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Favorite Superman Covers: Superman: The Man of Steel #37

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Walt

I’m not much of an art person when it comes to comics–I tend to prefer story over art…but that’s not to say that art doesn’t play a huge factor! And through the years, there have been a number of Superman comics whose covers have particularly stood out to me, for one reason or another. In this series, I’m presenting 10 of my favorites and why they are favorites.

A Superman cover dominated by Batman…Batmen, rather. There’s something to that contrast that in and of itself makes this stand out for me. Also that this was–as I recall–one of the earlier tie-ins to the Zero Hour crossover…which I’m thinking was my first real “comics-universe-wide” such experience.

There’d been Eclipso: The Darkness Within and Bloodlines, of course…but this was a story that was taking place in the actual, regular (“real”) issues of the actual comics and not something constrained to special Annual issues.

supermanthemanofsteel037

But there’s also just something about Superman facing all these Batmen that’s…fun. This also would have been a time where I’d become aware of the lengthy history of the characters, and through Grandpa’s old comics, and library reading, I’d’ve even been aware of many of the versions of Batman on this cover.

I’m aware of a poster–double-sided, I believe–that promoted this issue…with a flip-side showing Batman surrounded by Supermen. Said poster can’t be easy to find…but would be a welcome one to have.

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Man of Steel: Initial Thoughts

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Walt

manofsteelwalmartpremierenightfrontI’ve said for awhile now that based on the trailers alone, this film looks far better to me than “the last one.” While Superman Returns has its place, I never cared for the costume or the weirdly-stylized “S.” And the film was long, kinda dragged, and seemed too much like it was trying too hard to BE the ’78 Donner film.

And this new film?

There’s plenty of homage; I thought of a bunch of other films at different points throughout watching this. I saw what I interpreted as a number of influences–from Alex Ross’ art to The Matrix to Star Wars and Gladiator…some things more subtle than others.

But mostly, I saw Superman. I didn’t see an actor molded to be as similar as possible to another actor playing Superman. And because of that (at least in part) I enjoyed the film a lot more.

alexrosssupermanThere’s a lot of sci-fi to this film; more than I think I’ve ever seen in a live-action Superman film before. And a lot of it–especially early on–put me heavily in mind of Star Wars Episode III. Shortly after I was put in mind of moments from 2009’s Star Trek as well as (for what should be an obvious reason) Gladiator.

In large part due to the broad strokes of the conditions behind Superman’s reveal, I was put in mind of the Superman: Earth One graphic novel from a couple years back. As a fan of ’90s Superman, I certainly missed one character in particular…and yet, the way that gets handled by the end of the film leaves huge potential for the inevitable sequel, and I daresay I’d be highly interested in a comic series set in this film’s continuity.

After the film’s opening, I was a bit put off by what I imagined was the route the story was taking…and braced myself for a long off-putting film. This concern was quickly put aside as the story unfolded and things were presented contrary to my expectations.

manofsteelwalmartpremierenightbackI was honestly surprised by a couple of deaths in the film–though they certainly fit the story, and definitely leave things ripe for potential…and my own mental tying in of a digital prequel comic I read thanks to the Walmart Premiere Night ticket code makes me wonder at the possibility of even a loose adaptation of the first “current” Superman story I ever read (parts of) back in ’89.

You want out ‘n out spoilers? Plenty of those out there. And I’ll likely have other thoughts once I see the film at least one more time; to say nothing of how others’ thoughts will rub off on me and give me different perspectives to come at this with…as well as the simple passage of time. (I’ll be particularly looking forward to hearing what Michael Bailey and Raging Bullets have to say on the film!)

Filed under: QUASI-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

This Week’s Superman Haul

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Walt

Though I’d consider Superman my favorite comics character–and one with whom I have the most “history” (other close rivals being Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), it’s been a long time since I bought any new Superman comics.

But this week, I picked up Superman Unchained #1, got the free All-Star Superman #1 reprint, and from the 25-cent bin, snagged a copy of the 2nd print of 1992’s Superman #75–the Death of Superman.

supermanweek06132013

Not a bad haul for the price and page count!

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Favorite Superman Covers: Adventures of Superman #463

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Walt

I’m not much of an art person when it comes to comics–I tend to prefer story over art…but that’s not to say that art doesn’t play a huge factor! And through the years, there have been a number of Superman comics whose covers have particularly stood out to me, for one reason or another. In this series, I’m presenting 10 of my favorites and why they are favorites.

