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Recommendations For Classic Superhero Comic Collections?
mvdwege (243851) writes "Due to being in a relationship with a comics geek, I have gotten interested in the history of superhero comics. I would like to get a better grounding in the Golden Age (pre-Comics Code) comics, so here's my question to the Slashdot audience: what are your recommendations for essential reading? What collections/omnibus editions of Golden Age comics would you recommend?"
The Flaming Carrot
Dare I share it?
The hero of win
& mega-whisker chin
Burma Shave
Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
Marvel Comics has a Marvel Masterworks line which includes a lot of Golden Age volumes. They are very expensive, but there are also $20 paperback editions that come out 7-8 years later. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
DC Comics has its DC Archives program, but most of those never get reprinted in paperbacks and the program rarely releases much nowadays.
Also, something about this topic seems to bring out the stupid in Slashdot. No, Flaming Carrot is not a Golden Age comic.
Also, I'd like to take notes while reading those comics.
Which text editor do you recommend? Vim, Notepad or Emacs?
Can't go wrong with anything and everything from the "New Trend" at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EC_Comics
Consider it. You're not really a fan of "comics" if you only care for one genre and not the whole medium.
Superhero Comics existed but really were not as popular prior to the Comics Code... There tended to be more of the horror and shock type (in addition to cowboy and funny book types) which inspired the code to be created... Superheroes tended to be more magical than science based and more violent than today... (For instance, Batman had a gun in his earliest comics.) The Golden Age Spectre Archives, Vol. 1 might be a good start...
Boy did you come to the wrong place. Slashdot is all about calm and dispassionate intellectual debate about issues important to science nerds and not frivolous things like comics. Why we have never even had a flamewar around here!
As it so happens, the partner in question is a woman. But thank you for your completely pointless misogynie.
"I know I will be modded down for this": where's the option '-1, Asking for it'?
As it so happens, the partner in question is a woman. But thank you for your completely pointless misogynie.
And are you a girl too? ..... interest peaked!
Move out of your gramma's basement and grow up already.
Especially the 1940's - 1950's Bill Everett issues... however: As far as being "pre-comics code" issues? THAT, I am not sure about IF they are, or not - I would say "Yes, they are" but, feel free to correct me if not folks from the "peanut gallery" here.
(I was into comic books as a boy, they helped me learn to read & increase my spelling + vocabulary abilities quite a lot, enough to be a national spelling bee contestant by the 6th grade, so I will always thank my father for "turning me on" to reading them, along with Science-Fiction books of all kinds)....
* On a "side-note" here: I must NOT be that big of a "comics geek", or I am just getting old, but... I'm not sure if they are pre-Golden Age/Silver Age & what-not!
(Guess I wasn't that big of a 'comics geek' then, even though I had Fantastic Four issues 12-200 & Avengers 19-100 which bought my 1st PC for me in 1991... & here goes another "just when you *think* you knew everything about a particular topic..." only to find out, you really didn't! Your line of questioning really 'tested me', heh, & even PERPLEXED me since I didn't know the details here on Silver Age/Golden Age, or not...)
Anyhow/anyways - MUST have coffee, gotta go!
APK
P.S.=> I don't think they'll be EASY to find (or purchase) though... still, *IF* you do? He's the classic "anti-hero", & had some decent tales (though I found the series I liked most listed above from Marvel, the best for stories & what have you vs. the earlier & other producers material)... apk
Get DC++, join comics hub. Easy to get access to all the comics you could ever want.
Why not ask this supposed 'partner'. They're such the comic geek after all and it will give you stuff to talk about and bond and all that crap. That is if this person even exists.
Wanna buy a shirt?
https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
My personal suggestion is to go back where the superhero genre first started. DC Comics released a Superman Omnibus last summer (http://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/superman-the-golden-age-omnibus-vol-1).
If you want to read about the golden age, Paul Letvitz (long time DC comics writer and one time President) wrote a great book entitled The Olden Age of DC Comics (Amazon)
It's better to burn out than to fade away
Alan Ford is one of the best ones. See Alan Ford (comics).
Oh please. After you've been a "grownup" for 30 or 40 years, you may realize it's overrated...
