FRANCO’s FREE-FOR-ALL FRIDAYS… By FRANCO Today is August 28! A momentous day in comics as it’s the late Jack Kirby’s birthday! I had the honor of meeting the man once and telling him how much I appreciated his contribution to comics. And because it’s his birthday, some very smart people decided that August 28 should be INTERNATIONAL READ COMICS IN PUBLIC DAY! In the spirit of that, here’s my TOP 13 list of comics you could read in public. Good stories with fantastic artwork, ones that you could leave on the park bench for the next person to find (not that you would want to — but you could). No particular order but they made the 13! In addition to these, you could add just about any comic Kirby ever wrote or drew: — The X-Men, Marvel. Any issue of Chris Claremont/John Byrne run, but if you wanted to narrow me down — Issue #129. — Bone, Scholastic and Others. Any single issue but I prefer the trades. (I also recently wrote about the epicness of this series.) By Jeff Smith. — The Sandman: Season of Mists, DC/Vertigo. Just look at that list of creators. — JLA: Tower of Babel, DC. My absolute fave Justice League story — by Mark Waid, Howard Porter, and co. — and might also be my favorite Batman story, too. — DC: The New Frontier, DC. Darwyn Cooke at his best. And he’s good everywhere. — The Amazing Spider-Man #134, Marvel. Just for the cover alone — which was reenacted in the blockbuster Spider-Man: Brand New Day. I gotta get me a pair of those shoes. By Gerry Conway and Ross Andru. — Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, Dark Horse. Great character, created by Mike Mignola. Great horror. — Avengers: Under Siege, Marvel. Yep. By Roger Stern, John Buscema, and co. — The Avengers #165, Marvel. Or, if you only have time for a single issue of Avengers, best to make it my absolute favorite. And pick up Part 2 — The Avengers #166 — as well. By Jim Shooter and John Byrne. — Pride of Baghdad, DC/Vertigo. Although I have to admit, this one might be a bit intense to leave behind on that park bench. And don’t bring it to a zoo. By Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon. — Kingdom Come, DC....
FRANCO’s FREE-FOR-ALL FRIDAYS! By FRANCO Why do the Fantastic Four resonate with some of us older comics people? Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby were great in last year’s movie and appealing for the new generation, but us older folks fell in love with the comics FF, the world’s most dysfunctional superhero family (celebrating its 65th anniversary this month). Reed Richards in the comics doesn’t really have a humorous vibe in his body and is way too smart for any of us. Johnny is the hotshot hothead always screwing things up. But there was a fun playfulness when he and Spidey would meet at the top of the Statue of Liberty to hang out. Ben… the uncle type you feel sorry for, who never got married and is literally a monster. Sue is maybe the most normal, but her taste in men may be questionable. Reed. Victor? Namor? And should we even talk about Malice? One of these days I’ll write about all the replacement FF people. No, not the awesome new team that formed to take their place — the Hulk, Spidey, Wolverine and Ghost Rider version. I’m talking about the people who replaced people here and there. I’ll give you a hint: Herbie! But why do we love them? Is it because we could see ourselves in them? Not the superpowers or the getting attacked all the time (well, depending on what you post online — maybe you shouldn’t, or at least think about it before you do, so people wouldn’t respond so negatively). I think it’s because we’re all dysfunctional in ways and we see that in their family dynamic. I look forward to seeing them show up again in Avengers: Doomsday. I drew a new Invisible Girl piece for this, in a nostalgic ’60s sort of style — my way of saying Happy 65th Anniversary to the Fantastic Four! — Want more FRANCO’S FREE-FOR-ALL FRIDAYS? Come back next week! — MORE — The Scene I Desperately Want to See in LANTERNS. Click here. — HEADING TO TERRIFICON: Taking That ‘Can Do’ Spirit Back on the Road — and It’s Exciting. Click here. — Franco and his forehead have traveled the world and he writes and draws stuff. Franco is the creator, artist and writer of Patrick the Wolf Boy and Aw Yeah Comics! Franco has worked on books/comics, including Tiny Titans and Superman Family Adventures. Franco was...
FRANCO’S FREE-FOR-ALL FRIDAYS!
FRANCO FRIDAYS Meets SPIDER-MAN WEEK: THE MANY LOVES OF PETER PARKER…
FRANCO’S FREE-FOR-ALL FRIDAYS!
