Comics?

[Deleted]

Who here actually reads comics now...or at least used to read them recently?

I have mentioned before that I grew up with comics because of my dad. I have pretty much read every single comic made from DC and Marvel during the Silver Age (late 50s) up until the late 1990s. I even read the off beat stuff like The Metal Men. I actually owned my own shop from 1996 to 1999 before I got smart and closed it down and went back to college (I dropped out the first time back in 1987....damn ping pong table in the student hall).

Anyway...I have been away for a long time and my cousin talked me into reading the Avengers Disassembled and The Civil War series and all the tie-ins. So thanks to torrents and digital comics I am five issues in and am really enjoying it.

I am just curious who still reads and what do you like?

[Cducharme]

Never cared for twats in tights comics but I love good indie comics (spawn, crossed, the boys, preacher come to mind Right off the bat.)

[R&ROVER]

I was a DIEHARD collector and avid reader (primarily the latter) from 1975-1990 or so. Not much since. I love discussing this era (and earlier...loved Silver Age Marvel as well) and, as much, the creators from this period.

[Cducharme]

I guess the whole superhero thing always seemed impossible but the horror comics always felt more like they could happen, even if they involve supernatural aspects as that always was more logical to me than the tears in tights stuff

[R&ROVER]

I always liked the mystique of masked super heroes, which I guess partly informed my early interest in Kiss (although the music kept me around). I was less crazy about the KNOWN (public) ones. I liked the secretive ones whose revealing of their identity might threaten them somehow. Was fun.

[Deleted]

Jan 8, 2015 9:57:20 GMT -5 R&ROVER said:

I was a DIEHARD collector and avid reader (primarily the latter) from 1975-1990 or so. Not much since. I love discussing this era (and earlier...loved Silver Age Marvel as well) and, as much, the creators from this period.

Ah yes...I could talk about that period for hours. I miss the great artists of the 70's and 80's...Neal Adams, George Perez, early Carmine Infantino, Mike Grell. I absolutely hated the Image artists and and that whole style...especially Rob "I can't draw feet" Liefeld. I did like Jim Lee...but that whole style invaded DC and Marvel and I don't think comics ever fully recovered.

[Deleted]

Never really into comics that much. I might get into the Attack on Titan Manga though.

[R&ROVER]

Jan 8, 2015 10:32:40 GMT -5 @vadim said:

Jan 8, 2015 9:57:20 GMT -5 R&ROVER said:

I was a DIEHARD collector and avid reader (primarily the latter) from 1975-1990 or so. Not much since. I love discussing this era (and earlier...loved Silver Age Marvel as well) and, as much, the creators from this period.

Ah yes...I could talk about that period for hours. I miss the great artists of the 70's and 80's...Neal Adams, George Perez, early Carmine Infantino, Mike Grell. I absolutely hated the Image artists and and that whole style...especially Rob "I can't draw feet" Liefeld. I did like Jim Lee...but that whole style invaded DC and Marvel and I don't think comics ever fully recovered.

Yeah, not too warm on the Todd McFarlane period onward and that style either. I like Jim Lee ok. All the fucking HUGE panels. No one tells a story anymore. Nearly every page looks like a splash page or maybe there’s three panels. Big contrast to the George Perez days.

Of the oldies, the only one you mentioned that I was not a fan of was Carmine. Eh. I really dug Perez a bunch. Bob Layton's Iron Man was beautiful. Neal Adams was a GOD among men and while I wasn’t a big fan of Batman as a comic back then (loved Miller’s Dark Knight though…and the character in general), his work was impeccable. I was especially thrilled with his run of work on the X-Men. It’s too bad that was during their low (and soon-to-be-canceled) period. I also would have loved to have seen him work on the “new” X-Men starting with #94. Never was much of a Dave Cockrum fan, rest his soul. That book took a serious turn with Byrne, who is probably my favorite artist. While he’s a bit of shit now (and ever since jumping to DC in fact…his proportions blow), in his prime (and best with Terry Austin) he was fantastic.

