I loved the Atari Force series, underrated SF. However another footnote to that series was DC Graphic Novel #1: Star Raiders! Written by Elliot! S! Maggin and penciled, inked, and colored by Jose Garcia Lopez. It was a bridge between the video game comics and the series. Can be had on the cheap.
- Advanced Dungeons & Dragons – loved playing D&D when I was younger, so when DC got the license, I was onboard. I enjoyed the stories, though they’re kind of forgettable (at least, to me), but this was the first time I got to enjoy Jan Duursema’s art. She was perfect for this series, and she helped elevate it for me. Beautiful work from her.
- Aliens – the first books I got from Dark Horse, those first three minis, all written by Mark Verheiden, with art by Mark Nelson, Denis Beauvais, and Sam Keith, are some of my favorite comics. I re-read them every few years, and they tell a single, overarching story that serves as a great sequel to Ridley Scott’s original film. On the strength of these alone, I put Aliens in my top 5. But then there were series with Kelley Jones art, and one-shots with creators such as David Lloyd, Peter Milligan, and others that cement it for me. Some fun comics (if you like your fun drenched in Alien acid)
- Green Hornet – the NOW series. I got this off the stands, at my local bookstore, and immediately loved it. Ron Fortier was the first comic creator I got the chance to meet, and that solidified my love of this series. Another book I like to go back and re-read or just peruse. Fortier tried to evolve the characters and move things forward, in a short amount of time, and I give him full credit for that. Too bad the licensor got antsy about some of his changes.
- Star Wars – my favorite movie series, for a long time, it was a no-brainer that I would be into the comics. I can remember, distinctly, lying on my cousin’s porch reading Star Wars comics. Great memories. I managed to put together a full run during the “dark times” between 1985-1990, with most of the issues becoming available, at one time or another, in Mile High’s specials catalog. They’re reader copies, but that’s all I wanted. Later, I sold off the traded off the final 7 or 8 issues to Lone Star, in order to get a whole box full of other back issues. I need to get a collection with those, so that my young boy can revel in the wonder of Star Wars comics. Oh, and that 3D comics that Chris mentioned (I believe it was Chris) from Blackthorne, is one of the best Star Wars comics I’ve ever read. Not sure if it holds up, but at the time it just blew me away. I may have to dig that out now.
- G.I. Joe – this was the book, as with Shane and so many of us in that era, that hooked me on collecting comics. For a month or two, this was the only book I collected. It soon spiraled from there, of course, and I’m still at it. I had up through the early 140s, I think, and though it got a bit crazy toward the end, it was always enjoyable. Larry Hama is the man.
A caveat: I have yet to read ROM, and the only Micronauts I’ve read were some of the “New Adventures,” but I plan on remedying that someday and expect they will creep onto the revised list.
Other than that, another great episode gang. Thank you for all the work you guys do. It’s much appreciated.
- Green Hornet – the NOW series. I got this off the stands, at my local bookstore, and immediately loved it. Ron Fortier was the first comic creator I got the chance to meet, and that solidified my love of this series. Another book I like to go back and re-read or just peruse. Fortier tried to evolve the characters and move things forward, in a short amount of time, and I give him full credit for that. Too bad the licensor got antsy about some of his changes.
Loved this book, and the little of it I've read in recent years still held up pretty well. There was a great 40s-era mini-series that Ron Fortier wrote, too, that had the Hornet and Kato running a special mission for FDR, and in the midst of it they team up with a Captain America analogue. That was a lot of fun.
And given the numerous ways in which our lives parallel, @ChrisBeckett , I'm betting we both met Fortier on the same day. :D I actually met him again at a show a couple of years ago (also in Bangor... I wouldn't be surprised if you were there, too!) and we talked all about those early Nostalgia Con shows, the Green Hornet book, his Popeye books for Ocean Comics, all kinds of stuff. Hell of a nice guy.
Shane - I have no memory of the MASK uk comic, which is weird as I was all over most of the toy licensed comics of the mid 80s, and had lots of the toys. I imagine based on the uk format of reprinting American comics, there was probably only a small number of pages dedicated to MASK reprints, with a couple of different titles as back ups. Most of the Uk licensed books did this. I fondly remember Power Pack as a backup in Transformers (I think).
And speaking of Transformers... This was pretty much what got me into comics. We had a lot of additional material in the uk where Simon Furman cut his teeth before taking over the US series. We had art from people like Bryan Hitch and Dave Gibbons over here too, and of course Deaths Head was originally a Transformers UK supporting character
I remember having a lot of these except for Falcon. I don't remember him being one of the figures. I had always thought it was weird though that Daredevil was a figure and yet not in the story.
Great episode guys! I have to agree...ROM was one of the best comics at the time....just really enjoyable. I still remember the final issue (which by the way, wrapped up the story rather conclusively).
Also, I remember owning a Crystar action figure......thought it was the coolest at the time....
Inspired by the episode to fill in a few holes and go digging into my boxes. Just wrapped up reading the first twelve issues of Rom. At this point in the story, it's pretty impressive how much of the mythos Mantlo had already established and, by the third issue, it's already tied into the greater Marvel Universe my way of a Dire Wraith infiltrator in SHIELD.