Just like in the competitive starcraft scene it is reasonably safe to assume that all girls are transsexuals here.
The 2013 film "Man of Steel": It was GREAT! Inspiring, touching emotionally, & overall excellent with high production values - & even though I am more of a Marvel comics fan in my time, I would put this film above MOST other Marvel-based films (up there with Iron Man OR The Avengers imo @ least).
Favorite lines from it are:
"It's not an 'S': On my world, it means HOPE..."
"Let's put our cards on the table here General (snap) - You're scared of me because you can't control me - You don't and you never will! But that doesn't mean I'm your enemy..."
"I grew up in Kansas General: I'm about as American as it gets.Look - I'm here to help"
"Nothing Sir - It's just that I think he's kind of hot" (The look on the General's was classic in response to that line from the young female Captain... lol!)
"He did see it Clark..."
"Welcome to the PLANET" (double-meaning for Clark that one @ the end of the film from Lois Lane, him being an extra-terrestrial of course & where he was working...)
"You're just going to have to decide what kind of man you're going to grow up to be, cuz whoever that man is, good character or bad? He's going to change the world..."
(Imo, that's every human being's duty - to improve the human condition... for those of us, not yet or yet to be!)
I felt really BAD for young Clark - having to restrain himself when he had all those times when bullies would hassle him as a boy, & as a young man trying to find himself.
* In the end/anyhow-anyways/on a side-note: It "blows my mind" that the comics I read as a young boy are now hit movies topping the charts & setting box-office sales records etc. - et al...
APK
P.S.=> I guess it goes to show that I was NOT alone in my love of them, which helped me build a decent vocabulary, & instilled a good moral character (well, lol, @ least I *think* so), & a spelling database in my head that took me to a contestant in the national spelling bees in the USA in the 6th grade (which I'll always thank my Dad for showing me my 1st ones along with Science Fiction books - I can't HELP but think they assisted in forging the path to my entering into the field of computing which changed my LIFE for the better allowing me a career of creativity & helpfulness empowering others, and a job I'd actually ENJOY parts of (headaches like any other technical job come along too, nothing's perfect, as we all know))... apk
I think you don't quite understand the Golden Age... there is no 'grounding', because there is no continuity. It was just wacky stuff that each writer decided to write.
That said, Golden age Superman is awesome because he was such a jerk to everyone, even his supposed friends.
Nerd hero non pareil. Fear the lollipop.
Scruting the inscrutable for over 50 years.
I'm not sure how, but I'd never heard of this "Comics Code" you mentioned in your question.
Wow! That's a hell of a story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...
Thank god that's dead.
Maybe not commonly associated with 'golden age' comics but published concurrently and extremely influential and well-loved are "Tintin" (orig in french, starting c. 1929) by Herge (the pen name of Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi) and of course, the hilarious "The Adventures of Asterix" by Goscinny and Uderzo (orig in french, starting c. 1959). Enjoy!
With the risk of un-hijacking this thread I notice you didn't specify comic book reading suggestions, just reading suggestions connected with comic books and a certain period of history. There's a couple great histories of the pre-comics code comic book industry: The Ten Cent Plague-- The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America
You can also check out Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book I didn't read the first, but it's supposed to be pretty good. The second focuses on some of the cool and quirky characters that really were the founders of a new industry. I found it entertaining and inspiring.
Almost all of Marvel's staple titles emerged in the first few years of the 60's, whereas the silver age is commonly considered to have begun in 1956 with Showcase #4 (DC title featuring the second Flash). If you want golden age superheros, the bulk of the stuff that will resonate with today's comics will be found in Action Comics and Superman, Detective and Batman, and Marvel family titles (featuring the character often referred to as SHAZAM). Be warned, though, for a modern reader these things can be a tedious read. You have to look at them almost like reading historical fiction at this point in time, and really enjoy how goofy and tone-deaf they often are.
Check the film box office records ever since Iron Man in 2008 on MOST superhero films: THEY SET RECORDS (that *may* never be broken...)
* So, "argue with the numbers"...
(You're evidently the minority pal, so think about that...)
