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  • Longbox Junk!

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  • Posted: February 14, 2018 6:45:11 am
  • atom, I enjoyed seeing this old X-Men comic! There sure were written differently back then, and the world was a different place. Thanks for sharing!
    See my blog, Cool Comics in My Collection, at https://edgosney.com/
  • Posted: February 14, 2018 10:53:34 pm
  • I do those "Retro Reviews" for another site and it's been a lot of fun digging into some of the older comics in my collection that might not be considered "Longbox Junk" based on their value. I've learned a lot from reading and reviewing stuff that I hardly ever touch in my collection. It really is like taking a short trip to a different time!
    Favorite Characters: Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, Captain America, The Shadow, Zorro, The Rocketeer, Jonah Hex
  • Posted: February 15, 2018 2:22:47 am
  • Just finished up with Part 2 of my look at DC's western/sci-fi mashup, HEX. . .

    LINK TO THE LONG VERSION:
    https://comicbookrealm.com/atom/blog/1527/lonbox-junk-hex-part-2

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    THE SHORT VERSION:

    After a decent start, I have to say that there's not much to like at all in the second batch of HEX issues. . . except for issue #7, which REALLY belongs in the first part of these reviews as it is the conclusion to the storylines of the first 6 issues.

    The art is beginning to severely swerve in quality from pretty good to downright bad and the writing is increasingly aimless and wandering. . .it seems like they were wanting to go toward "one and done" issues like most of the previous Jonah Hex series but really couldn't manage it. Not sure if there was editorial/executive interference with the story, but there's definitely some sort of conflict going on.

    Also, there are obvious signs of this comic beginning to fail on the stands with a sudden swerve toward including superheroes in the story. . .a pointless cameo by the Legion Of Superheroes in issue #10, and Hex teaming up with a future version of Batman in issues #11 and #12. It just looks forced and desperate.

    All in all, this batch of issues is just sort of sad. DC should have made HEX a 6 issue mini instead of trying to sustain it as an ongoing series. After a clearly defined first story arc, it's just sort of wandering at this point.

    FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T READ THE LONG VERSION:

    There's a strange moment in issue #12 that I wonder if anybody else has ever noticed post 9/11. Jonah Hex is fighting a giant robot in the ruins of New York City and defeats it by dynamiting the foundations of the Twin Towers, collapsing both of the skyscrapers on top of the robot. This comic was written in 1986. Shocked

    Up Next. . .

    The last (and worst) issues of DC's HEX.

    Be there or be square!


    Last edited February 15, 2018 2:33:14 am
    Favorite Characters: Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, Captain America, The Shadow, Zorro, The Rocketeer, Jonah Hex
  • Posted: February 16, 2018 3:57:54 am
  • Just finished up with the last 6 issues of DC's HEX. . .

    LINK TO THE LONG VERSION:
    https://comicbookrealm.com/atom/blog/1528/longbox-junk-hex-part-3

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    THE SHORT VERSION:

    Although there were good moments scattered here and there, HEX was a comic series with some serious problems. After the initial story arc, the series never really found its footing and was unable to continue forward in a successful way. I'm not sure what sort of background drama was going on, but as of issue #10 there is a definite push to include superheroes into HEX. . .unfortunately, it's plain to see that Michael Fleisher wasn't comfortable with writing superhero dialogue or storylines and it pretty much sunk the whole boat in terms of storytelling.

    The art on this series was never spectacular in any way. . .which is strange considering that artists like Mark Texeira and Keith Giffen were featured. Unfortunately, the coloring from the first issue was garish. The inkers never really complimented the artists either, so the art never reached the level that one would expect based on the names involved. It's too bad, because great art MIGHT have carried this series a little farther.

    So overall what we have in this series is a strange concept that MIGHT have worked better than it did, but the whole thing was shot down by substandard art and storylines that didn't really fit either the character or the writer.

    As a huge Jonah Hex fan, I was interested in reading this series, but now that I have, I can't really suggest it to anyone except those like me who want to read EVERYTHING with Jonah Hex in it and are curious to see the character in an unusual setting. I don't think anybody else will like this.

    With a bit more care, HEX could have been great. I look at the short stack of 18 issues and all I can see is wasted potential and Longbox Junk. A shame.