While I do know this cover is based on/an homage to the silver-age Superman #199, this version is what I remember, and is my favorite of the two. While I don’t remember the exact time, I do remember pulling this off a spinner rack at a Kmart, and I even think I remember choosing this over the comic adaptation of the Tim Burton Batman film…though that could just be blurry memory/timey-wimey stuff.

adventuresofsuperman463

Continuing the observational trend…this would make a great poster…a simple yet dynamic image, seeing Superman and Flash take off. I also think it’s quite likely that this was one of my earliest exposures to the Flash as a character–certainly it’s the earliest distinct, clear memory I have of being aware of the character.

The color scheme–especially the red and blue against black–makes the cover stand out in a way that others don’t…at least for me.

Filed under: Favorite Superman Covers, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

New Super-Toys

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Walt

Over the last several years, most of my action-figure purchasing has tended to be Marvel–I’ve mainly avoided the 6″ or whatever the “Legends” scale is, having come to GREATLY PREFER the 3.75″ scale. I won’t get into all my gripes about the lack of DC figures in that scale just now, though.

I’d recently posted about spotting a new line of Justice League figures at Target, and I believe I’d planned to avoid them entirely. Of course, seeing them every time I’d visit the toy aisle, I grew a bit weak and eventually gave in since they were recently on sale.

newsupermantoys

Along with Batman and Superman (I might snag Lex Luthor if I ever see that figure again), I also picked up a General Zod and Superman from Big Lots.

I’d almost bought a Zod and Superman a couple times several weeks ago, but I was rather irked at the pricing of the figures as well as wanting “standard costumes” and not any of the many Superman variants or a General Zod special-suit variant that I didn’t at all recognize from the few trailers I’ve seen.

Big Lots often has ‘scaled down” versions of the “main” toy lines…they LOOK like they’re basically the same figures as what you can buy at Target, Walmart, and Toys R Us…but more generic packaging, smaller bubble on the pack, and it’s just the figure, no accessories. AND they’re $2 cheaper than Walmart‘s Man of Steel figures, and HALF the price of “regular” Marvel figures at all three of the big retail stores.

Since I don’t even WANT any of the accessories offered…Big Lots won the day. I’ve not seen ANY other villains offered in the line…which continues–as always–to be one of my biggest disappointments with the movie-tie-ins. The Marvel toys are done better, having the “movie series” and “comic series” in the mix, allowing for figures that may not technically have anything direct to do with the film, but that add variety to the overall toys available.

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Favorite Superman Covers: Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #1

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Walt

I’m not much of an art person when it comes to comics–I tend to prefer story over art…but that’s not to say that art doesn’t play a huge factor! And through the years, there have been a number of Superman comics whose covers have particularly stood out to me, for one reason or another. In this series, I’m presenting 10 of my favorites and why they are favorites.

I wasn’t yet into comics for the premiere of the rebooted Superman #1, or the premiere issues of Adventures of Superman and Action Comics post-Crisis on Infinie Earths. And then Superman: The Man of Steel went and premiered during an off-year when I naively thought I was done with comics.

supermanmanoftomorrow001

This one I was actually around for: offhand, my first-ever new, ongoing (if only quarterly) Superman title. And while the cover is (as many of my favorites) fairly generic in a way…it’s still FANTASTIC art…a great depiction of this era of the character–long hair and all (see? NOT a mullet!)

Also as with most of my favorite Superman covers…this would make a great poster…

Filed under: Favorite Superman Covers, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Favorite Superman Covers: The Man of Steel #1

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Walt

I’m not much of an art person when it comes to comics–I tend to prefer story over art…but that’s not to say that art doesn’t play a huge factor! And through the years, there have been a number of Superman comics whose covers have particularly stood out to me, for one reason or another. In this series, I’m presenting 10 of my favorites and why they are favorites.

This is another issue where I’ll take the variant over the standard, but only just barely. While I’d typically prefer the standard cover for “fitting in” with the trade dress/visual style of the rest of the series, this one’s just got a bit of an edge with the iconic shirt-rip, and the shiny-ish silver for the title.

manofsteel(1986)001a

The image is also quite fitting with the caption–The Legend Begins!–as Clark switches to the Superman guise to do his thing. First appearance of this version of Superman, to best of my knowledge…so this could be the first time he DOES the shirt-rip, if you want to think of it that way.

I also can’t fault this being a variant, as–if ANY issues warrant them–the beginning of a whole new continuity for Superman, a new introduction to the character…and as far as I know it was only for this first issue, and not multiples on every single issue…it works.

Filed under: Favorite Superman Covers, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Shadowman #7 [Review]

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Walt

Shadowman (2012) #7 [cover]Writer: Justin Jordan
Pencils: Neil Edwards
Inks: Matt Ryan
Color Art: Brian Reber
Covers: Patrick Zircher, Dave Johnson, Matthew Waite
Letters: Rob Steen
Editor: Jody LeHeup
Published by: Valiant
Cover Price: $3.99

I feel kind of like I missed an issue. Without going back to re-read the series-thus-far, I vaguely remember where the story left off before last month’s #0 issue, but jumping into this issue I found myself wondering if I truly remembered, or had a slight bit of deja vu from reading the catch-up text on the inside cover.