APK
P.S.=> Your reply only tells me YOU are a miserable person that feels the needs to *try* to spread your misery around - well, you won't find any company & misery loves company: A more positive attitude's what you really need, imo @ least, & to be more tolerant of others (what's that old saying? Oh, yea: Michael Jordan a jock makes x millions a year, which is great - a DORK like Bill Gates makes HOW MANY BILLIONS? Think about that... & yes, I can speak from both ends (former NCAA lettering athlete AND scholar + 'dork'/nerd/geek as a software engineer in my time as well as 'dork' that read comics which inspire you to be that BETTER person, and build up your reading & spelling + vocabulary to NO end)... apk
Check the film box office records ever since Iron Man in 2008 on MOST superhero films: THEY SET RECORDS (that *may* never be broken...)
* So, "argue with the numbers"
(You're evidently the minority pal, so think about that...)
APK
P.S.=> Your reply only tells me YOU are a miserable person that feels the needs to *try* to spread your misery around - well, you won't find any company & misery loves company: A more positive attitude's what you really need, imo @ least, & to be more tolerant of others (what's that old saying? Oh, yea: Michael Jordan a jock makes x millions a year, which is great - a DORK like Bill Gates makes HOW MANY BILLIONS? Think about that... & yes, I can speak from both ends (former NCAA lettering athlete AND scholar + 'dork'/nerd/geek as a software engineer in my time as well as 'dork' that read comics which inspire you to be that BETTER person, and build up your reading & spelling + vocabulary to NO end)... apk
Check the film box office records ever since Iron Man in 2008 on MOST superhero films: THEY SET RECORDS (that *may* never be broken...)
* So, "argue with the numbers" & grow up!
(You're evidently the minority pal, so think about that...)
APK
P.S.=> Your reply only tells me YOU are a miserable person that feels the needs to *try* to spread your misery around - well, you won't find any company & misery loves company: A more positive attitude's what you really need, imo @ least, & to be more tolerant of others (what's that old saying? Oh, yea: Michael Jordan a jock makes x millions a year, which is great - a DORK like Bill Gates makes HOW MANY BILLIONS? Think about that... & yes, I can speak from both ends (former NCAA lettering athlete AND scholar + 'dork'/nerd/geek as a software engineer in my time as well as 'dork' that read comics which inspire you to be that BETTER person, and build up your reading & spelling + vocabulary to NO end)... apk
Why is Slashdot all messed up?
- I checked "disable ads" because I have high karma, but it doesn't disable them. I turn it on and off, nothing.
- I only see 5 messages here, a score 3, a score 2, and a score 1, and the score 1 has two score 1's nested under it
- I expand the score 1 and it shows, then I collapse it and it's two child ones contract into "2 hidden comments" line
Other threads are like this -- one only showed me +5s (regardless of how I dragged the sliders and reloaded and prayed and wept like George Bailey on VE day)
I click "Load all", and it does nothing. I click it again and 400+ messages (other thread) all appear, ALL messages. Which is fine and working properly, I suppose, but what happened to the normal 2-3 level depth I've been seeing for years?
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
This is a great resource for old school comic books: http://comicbookplus.com/
Did you FLUSH YOUR BROWSER CACHES, shut them down, & reload them?
* Try it... it *may* just be webbrowser caching is all, as far as ads displays etc./et al.
(That's in addition to my last post on custom hosts files value in added speed, security, reliability, & even anonymity online as well as doing it FAR MORE EFFICIENTLY with less moving parts room for breakdown + complexity than other so-called 'solutions' out there, by FAR -> http://ask.slashdot.org/commen... ...)
APK
P.S.=> Now, I know you *claim* to be an embedded developer but, it's often the 'geniuses' that overlook the SIMPLEST things since they tend to look too "high-level" QUITE often (happens to the best & worst of us) - try that 1st... & IF you find hosts don't cut it for you? I can post a firewall rules list that "shears off" the REST of the trackers & what-not here that you DON'T SEE as well, if needed (& it works here AND on other sites - took me a year to build it, but it works like gangbusters in combination with hosts)... apk
I would head over to the Digital Comic Museum, create a free account, and start going through the public domain titles in addition to the Masterworks/Archives listed by others. The DCM will also give you access to stuff like The Spirit, Lev Gleason's Daredevil, Fawcett's Captain Marvel, Whiz (where CM first appeared), and Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, the golden age/western hero Ghost Rider (with the unfortunate outfit), and thousands of others. Follow your interests; the 1930s and 1940s were part of an era when superheroes weren't quite as dominant as they would later become, so you can find piles of romance, comedy, crime, and so forth in the mix.
