Books With Pictures - and Some Without

Doug: Hello, and thanks for coming  around this week. It's good to be back in the blogger's chair, even if only for a few days. When last we met, it was over at Back in the Bronze Age when I contributed a post on DC's imaginary stories. That was over a year ago! And other than school work, I've really not written since May 2017. But I've done a heckuva lot of reading, and today I'd like to share some thoughts on the tomes I've consumed over the past 12 or so months.

A year ago I decided to start keeping track of the books I was reading. Since we quit blogging in November 2016, it really freed up time in the evenings for some leisurely reading. And as I got to forming that habit, I found that I'd missed regular reading - and particularly reading comics. Formerly, the comics I read were always blog-oriented. That's not a bad thing - I think our repository of reviews is a real treasure. But we're talking about me consuming 1-2 comics in a week over the 7+ years the BAB was active. However, that commitment had necessitated (at least, that's the story I'm telling) the acquisition of a massive amount of collected editions. At last count I have over 350 books on my shelves. For most of those books, they sat idle since arriving, waiting for a post idea or review to liberate them from their resting place. Once the blog shuttered, I felt able to crack open all of the books I'd amassed. If an evening goes the way I'd like, I'm on the couch or in the recliner with a tpb or hardcover, keeping an eye on some college sports or the Cubs. On a good night, I'll read 2-3 comics. I'd also add that the fact that our sons have been out of the house over the past few years has contributed to my disposable evening time. So you see how it's possible to rip through the amount of material I've read (see below).

Karen long ago said that we live in the golden age of reprints. She's not wrong. Just two weeks ago I finished the Batgirl Bronze Age Omnibus, collecting the character's early appearances in Detective Comics and Batman, up through the Batman Family years. Think about that... A 500-page hardcover devoted to mostly 8-10 page back-up stories, and featuring a C-list character. Karen was right!

You can count the Planet of the Apes B&W magazine strips among material I never expected to read. Thank goodness Boom Studios did what it took to put that mysterious content in my hot little hands. And if you've not seen these archive-like editions, you are missing out. The reproduction is outstanding - heavy stock, the same size as originally published, and wrapped by a sturdy hardcover. I have the first two volumes and intend to buy the next two. And speaking of those "damned, dirty apes", if you're into prose then you might like Tales from the Forbidden Zone. Karen and I both read it, and I can guarantee if we'd still been writing, you'd have seen our thoughts on it. Not every short story was a winner, but more often than not there was a smile and some thoughtful reflection before moving on to the next chapter. One story I'd mention specifically involved Taylor and Nova in a "What if Taylor had survived the nuke at the end of Beneath the Planet of the Apes?" Good stuff.

For our readers who've been with us for a few years, you'll recall that I have done contract work for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's education department. After spending 10 days each July in Washington, DC over the past seven summers, I am somewhat melancholy to report that I am not going back this year. However, my interest in the subject remains high, and you can see across my three reading logs that I've continued with my professional development by reading various selections in Holocaust witness and history. Two books I'd highlight to those interested: if you would be inclined to read a rather raw survivor testimony, told within months of liberation, then Five Chimneys is excellent. Certainly, it's a tough read, but very compelling throughout. If you want a concise history of some of the nuances of the event and era, then I heartily recommend Peter Hayes's very accessible Why? Explaining the Holocaust.

I didn't always care for the books I chose. Last summer I decided to give one of Edgar Rice Burroughs' last Tarzan novels a whirl. Tarzan and the Foreign Legion could best be avoided. In addition to Burroughs' formulaic storytelling, the racism that was so prevalent through the World War II era is off putting. I finished it, but can't say I bettered myself for the experience. Richard Wright's Come Together: Lennon & McCartney in the Seventies was OK, but the author's style was a little wonky; often he was repetitive. If he'd said one more time how much the four Beatles loved each other like brothers, I was going to scream. For funnybooks, I really liked the Essential Man-Thing once Gerber quit toying with the Nexus of Reality. I didn't care for that supernatural/occult stuff... which makes me wax hypocritical, as I absolutely loved the DC Comics Classics Library Roots of the Swamp Thing. I also found volume 2 of the Secret Society of Super-Villains disappointing as compared to my childhood memories. But overall, when you look at the almost-70 books on the lists, there were mostly hits among a few misses.

Shoot, why not toss you a good, better, best type of list?