I loved Frank Miller’s style. His DD work was the best. Like Byrne with Austin, Miller really excelled with Klaus Jansen (a good artist in his own right). Gets a little weird on Dark Knight and Ronin, but I still enjoy his work even there….even if a bit more eccentric at that point. Another odd bird I loved was Bill Sienkiewicz…from Moon Knight to The New Mutants. His work beyond that (Elektra onward) gets really strange, but still pretty compelling stuff.

I dug the workhorses too….Romitas Sr. & Jr. were both quite fine. Loved Walt Simonson’s Thor…the whole Beta Ray Bill stuff. Even Gil Kane.

Of the old school guys I still have a HUGE soft spot for Steve Ditko and especially on Spider-Man. I just think that look so fit the character. It’s strange because I’m not much of a Dr. Strange Ditko fan….or much like his work on other titles, but his Spider-Man stuff is just fucking great.

If I were to reach for a comic run RIGHT NOW it would either be Bryne/Austin's period from the 120s through Dark Phoenix (137)....or the whole Lee/Ditko run on Spider-Man. Never get tired of them.

[Cducharme]

I love image myself. But that's what is great about comics, just about something for everyone

[R&ROVER]

I forgot to mention that I love a few others (LOL)

I really dug Michael Golden's work on Micronauts. Loved that organic, curvy shape of his work. Also really dug the Paul Smith period on X-Men. Not too sure if he still works or not.

One artist I fell IN LOVE with but apparently he was just too fucking slow to do much regular work was Arthur Adams. Man that guy could draw. I think Dave Stevens (Rocketeer) had this same problem, but their work was so good it was worth the wait.

[Deleted]

Jan 8, 2015 10:59:17 GMT -5 R&ROVER said:

Jan 8, 2015 10:32:40 GMT -5 @vadim said:

Ah yes...I could talk about that period for hours. I miss the great artists of the 70's and 80's...Neal Adams, George Perez, early Carmine Infantino, Mike Grell. I absolutely hated the Image artists and and that whole style...especially Rob "I can't draw feet" Liefeld. I did like Jim Lee...but that whole style invaded DC and Marvel and I don't think comics ever fully recovered.

Yeah, not too warm on the Todd McFarlane period onward and that style either. I like Jim Lee ok. All the fucking HUGE panels. No one tells a story anymore. Nearly every page looks like a splash page or maybe there’s three panels. Big contrast to the George Perez days.

Of the oldies, the only one you mentioned that I was not a fan of was Carmine. Eh. I really dug Perez a bunch. Bob Layton's Iron Man was beautiful. Neal Adams was a GOD among men and while I wasn’t a big fan of Batman as a comic back then (loved Miller’s Dark Knight though…and the character in general), his work was impeccable. I was especially thrilled with his run of work on the X-Men. It’s too bad that was during their low (and soon-to-be-canceled) period. I also would have loved to have seen him work on the “new” X-Men starting with #94. Never was much of a Dave Cockrum fan, rest his soul. That book took a serious turn with Byrne, who is probably my favorite artist. While he’s a bit of shit now (and ever since jumping to DC in fact…his proportions blow), in his prime (and best with Terry Austin) he was fantastic.

I loved Frank Miller’s style. His DD work was the best. Like Byrne with Austin, Miller really excelled with Klaus Jansen (a good artist in his own right). Gets a little weird on Dark Knight and Ronin, but I still enjoy his work even there….even if a bit more eccentric at that point. Another odd bird I loved was Bill Sienkiewicz…from Moon Knight to The New Mutants. His work beyond that (Elektra onward) gets really strange, but still pretty compelling stuff.

I dug the workhorses too….Romitas Sr. & Jr. were both quite fine. Loved Walt Simonson’s Thor…the whole Beta Ray Bill stuff. Even Gil Kane.