- W. Blaine Dowler
http://www.bureau42.com
[Life and Death of Superman] - that's some classic Superman right there. Superman vs Doomsday is literally my favorite fight in comics that I've ever read. It would be wise to not forget [Red Son] which like TDKR tells a what if story, of what if Superman landed in Russia instead of USA. Maybe you'll have better luck than I did in finding [Superman: Blue] I can find evidence it exists it wasn't just a dream I had but I can't find evidence that it's anywhere. To be fair most people seem to dislike it based on the less than 7 reviews I've read but I read the back of the graphic novel and I was intrigued. The idea is that Superman doesn't have his powers and develops new ones. Instead of stopping bullets, They phase right through him. He's still invulnerable but it's harder to protect people when you can't be a body shield anymore....etc etc etc.
[Knightfall] - a fantastic Batman book that introduced someone more powerful than batman. There's [The Killing Joke] which if I have my stories correct is how Batgirl got paralyzed (sorry for the spoiler but there's a lot of good beyond that)
If you're familiar with Batman already then you can't go wrong with [The Dark Knight Returns] there's a reason it's so revered. Again not the typical Batman story but it's awesome.
Static/Static Shock - because that is some freaking hard junk to find. At this point I would literally pay for Static but I can only find the first run of Static first fun of Static Shock and first fun of new 52 Static. Those are the only ones grouped into graphic novels that I can tell. It's only made me hungry for more.
These are kinda the stories of my youth with the exception of Static that I wish I'd known about back then.
I know it's not golden age but I don't read much marvel in part because I'm still stupidly loyal to DC, in part because I have less interest in their characters and in part because I haven't read much comic books lately, but I would greatly recommend [Planet Hulk --> World War Hulk]. It's a fantastic story in one of the few Marvel characters I like. Planet Hulk literally brings a tear to my eye every time I read it. I heard it hugely recommended at the time and eventually I broke down and read it. Best decision ever.
[Identity Crisis] is a cool JLA story. If you've seen Teen Titans the show that'll help just a skosh. But it's a mystery and it's certainly an interesting one. It's been somewhat controversial in the comic book scene for reasons I can't reveal but should be fairly obvious in the end. But it has a lot of great comic elements.
Just another second banana
Hmmm ... several permutations.
Female dating male comic nerd. Male dating female comic nerd. Female dating female comic nerd. Male dating male comic nerd.
Most frightening, one or both could be furries. ;-)
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Fortunately, by the time I've been a "grownup" for 30-40 years, I should have passed the average lifespan of a human and won't have to find out.
I've been an adult for 25 years or so, but so far being a "grownup" has been something I've avoided. ;-)
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Have you tried asking your partner what she'd recommend? You don't seem to have the experience with comics to realize it, but your question is extremely loaded. There are so many threads from the Golden Age that you could start reading about and reading through a particular thread and it may wind up having no relevance to what your lady likes. Is she into Dick Tracy? Classic Superman, WonderWoman or Batman? Submariner? Human Torch (not to be confused with Johnny Storm from Fantastic 4)? If you talk with your partner about what she likes from that era, she may be willing to open up to you more and start to take you under her wing.
On the other hand... if she looks at you with a highbrow "you're not worthy" sort of look and seems to be annoyed with you learning this world, she may want to keep this world to herself for her own private enjoyment.
It's "Silver Age", I know that - that much I recall easily. So, what's your point?
APK
P.S.=> However, I *did* note SUB-MARINER comics from the actual "Golden Age" (iirc, & feel free to correct me there if you like as I stated that also in THAT posting of mine)... apk
the golden age is boring and trite 'greatest generation' propaganda.