Good: I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the Aquaman trade "Death of a Prince". Outside of Super Friends, I had zero experience with DC's King of Atlantis. So I was interested at my growing enthusiasm as I waded through these Bronze Age reprints from Arthur Curry's days as a back-up feature in Adventure Comics. Solid art from Mike Grell and Jim Aparo, and a nicely done payoff at the end. Recommended.

Better: Beatles '66 by Steve Turner was wonderful. Turner begins his book in December of 1965, and then charts the careers and lives of the Fab Four month-by-month through December 1966. It's tough to say that the book "centers" on any one thing, as the last world tour, the decision to stop touring, increased drug use, the recording of Revolver, and the appearance of Yoko Ono all conspired to make the year of my birth a landmark era for the Beatles. Great book, and I'd read it again.

Best: I gave no thought to this whatsoever beyond my initial impression. It wasn't even close, or worthy of further consideration. The best thing I've read in the past 12-15 months was the Uncanny X-Men Omnibus, volume 1. The 800+ page heavyweight collects Giant-Size X-Men #1, and X-Men #s 94-131. Also included is the George Perez-drawn X-Men Annual #3. As most of you know, this title just kept picking up steam. Aside from the 2-3 filler issues (the Dreaded Deadline Doom), every issue was pulse pounding and senses shattering. You know what I'm saying!

As to my coming-up reading list, I've already pulled three hardcovers for immediate consumption: Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams, volume 1, Spider-Man Newspaper Strips, volume 1, and The Inhumans Marvel Masterworks, volume 2. Once school's out in a few days, I'll commence to also wading through a large stack of real books -- I need to finish Rep. John Lewis's (D-GA) memoir Walking with the Wind, and then I have a caboodle of additional Civil Rights books already purchased: The Autobiography of Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson. For lighter fare, my son gave me Tim Kurkjian's (ESPN baseball commentator) book, I'm Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies: Inside the Game We All Love and Keith Richards's autobiography, Life.

So what are your thoughts? What are you reading presently, or recently? What would you recommend to me, or do you see something we share that you'd pass along to a friend? If you are just happening by this space for the first time ever, you must know that in order to join our Loyal Order of Water Buffalo Lodge a comment must be made and left for all to see. True story. All you veterans -- you know the drill.

Guest Review - Alien: The Illustrated Story

Doug: Edo Bosnar is in the critic's chair today. Kick back and relax with his thoughts on the Alien graphic novel -- and be sure to leave the man a comment for his troubles!

Alien: The Illustrated Story (June 1979)

Archie Goodwin/Walter Simonson

Edo Bosnar: Just in time for Halloween, here’s one that really deserves some attention here at the Bronze Age Babies, because it combines two things much-loved by most BAB regulars: SF/horror flicks from the ‘70s and ‘80s, and, of course, comics. Plus, it was one of those cool projects not published by one of the Big Two back then.

Originally, this comic/graphic novel version of Alien was published by Heavy Metal Magazine as a separate special. It’s something I never had, nor even knew existed back then, but once I learned about it (via the internet, of course), I really, really, really wanted it. But it was hard to find at any reasonable price, and for a while it would have counted as one of my Holy Grails. And then, a few years ago, Titan Books reprinted it in a handsome new edition, and I bought a discounted copy from the Book Depository.

Often, when you get one of these long sought-after items, you experience of bit of disappointment because of high expectations. Well, that wasn’t the case here for me: this is just a really nicely done comic.

I’m assuming that everyone reading this has seen Alien at least once, so I won’t go into a summary of the story. This comic adaptation is pretty faithful to the original – at least as far as I recall, since it’s actually been a while since I’ve seen the movie.

I realize I’m probably beginning to sound like a broken record (or scratched CD, or, hmmm, decompiled mp3?) in my praise of Simonson’s art, but I can’t think of an artist better suited to doing an adaptation like this. He really owns the art in a way that few other comic book artists do in these film adaptation books. The images flow; they don’t have that often stiff look that movie adaptation comics do, when the artist tries too hard to capture the likeness of the actors or the various poses from actual scenes in the movie.

Another thing I found is that the adaptation really looks (and reads for that matter – gotta give Goodwin his due) like an original graphic novel: you don’t need to see the movie to appreciate it, or even have to know that the movie exists.