Of the old school guys I still have a HUGE soft spot for Steve Ditko and especially on Spider-Man. I just think that look so fit the character. It’s strange because I’m not much of a Dr. Strange Ditko fan….or much like his work on other titles, but his Spider-Man stuff is just fucking great.

If I were to reach for a comic run RIGHT NOW it would either be Bryne/Austin's period from the 120s through Dark Phoenix (137)....or the whole Lee/Ditko run on Spider-Man. Never get tired of them.

Ah hell...how could I have left out Byrne? LOL

I agree about Cockrum...and as for Infantino, that is why I mentioned his early work. He went to shit pretty quickly. You brought back some great memories with Sienkiewicz. I loved his Thor stuff...and wow...Moon Knight...had not thought of that book in years. Great story telling and such a cool psychotic character.

Here is a fun read when you have some time...the 40 worst Rob Liefeld drawings:
www.progressiveboink.com/2012/4/21/2960508/worst-rob-liefeld-drawings

Damn dude...beyond our political/religious beliefs, we have so much in common.

[Deleted]

Jan 8, 2015 11:09:54 GMT -5 R&ROVER said:

I forgot to mention that I love a few others (LOL)

I really dug Michael Golden's work on Micronauts. Loved that organic, curvy shape of his work. Also really dug the Paul Smith period on X-Men. Not too sure if he still works or not.

One artist I fell IN LOVE with but apparently he was just too fucking slow to do much regular work was Arthur Adams. Man that guy could draw. I think Dave Stevens (Rocketeer) had this same problem, but their work was so good it was worth the wait.

PAUL SMITH! He ushered in a whole new era of style. wow...a flood of memories.

[R&ROVER]

Jan 8, 2015 11:12:49 GMT -5 @vadim said:

Jan 8, 2015 10:59:17 GMT -5 R&ROVER said:

Yeah, not too warm on the Todd McFarlane period onward and that style either. I like Jim Lee ok. All the fucking HUGE panels. No one tells a story anymore. Nearly every page looks like a splash page or maybe there’s three panels. Big contrast to the George Perez days.

Of the oldies, the only one you mentioned that I was not a fan of was Carmine. Eh. I really dug Perez a bunch. Bob Layton's Iron Man was beautiful. Neal Adams was a GOD among men and while I wasn’t a big fan of Batman as a comic back then (loved Miller’s Dark Knight though…and the character in general), his work was impeccable. I was especially thrilled with his run of work on the X-Men. It’s too bad that was during their low (and soon-to-be-canceled) period. I also would have loved to have seen him work on the “new” X-Men starting with #94. Never was much of a Dave Cockrum fan, rest his soul. That book took a serious turn with Byrne, who is probably my favorite artist. While he’s a bit of shit now (and ever since jumping to DC in fact…his proportions blow), in his prime (and best with Terry Austin) he was fantastic.

I loved Frank Miller’s style. His DD work was the best. Like Byrne with Austin, Miller really excelled with Klaus Jansen (a good artist in his own right). Gets a little weird on Dark Knight and Ronin, but I still enjoy his work even there….even if a bit more eccentric at that point. Another odd bird I loved was Bill Sienkiewicz…from Moon Knight to The New Mutants. His work beyond that (Elektra onward) gets really strange, but still pretty compelling stuff.

I dug the workhorses too….Romitas Sr. & Jr. were both quite fine. Loved Walt Simonson’s Thor…the whole Beta Ray Bill stuff. Even Gil Kane.

Of the old school guys I still have a HUGE soft spot for Steve Ditko and especially on Spider-Man. I just think that look so fit the character. It’s strange because I’m not much of a Dr. Strange Ditko fan….or much like his work on other titles, but his Spider-Man stuff is just fucking great.