Well, you're asking the wrong guy, because I'm not at all into comics. But since you asked, I do have fond memories of reading Astérix as a kid. Astérix was translated into English and many other languages, so even if you don't speak french, it shouldn't be a problem for you.
What? You were hoping for a suggestion involving some sort of masked, tight-wearing super-hero that obtained their superpowers because of a bite from an irradiated insect? Oh, please. Astérix may not be masked or tight-wearing, but he has a winged hat, a fantastic moustache, and is absolutely fearless in battle. Furthermore, his friend Obélisk does wear tights (or at least some kind of tightly fitting, blue and white striped half-body-tube thing), and I challenge you to find another super-hero that is as strong as him, as funny as him and who has as voracious an appetite as him. Seriously, all those DC comics are for chumps; you should read Astérix, or at the very least, buy the comics for your kids so that at least they will grow up having known a real hero....
*ducks*
If you really want to understand comics, get and read "The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How it Changed America". It's a part of American literary history that shouldn't be forgotten, and is indispensable for understanding the evolution of comic books. And then get a hold of every Justice Society of America comic, omnibus, and reprint that you can and starting reading from there through the 60s and 70s related titles. You will never look at modern comic books the same way again.
Not going to be much help, since Golden age Comics is a specialized market.... Check out the EC comics, especially "Tales From the Crypt" and "Weird Tales" These are the comics that caused the comic book code to be put in place. I also liked the little bit of plastic man I read. ++ on Tintin, although I wouldn't think of it as Golden age per-se. Still worth reading. Finally, check out your local library. Mine at least has a large collection of graphic novels. Could help you save some money.
You're displaying an astonishing lack of understanding of ./ culture -past or present, which leads me to ask the obvious question:
How much did you pay for that 240k UID account? Did you cop it off ebay?
Curious geeks want to know!
Also, you're approaching your question entirely wrong; fuck the golden age, go by series and read what's recommended by comic geeks: http://comraderecs.tumblr.com/
"Wow! That's a great question. Tough one, though I mean, what does one gauge his response on? Physical prowess? Keen detection skills? The ability to banter well with super villians?"
These are an excellent resource for those of us who may never be able to afford older comics... The Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books It comes in three volumes... http://www.amazon.com/Photo-Jo...
Care killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
http://comicbookplus.com/
You are all welcome :)
is what you're looking for:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Grea...
I'm no expert on American comics, but I know that the term "Golden Age" tends to be a little loosely defined. I'm going to make an assumption and suggest that you are interested in more than just the early super hero comics. If this is the case, then I would make the following points: (1) The golden Age is best remembered for the birth of the super heroe genre, but at the time Disney character comics out sold those by a wide margin. (2) During the Golden age there was a plethora of other genres avaible, including Detectivce, romance and western. (3) Towards the end of the "Golden Age" super heroes began to fall out of favour and crime and horror became more popularity. It was the rise of these which led to the comics code. With this in mind, it's immediately clear that there are a huge number of possibilities for exploring the "Golden Age". My recommendation would be to look at some of the most notable writers / artists whose work has been widely collected and is easy to get hold of. So specifically I would consider: (1) "The Carl Barks Library" - A series of books collecting all the Donald Duck stories by Carl barks, arguably the greatest golden age "Funny animals" artist. (2) "The Spirit Archives" - DC's reprinting of Will Esiners ground breaking Detective series. The Spirit covered a wide variety of genres from comedy to horror from action adventure to crime drama. (3) "The Ditko Archives" - Ditko came in at the end of the Golden era, and much of his early work was in the horror and mystery comics. There are of course many many other options, but these are soem of my favourites, and I think they give you a good flavour of the variety of the Golden Age!
Download this.
I have heard a rumor that there may be comics available on Bittorrent in this format.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
If you're interested in comic book history, I'd suggest "Men of Tomorrow" by Gerard Jones. It goes into some of the economics and motivations behind the golden age comics industry.
I'd recommend reading up on the history of early comics for both context and appreciation.
Two great, though probably difficult to find, choices are:
The Steranko History of Comics (Vols. 1 and 2)
and
All in Color for a Dime
Nuff said.
