hype of Wizard and those other magazines.
>But it had two weaknesses, for my taste. An over-obsession
>with media tie-ins- every issue had three articles on just horrible movies
>like the Captain America fiasco- and ... there's no reason for anyone in a
>comic shop to get it.
I agree that both of these were problems, especially the media tie-ins
thing. It was suggested that the media stuff be split off into a
separate magazine, but I guess it never happened.
Being bi-monthly (sometimes nine times a year) made it hard to provide
timely info about upcoming releases, which probably also hurt.
-Mike
(found it easier to get CS at Barnes&Noble than at the comics shops...)
Martin Wisse
Mike Escutia (er...@eyrie.org) wrote:
: In article <Pine.SOL.3.95.970125...@qbert.rs.itd.umich.edu>,
: Abhay Khosla <akh...@umich.edu> wrote:
: [My question about Comics Scene deleted.]
: >I think it had a fairly strong editorial team- good mix of alternative and
: >mainstream articles.
:
: It did. I see CS as being oriented more towards older readers who don't
: care for the glitzy hype of Wizard and those other magazines.
Well, Comics Scene was around long before Wizard started, so i don't think it
was aimed at that exact group. I found CS to be more intended for the
casual comics reader, who would catch up with what was happening in comics
by reading CS.
: >But it had two weaknesses, for my taste. An over-obsession
: >with media tie-ins- every issue had three articles on just horrible movies
: >like the Captain America fiasco- and ... there's no reason for anyone in a
: >comic shop to get it.
:
: I agree that both of these were problems, especially the media tie-ins
: thing. It was suggested that the media stuff be split off into a
: separate magazine, but I guess it never happened.
You both forget CS had to be sold at the newsstands, not exclusively at
comics fans, but at people who would be more likely to have heard of
Batman: the movie or Alladin then the X-men or Spawn. The first version
of CS failed, by including the media/animation stuff, CS could reach a
wider audience. Also, CS had enough good comics articles to be of interest
to "real" comic fans. Sure, a lot of their articles were also covered in
Wizard or Comics Interview, but these almost always had at least some new
info.
: Being bi-monthly (sometimes nine times a year) made it hard to provide
: timely info about upcoming releases, which probably also hurt.
CS was not meant to be a newszine like CSN or CBG, but more to be something
among the lines of Comics Interview, providing more general information about
creators and projects.
In my view, Comics Scene was more a victim of the imploding comics market
(which they even predicted); it didn't fail because of internal problems, but
because their market was gone. Comics Interview, e.g. also stopped at
approximately the same time.
Martin Wisse