Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Like Olaf of the Blackhawks always used to say, "Ay ban checking out the Marvel solicits for October!" Py jiminy! And lo and behold, there are several interesting things coming from the House that Jack Built- to wit:

DR. STRANGE: THE OATH #1 (of 5) looks so damn good (there's a three-page preview on CBR's page, link above) that it's almost like they're trying to make up for foisting Strange upon us. Hell, it looks so good that I might not even care that Vaughan is writing it!












AGENTS OF ATLAS also continues, #3 will feature another Bill Everett creation, Marvel Boy. Doesn't look like he's going to exactly be heroic and inspiring, though. Oh well, all's fair!













I really wish HEROES FOR HIRE had a different artist, 'cause I dig Misty and Colleen. Oh well, c'est la. Maybe I'll look at a trade if we get one.

MARVEL MILESTONES: LEGION OF MONSTERS, SPIDER-MAN & BROTHER VOODOO. Milestone, eh? Milestones are cheap these days, aren't they? Maybe if they had included the Colan-illo'd Strange Tales stories starring Bro V. This collection, which at least features a past-his-prime but still enjoyable Frank Robbins-drawn Legion of Monsters tale, probably isn't worth the four bucks.

I have yet to see a poor Jo Chen cover. I've been curious about RUNAWAYS, but I didn't want to get one of those digest-size trades of the first series and fancy going on a back issue hunt even less. Besides, there's the Vaughan factor.

I've always thought Chris Bachalo was an excellent artist who got a bit too clever for the room around the time of Steampunk. I like this cover, but not even Bachalo and Carey can get me to sample a rank-and-file X-book.

I am as big a fan of the Daimon Hellstrom/Son of Satan character as you'd ever want to know, but I won't touch HELLSTORM: SON OF SATAN #1 (of 5) with a ten foot Netheranium trident. However, if you, like me, prefer to kick it old school (as the young'uns say), there's this: ESSENTIAL MARVEL HORROR VOL. 1 TPB, which is a Essential Son of Satan in everything but name. Guess it's because Ghost Rider and Satana, among others, is in there too...but this reprints practically every appearance of the character worth having, save the outstanding Warren Ellis 1990's run. This contains some of my absolute favorite Steve Gerber work, in which he was in full weirdness mode. There's also the Gerber-scripted Marvel Spotlight #'s 18 & 19, which was a two-part Exorcist-inspired action jam (Daimon's day job was as a professional exorcist, y'know) that Gene Colan drew the, if you'll excuse the expression, hell out of. Also for the hell of it, here's Gil Kane's cover for #19, one of my all-time faves.

I remember picking up the big crossover event of 1976, which is being reprinted as DR. STRANGE VS. DRACULA: THE MONTESI FORMULA TPB, back in the day, probably off the spinner rack at Jr. Foods. Of course, it was easy to do so because I was a regular reader of both Tomb of Dracula and Doctor Strange at the time. Haven't read it in decades, but as I recall it worked pretty well, all things considered, and fit in nicely with both title's ongoing storylines. The resolution was a bit underwhelming, though, I believe. Aaah, don't take my word for it, read it for yourself.

Of course, there are my regular pickups: POWERS, DAREDEVIL, and NEXTWAVE.

Almost forgot THIS! Brubaker, Phillips- that's pure crack, son- the uncut funk!

And that, kids, concludes my latest attempt to get out of writing reviews look at Marvel's October solicits. I might do DC's, if I can find enough there that piques my interest. My, the times are a-changin, aren't they, Mr. Jones?

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