tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105844689832543332.post787209663074020534..comments2024-03-27T11:32:34.392-07:00Comments on NOT A HOAX! NOT A DREAM!: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #22Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105844689832543332.post-45223303024786817102015-11-23T09:24:44.429-08:002015-11-23T09:24:44.429-08:00Well it certainly makes sense if you saw Romita...Well it certainly makes sense if you saw Romita's stuff after those others. I was exposed to Romita very early through MARVEL TALES reprints and some little digest comics reprinting the Doc Ock story from AMAZING 53 - 56 and the "stone tablet" stuff from 68 - 75. So that Romita/Mooney art is pretty much my definitive Spider-Man.<br /><br />(Which isn't to say I dislike later artists' versions -- as I said, I really like Bagley and Larsen, among others. I just couldn't/can't stand McFarlane, though it's more for his civilians than his Spider-Man, since I eventually got used to the design changes he made.)<br /><br />I can believe Ditko not receiving royalties for the Spider-Man movies, since Spidey was created long before the royalty system was in place. Stan Lee sued Marvel for some money from those films, and Ditko would never do such a thing. But Squirrel Girl was created well after Jim Shooter put a royalty program into place, so the situation there might be different.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105844689832543332.post-10120628198957103112015-11-21T06:13:40.863-08:002015-11-21T06:13:40.863-08:00Well horses for courses, different tastes and all ...Well horses for courses, different tastes and all that. <br />I only saw Romita's art work, long after I saw McFarlane, Larsen and Ron Frenz so it rather jarred with me as being too slick and glossy. <br />I do like Romita jr's art, his 80's art. His more modern blocky art not so much. <br /><br />As a kid I liked McFarlane, but my favorite Spiderman artist is Larsen. <br />My first Spiderman comic i got my hands on in the mid to late 90's was ASM 341, with Larsen on art duties. <br />Even as a kid I hated Liefeld. My first exposure to him was X-force 4, the second part of a cross over with McFarlane's Spiderman 16. <br />And even then I knew this was crap. <br /><br />Back in 2012 Ditko did say he had received no royalty cheques on the 4 Spiderman movies. Maybe this changed by now, but I find it hard to believe Ditko cares much. <br />Snowkatthttp://focusedtotalitycomics.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105844689832543332.post-70046082705498795662015-11-20T09:21:23.084-08:002015-11-20T09:21:23.084-08:00We'll have to agree to disagree on John Romita...We'll have to agree to disagree on John Romita, Snowkatt! I think he drew the definitive Spider-Man and the definitive members of his supporting cast. And, though it went against Ditko's vision, I loved that he glamorized the web-slinger's world so much.<br /><br />You're right that I dislike Todd McFarlane, though. Even as a kid, when I saw no flaws in the work of Rob Liefeld, I couldn't stand McFarlane's art. His people were all lumpy looking, like they were made out of Play-Doh, and I initially couldn't stand any of the changes he made to Spider-Man (smaller webs on the costume, bigger eyes, different webbing, etc.). I've since come to appreciate his version of Spidey, but only when it's drawn by other artists, like Larsen and Bagley.<br /><br />I wonder if Ditko receives royalty checks for all the Squirrel Girl appearances these days? Though even if he does, it's possible it goes against his philosophy to cash them. Now I'm imagining Marvel's accountants calling him every once in a while to ask why their accounts aren't balancing correctly.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105844689832543332.post-51987843557826820232015-11-20T09:16:31.203-08:002015-11-20T09:16:31.203-08:00I think I phrased that poorly. I didn't mean i...I think I phrased that poorly. I didn't mean it was actively demolished in the annual; I was trying to say it had already been demolished when the Annual took place. I appreciate the correction, though, because as I look back at what I wrote, I see how you read it that way.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105844689832543332.post-37216100370097303542015-11-20T09:15:25.105-08:002015-11-20T09:15:25.105-08:00It's true; he's fought almost all the A-li...It's true; he's fought almost all the A-listers at this point, even Captain America and the X-Men!Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105844689832543332.post-38769161759472456782015-11-19T12:39:30.209-08:002015-11-19T12:39:30.209-08:00Not a fan of McFarlane I take it ?