    Last edited February 16, 2018 4:01:24 am
    Favorite Characters: Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, Captain America, The Shadow, Zorro, The Rocketeer, Jonah Hex
  • Posted: February 20, 2018 1:45:10 am
  • Hey there, Comic Book Realm. . .how about another Retro Review?
    Take a trip back with me to 1973 as I take a look at "The Occult Files of Doctor Spektor #1!"

    LINK TO THE LONG VERSION:
    https://comicbookrealm.com/atom/blog/1530/retro-reviews-the-occult-files-of-doctor-spektor-1

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    THE SHORT VERSION:

    I bought this comic at a flea market for $1 and had never heard of Doctor Spektor before. Now I want to try and find more issues (it had a 24 issue run) of this title. The story was unexpectedly good, the art was fantastic, and all in all I have to say that was probably one of the best dollars I've ever spent.

    I only have one real negative with this book and it's that I feel the lack of a CCA seal was totally wasted here. Being a horror book focusing on vampires, it was remarkably bloodless for not having CCA approval. That small gripe aside, I would definitely suggest this issue to any fan of 70's horror comics that hasn't read it yet.

    Up Next. . .

    Back to Longbox Junk business as usual with some one shots!

    Swamp Thing, Sgt. Fury, Moon Knight, Terminator, Highlander, and Fantastic Four

    Be there or be square!

    Favorite Characters: Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, Captain America, The Shadow, Zorro, The Rocketeer, Jonah Hex
  • Posted: February 22, 2018 2:53:07 am
  • Just finished with a batch of one shots tonight. Fantastic Four, Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos, Moon Knight, Swamp Thing, Highlander, and Terminator! Take a look. . .

    LINK TO THE LONG VERSION:

    https://comicbookrealm.com/atom/blog/1531/longbox-junk-one-shots-fantastic-four-highlander-terminator-sgt-fury-swamp-thing-moon-knight

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    THE SHORT VERSION:

    Fantastic Four Special. . .Surprisingly good.
    Moon Knight: Silent Knight. . .Dark, gritty and great.
    Highlander #0. . .Pretty bad in every way.
    Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos. . .Fun story with great art.
    The Terminator: Termination Special. . .Not great, not bad. Just sort of there.
    Swamp Thing Annual #1 (Adaptation of the movie). . .A pretty average effort.

    All in all, not a bad bunch of one shots. Only a couple of clunkers among them. I'd say my favorite was probably Sgt. Fury. . .just because I love the old war comics and it was pretty much a Silver Age story told with modern art. A close second was the surprisingly good Fantastic Four Special because I'm not even a fan of the FF and it hooked me in.

    On the other end of things, I'd have to say that Highlander was the real stinker of the bunch. It had an extremely thin story and art that was a definite mismatch for the subject. Second worst would probably have to be Terminator. . .a shame since I'm a huge Terminator fan, but there just wasn't that much to it beyond some nice bits of art.

    Up next. . .

    More one shots, son!

    Fantastic Four, Captain America, Lobo, Darkseid, Suicide Squad, and Soviet Super Soldiers.

    Be there or be square!



    Last edited February 23, 2018 5:48:08 am
    Favorite Characters: Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, Captain America, The Shadow, Zorro, The Rocketeer, Jonah Hex
  • Posted: February 28, 2018 2:28:39 am
  • More one shots. Awwwww. . .YEAH!
    Fantastic Four, Captain America, Lobo, Darkseid, Suicide Squad, and Soviet Super Soldiers.

    LINK TO THE LONG VERSION:

    https://comicbookrealm.com/atom/blog/1533/longbox-junk-one-shots-fantastic-four-captain-america-lobo-darkseid-suicide-squad-soviet-super-soldiers

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    THE SHORT VERSION:

    Fantastic Four: A Death In The Family. . . Not bad, but overstuffed for increased cover price.

    Captain America: 65th Anniversary Special. . .Comfortable like a well-worn shoe. Great cover!

    Lobo: In The Chair. . .Never mind the story, it's all about hilarious sight gags with this one.

    Darkseid. . .If you ain't already a Fourth World Fan, this ain't gonna make you one.

    Harley Quinn & The Suicide Squad: April Fool's Special. . . Not too bad, but it's NOT a Suicide Squad comic.

    Soviet Super Soldiers. . .It's a hot mess with too many characters, but there's some great art.

    Not too bad of a batch of one-shots. I'd have to say that Lobo was my favorite, with Captain America a close second. To me, Darkseid was the only REAL stinker in the bunch, but if you're a fan of Kirby's Fourth World stuff, you might like it a lot better than I did. Fantastic Four would probably be my second choice for the bottom of the pile. . .it's just way overstuffed, but that's not to say it's BAD, just padded for the price increase.

