Scott and Dan pick the comics they’re most looking forward to…
—
Dan Greenfield, editor, 13th Dimension
Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1, DC. I love the concept here: How a closeted, gay, A-List superhero has to struggle to keep his sexuality a secret in far-less-enlightened 1940s America. While trying to save mankind and all the typical superhero stuff.
—
All-American Comics Facsimile Edition #16, DC. Speaking of the ’40s, here’s one of the niftiest Facsimile Editions yet released by DC — featuring Alan Scott’s 1940 first appearance!
—
Neal Adams Vault Vol. 1, Continuity Graphics. A treasury-sized collection of Continuity classics by Adams and others. (Click here for a SNEAK PEEK.)
—
X-Men #129 Facsimile Edition, Marvel. First appearances of Kitty Pryde and Emma Frost! Claremont and Byrne! Dig it.
—
Lunch Box Memories, Oldtimes Digest. Jason Young’s latest illustrated history of mid-century awesome is available now. As the title suggests, this is all about lunch boxes. Click here to get your hands on 170 pages of pop-culture grooviosity. (And click here for a SNEAK PEEK.)
—
Tales of the Titans #4, DC. Spotlighting Beast Boy and setting up the Beast World event. This mini has been up and down but I’m in to finish it. Will I read Beast World? Not sure yet. I dig what Tom Taylor’s doing with Titans but I’m just not into events. Wait and see, I suppose.
—
Green Arrow #5, DC. AKA “Across the Green Arrowverse.”
—
Scott Tipton, contributor-at-large, 13th Dimension
Detective Chimp Casebook, DC. There’s just no way I could not recommend a hardcover Detective Chimp collection.
—
Alpha Flight by John Byrne Omnibus, Marvel. It would be nice to have all the Byrne AF material under one cover.
—
Incredible Hulk Epic Collection: The Curing of Dr. Banner, Marvel. This is some prime ’70s Hulk comics right here.
October 23, 2023
This week’s picks include two books that each feature a different “Alan Scott”. I’m no fan of retrofitting characters, especially when that character’s previously established history gets erased at the whim of present-day writers. Yeah, it’s a battle I’ve been dealing with ever since we landed on this side of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Really hate to see any of the great Golden Age characters re-imagined, as it disrespects the vision of the original creators. For me, that even extends to the characters created for Earth-2 post-Golden such as The Huntress and Power Girl. (The loss of The Huntress’ identity as Helena Wayne, daughter of Earth-2’s Batman and Catwoman, in my opinion ruined the character.) The difference in what the writers of the Silver and Bronze ages did with Golden Age characters as compared to the writers of today, is that the former *continued* the Golden agers’ stories, whereas the latter have instead completely rewritten their stories. I maintain the Bronze Age ended DC’s/National’s/All-American’s story-telling for the original characters, and that COIE was not part of it, but post-Bronze. Paul Levitz’s introduction to the first volume of DC Through the Ages: The End of Eras would underscore that thinking, as the book purports to feature some of the final stories of those characters. What today’s writers do with these characters from the past I would like to call “theft”, but the company that hired them owns the IPs, so I guess I cannot. So I think of any character post-COIE as a different character. Looking forward to the All-American facsimile this week, featuring the ORIGINAL Alan Scott.
October 23, 2023
Completely agree…last year I bought “Strange Adventures” by Tom King. I’m a fan of Adam Strange and Tom King has a lot of fans, so I thought it be a great read. I didn’t realize that King had deconstructed Adam Strange into a war criminal, traitor, and spousal abuser. Why would DC allow someone to do that to one of their characters? Who’s the audience for this book? Certainly not Adam Strange fans. I don’t get it.
I was so incensed that I literally threw the book in the garbage and vowed to never to buy anything current from DC. If DC wants to deconstruct or retrocon their superheroes for post modern tastes…that’s fine. They own the characters…but I’m not give them my money.
And don’t get me started on what they did to Helena Wayne…
October 23, 2023
That’s Tom King’s whole schtick… He’s not creative enough to ADD to the character… he can only destroy.
October 24, 2023
I agree 100% with you and “not that Joe”. Leave the old characters alone. I do NOT buy any new DC stuff. Not their market you say DC, guess who buys and shares the love of comics with his grandchildren? I have plenty of old issues in original and trade for them to read. This new stuff is just garbage. Yes, just one person’s opinion.
October 23, 2023
It’ll be ok. Times change as well as the status quo.
October 23, 2023
This is true.
October 24, 2023
Change doesn’t guarantee good. Just different.
October 27, 2023
OK
October 24, 2023
it’s not so much IP theft as it is IP vandalism.