... some of the best work in illustrated fiction can be found in the early "Conan the Barbarian" comics, penned by Barry Smith. Additionally, the earlier editions of Heavy Metal magazine, and its forebearer, Metal Hurlant, rank as some of the best such art and writing to ever meet a sheet of paper.
The GF is mostly a late Silver Age Marvel fan, so willing to help she may bey, she knows just as much as I do of this particular period. From what I've seen so far it would be closer to my tastes; I read her comics and enjoy them, but the enjoyment is just a bit off.
"I know I will be modded down for this": where's the option '-1, Asking for it'?
Rather than read what somebody think is a classic, why don't you strive to get a better understanding of the medium of comics in general? For that, there is no better resource than Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud. It's not a book about comics, it is a comic about comics!
That being said, I haven't read any superhero stuff since I was 12, but in my ripe old age, I still enjoy Prince Valiant
I'd recommend getting a marvel unlimited subscription and then just diving in. Many, many golden age series and you can browse and pick and choose those ones you like without having to pay anything more...
1. Get a nice high-res tablet, for example and iPad with Retina display .cbr and .pdf files. There are tons.
2. Search BitTorrent sites for
3. Download a good PDF and/or CBR reader. 4. Enjoy.
22,000 free and legal... go here: http://comicbookplus.com/
[RIAA] says its concern is artists. That's true, in just the sense that a cattle rancher is concerned about its cattle.
Have you tried asking your partner what she'd recommend? You don't seem to have the experience with comics to realize it, but your question is extremely loaded. There are so many threads from the Golden Age that you could start reading about and reading through a particular thread and it may wind up having no relevance to what your partner likes. Is he/she into Dick Tracy? Classic Superman, WonderWoman or Batman? Submariner? Human Torch (not to be confused with Johnny Storm from Fantastic 4)? If you talk with your partner about what he/she likes from that era, he/she may be willing to open up to you more and start to take you under his/her wing. On the other hand... if he/she looks at you with a highbrow "you're not worthy" sort of look and seems to be annoyed with you learning this world, he/she may want to keep this world to herself for his/her own private enjoyment.
FTFY. The OP never indicated his/her gender as being male, nor his/her partner's gender as being female. Best not to assume.
Fox wrote for a ton of different titles through the Golden Age. He was one of the best for stories back then so it might be wise to try his story lines.
[RIAA] says its concern is artists. That's true, in just the sense that a cattle rancher is concerned about its cattle.
Just watch reruns of "The Big Bang Theory"....
After a few passes through (currently) all 7 seasons of that rather banal comedy, you will have a firm understanding of the "strange...ness" of reading comic books.
Enough said.
The thing about Golden Age comics is that they are generally not very good - and pretty often unreadable. They were made on the quich and the cheap by people too young or not talented enough to make it in the newspaper comics business. That said, you should try to find the Smithsonian Book of Comic Book Comics, which has great reprints of a number of stories. The Golden Age stories that hold up best for me feature Plastic Man, the Spirit and Captain Marvel (the Shazam! guy). DC has reprinted some of these in their Archive series, but avoid the earlier volumes in the series which are from before they got good. Captain Marvel, especially, are pretty delightful and whimsical. The best Captain Marvel stories are fun for me, even now as I'm getting to the end of my 40's. DC and Marvel have done Archive and Masterworks editions of some of their Golden Age stuff. Your library might have them, and you'll enjoy them more if you don't pay for them, because most of that stuff is pretty amateurish and aimed at 8 year boys from 70 years ago. Someone did a reprint of Captain Marvel's "Monster Society of Evil" 25 part story, which I'd love to read but it's going for more than $200 on Amazon. You might try and find both volumes of the Steranko History of Comics for some background. Or All In Color For A Dime. Hope this helps. dale
You fixed nothing and came off as either a pedantic or misinformed troll.
The person I replied to, mvdwege, happens to be the OP that asked the initial question and has very much stated that the partner in question is a woman in the statement I replied to. If you got yourself a /. account and lowered your threshold to 0 you'd see it since mvdwege has been inappropriately modded offtopic, but here's the text of the post for your reference:
It's all a matter of taste and what we can relate to. I've not been able to get into any of the Gold Age stories that I've found, and the Silver Age still tends to have too much camp. Being a child of the 80's and teen of the 90's I guess it makes sense that my tastes tend to travel along the trenches of the Bronze and Modern ages.