Needless  to say, I can warmly recommend this one for anyone who likes Alien, Simonson’s art and/or horror and SF. And since it’s been recently reprinted, it’s pretty easy to come by I think, and probably quite inexpensively.

Guest Review - Walter Simonson's Star Slammers

Doug: It's Monday so it's "review day" on the Bronze Age Babies. Today Edo Bosnar is back in the moderator's chair, fresh off his thoughts on Gil Kane's Blackmark, which we enjoyed just a week ago. Today's review features a creator and format especially associated with the 1980s -- a graphic novel, and by Walter Simonson.

Marvel Graphic Novel #6: Star Slammers (1983)

Story and art by Walter Simonson

Edo Bosnar: While I’ll readily acknowledge that the best in the Marvel Graphic Novel line is probably the excellent Death of Captain Marvel (reviewed by Karen and Doug a few years back), my personal favorite is probably Graphic Novel no. 6, Star Slammers, by Walt Simonson. I think it was this book, together with the wonderful X-men/New Teen Titans crossover that came out about a half-year earlier, that really cemented my view that Simonson is one of the best comic book artists around. I had obviously seen Simonson’s work on other books before, but the aforementioned crossover book, and this graphic novel in particular, really gave me an appreciation for what an outstanding visual storyteller he is.

Simonson apparently first put together Star Slammers as a college student, and then refined it, and had it colored, when Marvel agreed to publish it as a graphic novel. It was a real labor of love for him, and I think it shows.

The story unfolds very cinematically; the scene is a warring planet, on which one of the sides hired some mercenaries known as the Star Slammers to help them out. Initially, the narration is by one of the soldiers on the wrong side, who learns how formidable the Slammers are.

After finishing their assignment and collecting payment from their reluctant employers (who made the mistake of tying to double-cross them), the three Slammers, Sphere, Jalaia and Ethon, head for home. It's at this point that a conversation between the three and some flashbacks provide some background on the Star Slammers.

Readers learn that the Slammers are from a planet which was a once dumping ground for “undesirables” by an interstellar imperial civilization based on a world called Orion, and the rich and powerful Orions came to the planet to hunt the inhabitants, whom they considered dumb savages, for sport. The planet’s inhabitants kept a low profile and mainly stayed hidden, but, as told in a flashback, one fateful day when Ethon was a child, his family was caught in the open by a hunting party. His mother was killed instantly, while his father took down the hunters’ hovercraft and killed most of them before getting gunned down himself.

One of the members of that hunting party was an obnoxious senator who barely made it out alive (and was left crippled) and who swore vengeance. He calls on the Orion senate to build up an armada that will annihilate the entire planet, as its inhabitants are not the dumb brutes the Orions thought they were, but skilled and deadly fighters who could threaten their very existence.

A lone, aging Orion named Galarius opposes this idea, and goes to the planet to warn its inhabitants. He becomes a sort of guru to them, and receives the affectionate appellation “Grandfather.” Pointing out that it will take years for the Orions to put together an armada with enough firepower to destroy the entire planet, he tells them to go out into the stars, using their unparalleled fighting skills to work as mercenaries, and to amass weapons and ships of their own to meet the threat when it comes. And he tells them to call themselves Star Slammers – after the distinctive sling they all use, called a ‘power slammer.’

The Slammers also have certain telepathic abilities, and Galarius/Grandfather says they have the ability to create something he calls the “Silvermind,” which is a massive telepathic link between all of them, which would make them virtually unbeatable in combat. This comes into play near the end of the story and the confrontation with the Orion armada at the Slammers’ homeworld.

As I hope you can tell from the images I provided, there is a real dynamism to the way Simonson designs and lays out his pages. Again, cinematic is the best term I can think of, especially the pages featuring the battle with the armada.

By the way, tarbandu, whose PorPor Books Blog is linked on the BAB sidebar (‘Bloggers of a Similar Brain’), posted a review of this very same book in early May this 2015. He’s more critical than I am, so I think it’s only fair to link his piece for those who want a second opinion. I’ll just say in response, I obviously think he’s wrong about Simonson’s writing ability, both in this book and in general. First and foremost, I had no problems following the narrative here, either when I first read it in my early teens, or later.