If I were to reach for a comic run RIGHT NOW it would either be Bryne/Austin's period from the 120s through Dark Phoenix (137)....or the whole Lee/Ditko run on Spider-Man. Never get tired of them.

Ah hell...how could I have left out Byrne? LOL

I agree about Cockrum...and as for Infantino, that is why I mentioned his early work. He went to shit pretty quickly. You brought back some great memories with Sienkiewicz. I loved his Thor stuff...and wow...Moon Knight...had not thought of that book in years. Great story telling and such a cool psychotic character.

Here is a fun read when you have some time...the 40 worst Rob Liefeld drawings:
www.progressiveboink.com/2012/4/21/2960508/worst-rob-liefeld-drawings

Damn dude...beyond our political/religious beliefs, we have so much in common.

Birds of a feather brother. I'll give that site a browsing. I love the title alone.

[R&ROVER]

Jan 8, 2015 11:14:08 GMT -5 @vadim said:

Jan 8, 2015 11:09:54 GMT -5 R&ROVER said:

I forgot to mention that I love a few others (LOL)

I really dug Michael Golden's work on Micronauts. Loved that organic, curvy shape of his work. Also really dug the Paul Smith period on X-Men. Not too sure if he still works or not.

One artist I fell IN LOVE with but apparently he was just too fucking slow to do much regular work was Arthur Adams. Man that guy could draw. I think Dave Stevens (Rocketeer) had this same problem, but their work was so good it was worth the wait.

PAUL SMITH! He ushered in a whole new era of style. wow...a flood of memories.

He was a breath of fresh air after Cockrum relieved Bryne (UGH!!!!) at issue 145. Man talk about sleeping with your old girlfriend. Smith was a fantastic style switch. I didn't even mind the Romita Jr. period of X-Man after Paul Smith. Then I pretty much just fell off the comic book planet after that.

You should have seen my room. I had a second bedroom JUST FOR MY COMIC BOOKS and posters and buttons and tapestries. While it sounds weird, my dad and I shared a room (he was gone til after I was asleep - worked late nights bartending) and the other room in the apartment was for my comics and his gun safe. We were men of hobbies I tell you. There wasn't room for a bed.

[R&ROVER]

Hilarious commentary. Mean, but funny....and fuck it, it's true anyhow.

[Deleted]

Was a wicked collector till about 98-99...Just got to be too much...Too expensive...Still have 20 some odd boxes (10,000) comics, bagged and boarded...Lot's of 1st...Plus a Action Comic's #1, bad shape with half the cover just deteriorated away, Detective comics #27, bad cover and last page missing...Got them in 1976 at a comic show in PA...Plus 1st appearances and first issues of Hulk, X-men, Fantastic 4, too many to list. Hand signed complete set of Edgar Allen Poes 1st published works...very very rare...picked it up at a used book store in Maryland in 1977 for $100.00. One of the nice things that happens when you get pawned off to different relatives during the summer as a kid! Spending Money! Sold a bunch of stuff (including vast Kiss collection) when my Mom was sick and I needed cash to take care of her....My one item I miss was a Babe Ruth rookie card...But that card paid for her chemo & radiation for a full year so no complaints...Also have 1st edition hand drawn TMNT & Smurfs...And a series I loved called Elf Quest!!!

[R&ROVER]

Nice stuff. My biggest honey pot is a really nice shape copy of Amzing Spider-Man # 3 which I got for my birthday around '77 or '78.

[Cducharme]

Whoa first edition TMNT?!? Wanna get married?

[lugnut]

Was a big fan/collector from around '86-94, but I got out mostly because the costs were getting ridiculous because it was the height of everyone doing "limited edition" chromium/hologram/wtfever covers and polybagged shit and whatnot to increase the price (and make you want to buy two copies, one to read and one to keep sealed). Sold most of 'em in a flea market booth early on enough that I was still able to get a little bit out of them. The rest I had I wound up giving to our friend's kids that were staying with, since it's not like most '80s/90s stuff is worth dick anyway, and I'd rather see kids read them and enjoy them than have them sitting around in a box for another 20 years.