We find Shadowman and his compatriots facing Baron Samedi, and ultimately coming to a sort of “understanding” in their mutual goal of preventing Darque from crossing from the Deadside in to the “real world.” As the deal unfolds, not everyone is on the same page, and one of our heroes seems to make a bit of a mistake that looks like it’s going to cost the group next issue.

If my summary is brief and vague…there’s something about this series, where it’s one I’m enjoying…but it’s a sort of enjoy-as-I-read-it more than it is remembering-after-I’ve-read-it. As it is with much of what I read these days. I read an issue, and that’s fine, but it doesn’t stick with me much beyond the reading, until/unless I delve back in to construct a better summary for a review…but then I may be over-analyzing, and going back in to pick things apart isn’t “just” the “reading experience” of buying an issue and reading it and planning to continue with the next issue.

As said, I’m enjoying this series in and of itself. The art’s good–I’ve no trouble following what’s going on, there’s no over-fancy or complicated page layouts or funky, stylistic stuff to distract…it’s just good art conveying the story.

And the story itself continues to build on itself–we have the growing threat of Darque, continue to see the characters feel each other out and develop as a group: the duo already familiar with each other before Shadowman was with them, and the Shadowman himself, Jack, who is dealing with his new status quo and with being a new/outsider-y member of the “group” and all that.

As a continuing reader of the series, this is another solid issue. I’m not as “into” this title as say, X-O Manowar or Harbinger…but this is still a welcome part of my Valiant purchasing, and I don’t plan to leave it behind anytime in the near future.

Filed under: 2012, Shadowman, Valiant | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Archer and Armstrong #10 [Review]

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Walt

Archer & Armstrong (2012) #10 [cover]Mystery Hole

Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Pere Perez
Colorist: David Baron
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Covers by: Clayton Henry, Juan Doe, Matthew Waite, Andrew Robinson
Assistant Editor: Josh Johns
Executive Editor: Warren Simons
Published by: Valiant
Cover Price: $3.99

I’m enjoying the standard covers on this series lately. They fit the characters, and are rather amusing given context OF the characters. This one–Armstrong, Archer ,and some alien caught sneaking by, guns pointed at them…something about it just works for me.

Inside the issue, we don’t see this scene exactly…but we do see our heroes breaking into a Project Rising Spirit facility/Area 51 (there’s our tie-in: it’s Valiant, so of course PRS is involved). They’re looking for info on Archer’s past, true info rather than what he’s been told all his life by manipulative parents–but things don’t go quite as planned. We’re also reintroduced to Mary-Maria, whose status quo was left a bit in question recently, and see what she’s now dealing with…holding a lot of potential for quirky situations and interesting character development as we continue on.

I’m honestly not entirely sure where I stand with this title, in a way: I certainly enjoy it, but like Shadowman, I sometimes feel like I’m playing catchup, as its story details don’t often stick with me outside the actual reading of the issues. I guess that puts me as a more generalized or casual fan than a die-hard, for whatever that says about me.

As usual, the story and art work well together. I can follow along without issue, I’m not left scratching my head or finding myself taken out of the story by some weird, stylistic art bit, and I don’t pick up on any great plot holes or such.

In short, I read the issue, I enjoyed the issue, and I expect to be back for the next issue.

Filed under: 2012, Archer & Armstrong, Valiant | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Favorite Superman Covers: Adventures of Superman #424

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Walt

I’m not much of an art person when it comes to comics–I tend to prefer story over art…but that’s not to say that art doesn’t play a huge factor! And through the years, there have been a number of Superman comics whose covers have particularly stood out to me, for one reason or another. In this series, I’m presenting 10 of my favorites and why they are favorites.

While not specifically a #1, I find this cover much more suggestive of a #1 issue than either Superman #1 or Action Comics #584 to me. It’s just a rather majestic image of Superman, a classic pose, and nice coloring.

adventuresofsuperman424

Lately when I think of this era of Superman, this is one of the images that comes to mind…and I’m certainly not alone in that, given this image was used recently for a line of Superman/DC licensed school products that seemed to be based on somewhat “classic” stuff and not THE most up-to-date contemporary imagery.

I don’t remember the exact timing, but I do have a vague recollection of finally getting this issue back in the early ’90s…of course having never realized just how soon I’d actually been introduced to the then-current version of the character. But that gets into stuff for another time.

Filed under: Favorite Superman Covers, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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