Some things that I had forgotten:
Frank Miller did the first cover with a pantheon of greats following after (especially love Golden's cover on issue 10 - if only Buscema's interiors had been half as well rendered).
First real cameo was a panel or two calling back to Dr. Strange in the fifth issue (as well as a call back Dr Strange one off villain
Similar call back to Ms Marvel in issue 9.
Jack of Hearts (!!!!) in issue 12 is the first direct interaction (more Michael Golden!)
Brandy Clark's boyfriend is not Rick Jones. For some reason (I suspect the Rom cameo in the Rick Jones wedding issue of Incredible Hulk), I thought that Rick was the male sidekick throughout the book.
Looking forward to the start of the Saga of the Spaceknights!
Comments
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Advanced Dungeons & Dragons – loved playing D&D when I was younger, so when DC got the license, I was onboard. I enjoyed the stories, though they’re kind of forgettable (at least, to me), but this was the first time I got to enjoy Jan Duursema’s art. She was perfect for this series, and she helped elevate it for me. Beautiful work from her.
-
Aliens – the first books I got from Dark Horse, those first three minis, all written by Mark Verheiden, with art by Mark Nelson, Denis Beauvais, and Sam Keith, are some of my favorite comics. I re-read them every few years, and they tell a single, overarching story that serves as a great sequel to Ridley Scott’s original film. On the strength of these alone, I put Aliens in my top 5. But then there were series with Kelley Jones art, and one-shots with creators such as David Lloyd, Peter Milligan, and others that cement it for me. Some fun comics (if you like your fun drenched in Alien acid)
-
Green Hornet – the NOW series. I got this off the stands, at my local bookstore, and immediately loved it. Ron Fortier was the first comic creator I got the chance to meet, and that solidified my love of this series. Another book I like to go back and re-read or just peruse. Fortier tried to evolve the characters and move things forward, in a short amount of time, and I give him full credit for that. Too bad the licensor got antsy about some of his changes.
-
Star Wars – my favorite movie series, for a long time, it was a no-brainer that I would be into the comics. I can remember, distinctly, lying on my cousin’s porch reading Star Wars comics. Great memories. I managed to put together a full run during the “dark times” between 1985-1990, with most of the issues becoming available, at one time or another, in Mile High’s specials catalog. They’re reader copies, but that’s all I wanted. Later, I sold off the traded off the final 7 or 8 issues to Lone Star, in order to get a whole box full of other back issues. I need to get a collection with those, so that my young boy can revel in the wonder of Star Wars comics.
Oh, and that 3D comics that Chris mentioned (I believe it was Chris) from Blackthorne, is one of the best Star Wars comics I’ve ever read. Not sure if it holds up, but at the time it just blew me away. I may have to dig that out now.
-
G.I. Joe – this was the book, as with Shane and so many of us in that era, that hooked me on collecting comics. For a month or two, this was the only book I collected. It soon spiraled from there, of course, and I’m still at it. I had up through the early 140s, I think, and though it got a bit crazy toward the end, it was always enjoyable. Larry Hama is the man.
A caveat: I have yet to read ROM, and the only Micronauts I’ve read were some of the “New Adventures,” but I plan on remedying that someday and expect they will creep onto the revised list.
Other than that, another great episode gang. Thank you for all the work you guys do. It’s much appreciated.
chris
And given the numerous ways in which our lives parallel, @ChrisBeckett , I'm betting we both met Fortier on the same day. :D I actually met him again at a show a couple of years ago (also in Bangor... I wouldn't be surprised if you were there, too!) and we talked all about those early Nostalgia Con shows, the Green Hornet book, his Popeye books for Ocean Comics, all kinds of stuff. Hell of a nice guy.
And speaking of Transformers... This was pretty much what got me into comics. We had a lot of additional material in the uk where Simon Furman cut his teeth before taking over the US series. We had art from people like Bryan Hitch and Dave Gibbons over here too, and of course Deaths Head was originally a Transformers UK supporting character
I remember having a lot of these except for Falcon. I don't remember him being one of the figures. I had always thought it was weird though that Daredevil was a figure and yet not in the story.
Also, I remember owning a Crystar action figure......thought it was the coolest at the time....
Some day we will be in the same room and actually meet and talk.
chris
Some things that I had forgotten:
Frank Miller did the first cover with a pantheon of greats following after (especially love Golden's cover on issue 10 - if only Buscema's interiors had been half as well rendered).
First real cameo was a panel or two calling back to Dr. Strange in the fifth issue (as well as a call back Dr Strange one off villain
Similar call back to Ms Marvel in issue 9.
Jack of Hearts (!!!!) in issue 12 is the first direct interaction (more Michael Golden!)
Brandy Clark's boyfriend is not Rick Jones. For some reason (I suspect the Rom cameo in the Rick Jones wedding issue of Incredible Hulk), I thought that Rick was the male sidekick throughout the book.
Looking forward to the start of the Saga of the Spaceknights!
Found on DeviantArt - ought to get a job with Marvel.
From 2014, by Robert Shane. Full short story here.