(I did have the 2nd printing of TMNT #1 at one point, though. Sold it for what seemed like a decent chunk at the time, but I dunno what it brings now)

[R&ROVER]

Yeah, who the hell can afford to collect (or even freakin' read) today? $1.00 to $1.25 a book when I stopped collecting (graphic novels and special shit aside) and I thought THAT was high.

[Steve]

Huge, but somewhat lapsed, fan here, starting with Spider-Man at age seven. I still have a soft spot for the ol' web slinger though I've not bought an issue in twenty odd years.

I jumped the fence to DC in the late 80s, though I never much cared for their superheroes apart from Bats and went straight for Vertigo. I still LOVE many of those titles today and there are lots I have yet to read. Alan Moore's entire run on Swamp Thing for example.

I will buy almost anything Clive Barker related, anything by Brubaker and Philips and I dig a lot of the intelligent horror stuff coming from IDW these last few years.

As I prepare to move away in a couple of years, I can't collect physical formats as I've done in days gone by and will have to switch to digital. I'll need a good device to display comics on and right now the iPad mini is the front runner.

Also, Bill Willingham is a cunt and Fables is way overrated. Carry on.

[Hey Man]

I loved comic from the 70's to about 1990 - then almost overnight, I just wasn't interested anymore. I was more of a Marvel guy and I really liked John Byrne, Jum Starlin, Chris Clairemont and Frank Miller's Daredevil.

[Deleted]

One of my favorite collections...I have almost all of the Creepy Eerie and Famous Monsters Of Film Land and Vampirella magazines...Still filling a few slots...Creepy is my favorite,,,But the Ass on Vampirella...Wow!

archive.org/stream/warren-vampirella-112/Vampirella-112-1983#page/n0/mode/2up

[B5Erik]

I bought my first comics in 1974 (started with an issue of Spidey Super Stories and graduated to Amazing Spider Man #144 the next month).

I was a huge comic book fan from that point until the late 80's. When Marvel started rewriting history (and undoing the phenomenal story from ASM 148-150) I became disenchanted. When they started doing the crossover stories where you had to buy every issue of every title from that character I became more disenchanted. Then I looked at how much I was spending on comics, and thought about how Marvel was pissing me off, and I quit cold turkey. I bought a few back issues from the 60's and 70's after that, but I have no interest in whatever has happened since the early 90's.

But I still love those classic comics - especially the ones from the 60's and 70's (my favorite era). John Romita Sr is my all time favorite artist. No one before or since drew and inked Spider-Man as well as him. The man had an amazingly smooth style.

Besides Romita Sr. some of my favorite artists include John Buscema (RIP), Gil Kane, Neal Adams, Joe Sinnott (his inking style was absolutely perfect for the Fantastic Four - no one did The Thing as well as him), Bob Layton, John Romita Jr, and the great George Perez (among others). I, too, loved Ditko's work on ASM. His style is ultra old school non-realistic, but it's so stylized and perfect for the stories of that era. I liked his work on Dr. Strange, but I never really got into the character all that much. Jack Kirby had a completely different style from Ditko, but it, too, was highly stylized and unrealistic. I like Kirby's work, but I don't love it. Never did. Sinnott helped clean up his art on FF a lot.

I still enjoy cracking open some of those classic comics every now and then to re-re-re-re-re-read those stories. Someday I'd like to have a complete collection of the 60's and 70's Spider-Man, FF, Avengers, X-Men, and Hulk titles, as well as a few others that I'm forgetting.

[B5Erik]

I still think this panel is the best thing Steve Ditko ever did, and I sometimes wonder if someone else inked it. It's a little more detailed than his usual work, and the proportions look better, too. If he really did this one all by himself (and he may very well have) then it is the finest work of his career, IMO.