    Last edited February 28, 2018 2:29:11 am
    Favorite Characters: Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, Captain America, The Shadow, Zorro, The Rocketeer, Jonah Hex
  • Posted: March 8, 2018 2:58:18 am
  • Just finished up with Marvel's 4 issue Avengers: Millennium mini tonight. . .check it out!

    LINK TO THE LONG VERSION:

    https://comicbookrealm.com/atom/blog/1535/longbox-junk-avengers-millennium

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    THE SHORT VERSION:

    I'm not really a fan of The Avengers, but I found this min-series to be entertaining. . .at least until the final issue where it basically turned into a "Punch The Giant Monster!" cliche. The art was great, for the most part. There were a few funny moments scattered throughout, and the simple framework of "The Avengers Trapped In Time" propped up a story that really should have been two issues pretty well for four.

    Overall, it's not a bad mini. . .but it's really not that great either. If I had to describe it in one word, that word would be "Forgettable". It's one of those things you read once and never really think about it again.

    Up Next. . .

    Star Wars! Vampires! Star Wars AND Vampires! How can it NOT be good?

    Star Wars: Screaming Citadel 5 issue series.

    Be there or be square!

    Favorite Characters: Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, Captain America, The Shadow, Zorro, The Rocketeer, Jonah Hex
  • Posted: March 13, 2018 1:13:06 am
  • Here's another Retro Review for you fine folks of Comic Book Realm!
    Step back in time with me and take a look at some of the early work of the great Joe Kubert with TOR #1!

    LINK TO THE LONG VERSION:

    https://comicbookrealm.com/atom/blog/1538/retro-reviews-tor-1

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    THE SHORT VERSION:

    All in all, I really liked this comic. It has a fantastic cover, decent art, and a good story. The setting is ridiculous and the extra text information features feel like unnecessary page padding, but the good here outweighs the bad.

    It's a bit of a shame that Tor never really caught on. I can tell just from this issue alone that Tor held a special place for Joe Kubert. Perhaps with a different setting that didn't throw scientific knowledge completely out the window, this series would have gained the legs it needed to stand alongside the legendary artist's more popular work.

    Up Next. . .

    Longbox Junk business as usual when we find out if a Star Wars vampire story can possibly be any good.

    Be there or be square!

    Last edited March 13, 2018 1:17:15 am
    Favorite Characters: Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, Captain America, The Shadow, Zorro, The Rocketeer, Jonah Hex
  • Posted: March 15, 2018 3:18:58 am
  • SPAAAAAACE VAMPIRES!

    Just finished up with Marvel's 5 issue Star Wars (#31 -32) & Doctor Aphra (#7 - 8 ) crossover story Star Wars: Screaming Citadel. Check it out!

    LINK TO THE LONG VERSION:

    https://comicbookrealm.com/atom/blog/1539/longbox-junk-star-wars-screaming-citadel

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    THE SHORT VERSION:

    When I think about "Star Wars Vampire Story", I raise an eyebrow and think "I like the sound of that." Unfortunately, while this crossover series wasn't BAD, it really wasn't that good either. It sort of rides right down the center and is ultimately a bit forgettable. Screaming Citadel WANTS to be something unique, and it tries. . .I have to give Marvel credit for trying something new with Star Wars. . .but it just doesn't try hard enough.

    A big part of the problem for me was the schizophrenic nature of the art. First you have Marco Checchetto delivering a near perfect opening issue and some great covers, then you have Salvador Larroca and Andrea Broccardo switching back and forth between creepy photo-referencing and cartoony, making Screaming Citadel a kind of "Three Bears" situation: Too Hard. . .Too Soft. . .Just Right. I can only imagine that the transitions must be even worse when reading it in trade.

    But despite the art, I can't say this crossover was bad. It was interesting to see a different kind of Star Wars story. But the differences in setting and the darker tone didn't keep it from turning into a typical running fight you've seen over and over again in Star Wars comics for the past 40 years.

    Overall, I can say I liked this story, but not enough to say it's up there with some of the best Star Wars comics. Ultimately it doesn't really deliver on the promise of its ideas.



    Last edited March 15, 2018 3:19:18 am
    Favorite Characters: Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, Captain America, The Shadow, Zorro, The Rocketeer, Jonah Hex
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