Also, in the case of Star Slammers, I think Simonson created this incredibly rich storytelling device, one that was unfortunately never really to its fullest potential. (Basically, I think you can tell all kinds of great space-faring SF tales featuring the Slammers.) This book reads something like a pilot for an ongoing series, but that never happened. Simonson did revisit the Star Slammers in the early 1990s, with a five issue series published by Malibu (issues 1-4) and then Dark Horse (in a special one-shot that concluded the story). The newer series doesn’t pick up where the graphic novel left off, but rather takes place far into the future, so if the graphic novel was a sort of prologue to the whole Star Slammers saga, then the newer series was kind of an epilogue (leaving a massive epic in between that has yet to be told).

Quite recently, IDW published the complete Star Slammers in a nice (and pricey) HC edition. I’d love to have this, but probably won’t be getting it any time soon because: a) I already have almost all of the material in it already, i.e., the graphic novel and the five single issues of the early 1990s series (there were among my first purchases back at around 2005 when I started reading comics again), and b) my recent purchase of Simonson’s Orion Omnibus really kind of shot my disposable income budget for a while. Even so, I can warmly recommend it for anyone who’s interested in Simonson and the Star Slammers.

Who's the Best... One-Shot or Graphic Novel?

Discuss: "Must Have" Marvel Collected Editions and Graphic Novels

Doug: Yesterday we asked our readers to respond with their choices for "essential" collected editions and/or graphic novels published by DC Comics. Today's query asks you to do the same drill, but from the House of Ideas. What are books you could recommend to a reader that would define your vision of Marvel Comics? What are those "essential" books - and please take the term seriously -- those books that are must-haves to understand and appreciate Marvel history and culture?

Lists -- Just Something Made To Be Blown Up!

Doug:  Welcome back!  Well, welcome back to Karen and me.  It's good to be back behind the wheel, although I'll stand by comments I've made in the past that some of you could be running your own show and it would be quite successful!  Today's subject for conversation was inspired by a couple of emails I received from Amazon.com in the weeks leading up to Christmas.  DC Comics was offering special pricing on their "25 Essential Graphic Novels", at only $5.99 for the Kindle platform.  I was intrigued, until I got to the lower sections of the email and actually saw what these 25 books were.  Let's just say, this fish wasn't biting.

Doug:  Who doesn't like a list?  Let's face it -- the best thing about lists is that they immediately spawn a simultaneous chorus of affirmations as well as "boos".  I look at the list below (which was copied/pasted from the Collected Editions blog; the original hyperlinks to these titles' pages on Amazon.com are carried forward to this post.  My thanks for the legwork previously done!) and it certainly doesn't scream "Must Have Reading!"  I'd grant you that there may be a tome or two that I'd put on my list, but if I wanted to school a DC-ignorant fan on the lore of the company there are many titles here that wouldn't make my cut.

Doug:  The titles marked with an asterisk below are new to DC's latest list; those not marked were on a similar list of 30 Essential Graphic Novels that DC recommended around six years prior.

• Watchmen
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
• Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
• Batman: Year One
• V for Vendetta
• Saga of the Swamp Thing Vol. 1 *
• Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile
• Batman: The Killing Joke *
• Y, The Last Man Vol. 1: Unmanned
• All-Star Superman *
• Kingdom Come
• Batman: The Long Halloween
• League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1 (previously Vols. 1 and 2)
• Batman: Earth One *
• Green Lantern: Rebirth
• American Vampire Vol. 1 *
• Blackest Night *
• Final Crisis *
• JLA Vol. 1 (previously New World Order)
• Identity Crisis
• Batman: Hush (previously Vols. 1 and 2)
• Joker *
• Flash: Rebirth *
• Superman: Earth One *
• Planetary *

For the record, those books that have now been retired from DC's Essentials list are:

• Sandman: Endless Nights
• Superman For All Seasons 
• Superman: Birthright 
• Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Batman: Dark Victory
• Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again
• Crisis on Infinite Earths
• Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1: Back on the Street 
• Quitter
• Hellblazer: Original Sins
• Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne 
• Sword Of The Dark Ones 
• Ex Machina Vol. 1: The First Hundred Days

Doug:  Well?  What do you think?  Today we'd like you to nominate collected editions and/or graphic novels from DC's history that you would consider "essential".  How shall we define that term "essential"?  I don't know -- what say we craft that definition as we go along?  That sounds like just another layer of controversy -- and isn't that what makes for an interesting conversation?  Thanks for playing today, and thanks again for your efforts over the past 30 days.  And come back tomorrow -- we'll do this drill again on the Marvel side of the aisle!