[Nightflight77]

Jan 8, 2015 10:32:40 GMT -5 @vadim said:

Jan 8, 2015 9:57:20 GMT -5 R&ROVER said:

I was a DIEHARD collector and avid reader (primarily the latter) from 1975-1990 or so. Not much since. I love discussing this era (and earlier...loved Silver Age Marvel as well) and, as much, the creators from this period.

Ah yes...I could talk about that period for hours. I miss the great artists of the 70's and 80's...Neal Adams, George Perez, early Carmine Infantino, Mike Grell. I absolutely hated the Image artists and and that whole style...especially Rob "I can't draw feet" Liefeld. I did like Jim Lee...but that whole style invaded DC and Marvel and I don't think comics ever fully recovered.

Great post.

I grew up on comics from 77 til 93 or so. What killed comics was McFarlene and the collectors variant covers market they tried to capitalize on.

I have Byrne, Frezetta, McFarlene and George Perez sigs below.  Todd was great for Marvel and I love the success he had with Spawn but he's an arrogant asshole. Gene Simmons trapped in an artist body.

Monthly comics are a lot of work and any artist doing this gets a thumbs up from me. I don't know what comic artist get paid these day but the problem  you had in the 90's is the new artist that thought they were stars and didn't pay their dues yet. The other problem was the industry was riding high in sales in the early 90's and then it feel apart and didn't have an answer for distribution. We needed the comic shops in the 90's. It sounds like you got in and out right around this time and I don't blame you for shutting it down.

The comic industry never had a plan, never had a way to protect themselves and that's been the problem. DC was looking at Marvel and Marvel was looking at DC but then you had other comic book companies fighting for fans.

The other problem is adapting to the internet and apps. The good news is the movies from comics that are great and keeping the connection alive. i have it on my list to work on comics for Marvel or DC in the next two years. My fav comic artist are John Byrne and Jim Lee.  Both are amazing artist. 
I have a fail proof solution that could turn around the comic industry.

[Nightflight77]

Jan 8, 2015 22:56:28 GMT -5 B5Erik said:

I still think this panel is the best thing Steve Ditko ever did, and I sometimes wonder if someone else inked it. It's a little more detailed than his usual work, and the proportions look better, too. If he really did this one all by himself (and he may very well have) then it is the finest work of his career, IMO.

An inker wouldn't change the art proportions that Dikto drew.

[Nightflight77]

Jan 8, 2015 11:18:09 GMT -5 R&ROVER said:

Jan 8, 2015 11:14:08 GMT -5 @vadim said:

PAUL SMITH! He ushered in a whole new era of style. wow...a flood of memories.

He was a breath of fresh air after Cockrum relieved Bryne (UGH!!!!) at issue 145. Man talk about sleeping with your old girlfriend. Smith was a fantastic style switch. I didn't even mind the Romita Jr. period of X-Man after Paul Smith. Then I pretty much just fell off the comic book planet after that.

You should have seen my room. I had a second bedroom JUST FOR MY COMIC BOOKS and posters and buttons and tapestries. While it sounds weird, my dad and I shared a room (he was gone til after I was asleep - worked late nights bartending) and the other room in the apartment was for my comics and his gun safe. We were men of hobbies I tell you. There wasn't room for a bed.

Fort my taste the X-men Byrne/Austin run was perfect as you can get. Perfect story arcs and art work.  Cockrum almost destroyed the X-men to me but I kept reading them.

[Nightflight77]

X-MEN # 101 // 1st App. PHOENIX // HIGH GRADE // NM- is the most valuable comic I have but I haven't checked the McFarlene / Marvel issue value in while.

[Nightflight77]

Jan 8, 2015 13:34:44 GMT -5 R&ROVER said:

Nice stuff. My biggest honey pot is a really nice shape copy of Amzing Spider-Man # 3 which I got for my birthday around '77 or '78.

That's a great issue to have...