I personally...Not a fan of McFarlane I take it ?<br />I personally rather like McFarlane and Larsen and Bagley. I always felt their predecessor were a bit too static at times, <br />and I never cared much for Romita sr. <br />His Peter was too handsome and slick and his Spiderman too static and plastic. ( sacrilege I know ) <br />Peter was gangly, stringy and ordinary. Romita beefed him up too much and made him too handsome.<br />The only artist that really drew a good adult Peter as Ditko originally intended him was Ron Frenz. <br /><br />Speaking of Ditko, ( yes this segue is why I went on about Romita. ) It's a shame that the back up story in this case wasn't included because Speedball was co created by DeFalco and Ditko. <br />And this was one of the last few times that Ditko worked for Marvel. <br />He worked on a Marvel Comic Presents story, with Larsen on inks in 89. ( I told you about that )<br />And then he co created squirrel girl in 1992 with Wil Murray and his last Marvel work was for an Iron Man story in 1998.<br />So while I am not a huge fan of ditko's art, its a shame to omit one of the co creator of spiderman and one of the co founders or the Marvel universe and original marvel bulletin pen, last few marvel stories. <br /> <br />And he has, since he walked away from Spiderman in 66, never ever felt the need to return. <br />That kind of conviction is admirable, he could have easily returned to Marvel and gotten a steady paycheck, but instead he stood by his convictions. <br />I don't agree with his (political) ideas and views but I find his willingness to stand by his ideals and convictions admirable. <br /><br />And in the 80's he also drew bloody Transformers coloring books ! <br />And I had one of the damn things in the mid to late 90's by way of what amounts to a dollar store.<br />The Autobot smasher, to be exact. <br />http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Steve_Ditko<br /><br /><br />Snowkatthttp://focusedtotalitycomics.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105844689832543332.post-49866723965154652302015-11-18T07:38:10.711-08:002015-11-18T07:38:10.711-08:00X-Factor sure finished up their repairs on the Emp...<i>X-Factor sure finished up their repairs on the Empire State Building in a hurry! It was demolished in their annual</i><br /><br />If I remember correctly, the damage in their annual was still a result of "Fall of the Mutants" (when Ship careened into during the fight with Apocalypse). Your point still stands though, and I'd be curious if X-FACTOR showed the still-damaged Empire State Building after this annual (I can't recall offhand). Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105844689832543332.post-55794285606076014452015-11-16T19:12:03.472-08:002015-11-16T19:12:03.472-08:00I think GHOST RIDER is again one of those things w...I think GHOST RIDER is again one of those things where a lot of the celebration comes from the artist particularly, in this case Mark Texeira, doing something differently in the beginning of the 90's. The plot is occasionally all over the place, and the subsequent retconning of<i> everything you ever knew</i> making Danny Ketch a half-brother to Johnny Blaze will take a lot away from both characters. I may give myself as more of a fan than I really am, it was our publisher's will mostly that I'll read it back in the day from our anthology book I was a subscriber to. Pretty much like the movie, enough fun things done right.<br /><br />But really, you can't but help loving Kingpin's role in various shenaningans. He's a rare character for whom Secret Wars II really worked; it's hilarious when everyone else is just wondering about a skyscraper turned into gold and Kingpin is already heisting the whole thing. He's like the Thing of the villains: works in just about any kooky story you drop him into.Teemunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105844689832543332.post-15698461209399639272015-11-16T15:35:19.593-08:002015-11-16T15:35:19.593-08:00I never read the nineties GHOST RIDER series, thou...I never read the nineties GHOST RIDER series, though I've gathered that as far as Howard Mackie comics go, it's generally pretty well-liked. I do remember the Black Cat/Doc Ock bit, though.<br /><br />I thought the scenes of all the villains weeping over Ground Zero in the 9/11 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN issue were kind of tasteless and dumb, but I have no problem with that act infuriating the Kingpin. I think he really does love New York, like you said. That's certainly the direction the NetFlix DAREDEVIL series went with him.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105844689832543332.post-43992070764054918502015-11-16T11:43:18.287-08:002015-11-16T11:43:18.287-08:00But my absolute favorite thing about this issue is...<i>But my absolute favorite thing about this issue is the fact that Kingpin, of all characters, now knows more about the High Evolutionary's plans than anyone save Apocalypse</i><br /><br />He does that, as we will two years later see on the first arc of GHOST RIDER, when Kingpin's an active part in preventing Deathwatch killing the whole city with a biotoxin. We also remember how he was a tad pissed off when Black Cat allowed the remote of a WMD land in Dr. Ock's hands forcing him to leave... his... own... city! The man's better connected than many, and uses that to prevent any wholesale destruction which would be bad for business, but I think he secretly also just loves NY.<br /><br />That's why he bribes Hulk to stay away from there by passing his worn pants to him.Teemunoreply@blogger.com