Murd's Time Bubble Talkback: The Sixteenth Time
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Posts: 567
The Time Odyssey continues! Murd finally gets around to discussing a few things that were actually published in 2001, including Hal Jordan as the Spectre; the Hulk and Killraven according to Marvel Knights; and a little-remembered JLA fifth-week event. Plus, the customary cannonade of quick pops! (1:30:36)
Listen here.
Listen here.
Comments
:)
Matthew
P.S loved the Legacy Virus talk on the last ep....
Anyway, this sounds like an oversight I need to fix ASAP.
But seriously, Bill, you definitely should try a few issues of Big Bang. The stories found therein do a commendable job of capturing the look, feel, and tone of classic Marvel and DC characters (mostly the latter), and of the assorted "Ages" of comics history in which those characters have appeared and developed, all without feeling like mere carbon-copies of their source material AND without lapsing into cynical satire of said material.
As to Big Bang characters appearing in Moore's Supreme, I think you're remembering The Allies, as seen in Supreme #48, and confusing them with Big Bang's Round Table of America. (However, Mighty Man did appear in both titles, so you are remembering correctly!)
I do recommend Killraven to you, Murray; it sounds like your kinda thing! :) And I'd expect you'd be able to find the Essential Killraven at a pretty good discount at FanExpo!
And yeah, I definitely plan on tracking this series down. I've been wanting to re-read Moore's Supreme, I am re-reading 1963 (the issues I have... still need 2), and I've pre-ordered the Radioactive Man hardcover. I'm definitely on a "well-crafted love letter (with the occasional hint of satire) to comics ages of yore" kick right now.
I remember the Justice Leagues crossover. Or I should say I remember the concept but nothing about the stories, which should say all you need to know really.
As for JA? itself, I don't think I have read this since it came out but I think I got the same feeling of "meh" for the whole series that it seems like you did from this one issue.
I will also recomend the Essential Killraven trade. I got it a few years ago,mainly cause after seeing Killraven in OHTMU deluxe edition I had been interested in reading more. Well I could never find the issues for a decent price. But got the Essential from IST. And ended up reading all or most of it during one long ass shift at my last job. It is a great science fiction story that captures the old pulp feel. Plus the P.Craig Russell artwork looks amazing even in b/w.
My question: Have you ever considered selling books in your backlog? For example, in the Marvel in the 2000s episode, you mention having read Origin #1. I know with relative certainty that issue at one time sold for a significant amount of money (I missed out on it when released and considered paying $25 for it at one point). If you were to sell it, would you at some point replace it (in the same spot I could only assume) with either a trade or reprint issue (I eventually bought the Must-haves that had this issue in it) or not replace it at all? If you choose not to sell it, would it give you satisfaction if the book decreased in value (as Origin #1 has)? These are the weird kinds of things my brain thinks about. Now, if we could only find a way to get this podcast to be bi-weekly (especially during the "busy times" in Stone Harbor). Cheers to you, Mr. Murdough and thank you for all you do.
Now as to your question (and I love the geological metaphor, btw!): it is true that the great majority of the back issues I buy, especially those that were published earlier than 2001, are immediately subducted deep into the bedrock at the very bottom of my to-read pile, BUT there are exceptions.
There are, for instance, several older series (e.g., Infinity Inc., Superman Family, Quasar, various Marvel and DC team-up titles of yesteryear) of which I'm collecting complete runs, my intention being to read these series in their proper order once said complete runs have been assembled. Thus, whenever I buy an issue of one of these series, it goes not into the master pile, but into a smaller auxiliary pile dedicated just to that series.
And sometimes... just sometimes... I'm so excited by a new acquisition that I fling willpower to the wind and read it right away!! >-) (Funny you should mention the Freedom Fighters, because that's kinda what I did with that series--although I did restrain myself enough to hold the issues of FF in reserve to read on patriotic holidays, instead of simply devouring them directly after purchase!)
Like my friend and colleague Mr. B. Christman, I view collecting comics as a one-way process, and I doubt I could bring myself to sell many, if any, of the comics I now own (duplicates excluded, of course), especially not if I haven't read them yet! Sentimental value aside, they're too useful to me as a reference library. Hypothetically, though, if I did sell a comic such as Origin #1, whether or not I'd then rebuy it in reprint form would depend on how much I happened to enjoy that comic and/or how great the likelihood that I might need to read it again someday (i.e., as research for a CGS episode or an article or something). Having finally read Origin #1 last week, at this point I'd say I'd choose not to rebuy it if I sold it, if only because so many of my friends have TPBs that I could borrow in an emergency. And it actually does give me satisfaction to know that some of the comics in my collection do have considerable monetary value, even if I'll likely never capitalize on it.