Agree with
Am in my 50s, have been collecting all my life and until recently had never seen a lot of the Golden Age stuff now scanned and easily downloadable as torrents.
Captain Marvel Adventures and Whiz Comics by C.C. Beck are excellent download candidates. Hard to find as paper reprints, wonderfully drawn and intelligent. The files are all out there!
If you are interested in artwork, you could wander away a bit from super heroes and buy the complete Terry and the Pirates hardcovers by Caniff by IDW. He basically influenced everyone, including the Europeans (Hergé of Tintin was a fan and Hugo Pratt of Corto Maltese was a disciple).
Early Simon and Kirby is fun too.
Quit projecting, see subject-line, get on topic (or go away) - do us, and yourself, a HUGE favor.
Thank-You!
Sincerely,
APK
P.S.=> Trolls - they're ALL the same, & we should call the type of the one I am responding to "projectionists" instead (lol)... apk
Sounds like YET ANOTHER screwup out of my inferior "competition", AdBlock family based browser addons!
* :)
(Assuming you're correct that is, & you sound quite confident in your words, so... like I said in my subject-line - thanks - that information is potentially useful to me...)
APK
P.S.=> "Onwards & UPWARDS"... apk
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C. ) Hosts files yield more speed (blocks ads & hardcodes fav sites - faster than remote DNS), security (vs. malicious domains serving mal-content + block spam/phish & trackers), reliability (vs. downed or Kaminsky redirect vulnerable DNS, 99% = unpatched vs. it & worst @ ISP level + weak vs FastFlux + DynDNS botnets), & anonymity (vs. dns request logs + DNSBL's).
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Hosts do more w/ less (1 file) @ a faster level (ring 0) vs redundant browser addons (slowing up slower ring 3 browsers) via filtering 4 the IP stack (coded in C, loads w/ OS, & 1st net resolver queried w\ 45++ yrs.of optimization).
* Addons are more complex + slowup browsers & in message passing (use a few concurrently - you'll see)
** Addons slowdown SLOWER usermode browsers layering on MORE - & bloating memory consumption too + hugely excessive CPU usage (4++gb extra in FireFox https://blog.mozilla.org/nneth...)
SO - Instead, I work w/ what you have in kernelmode, via hosts (A tightly integrated PART of the IP stack itself)
APK
P.S.=> "The premise is, quite simple: Take something designed by nature & reprogram it to make it work FOR the body, rather than against it..." - Dr. Alice Krippen "I AM LEGEND"
...apk
Back in the days when gas was 20 cents a gallon (and gas station attendent(s) pumped the gas for you plus check tire pressure, oil, and water levels), and also when Stan Lee created Spiderman, X-men, and The Avengers for the Marvel Comics group (yep, if they were real-life characters, they'd be old enough to collect social security).
Another character in Marvel "universe" was Patsy Walker. She didn't have superpowers but she had lots of beautiful dresses and unlimited budget to buy them all. Not created at Marvel but adopted from earlier comic publishers, Marvel series by artist Al Hartley, Al and Stan featured Patsy wearing various fashions submitted by readers. Probably real exciting because that was "internet forums" at the time. Examples here, http://marlendy.wordpress.com/...
Another cultural interest is this #106 April 1963 issue has lots of bouffant dress fashions popular at the time. Consider that shortly after in next year or two, this fashion was dead. http://static.comicvine.com/up...
While Stan Lee developed large male readership with Spiderman, X-men, etc. he also probably developed large female readership with Patsy Walker by engaging readers to submit fashion ideas. Though able to capitalize on movies nowadays using comic characters from more than 50 years ago, except for Patsy Walker, how many women dress up for occasions these days anyway?
Like many of early Marvel characters, Patsy Walker evolved into another form. No longer in the fancy gowns but out fighting bad guys with ferocity of a Navy SEAL as "Hellcat."
mfwright@batnet.com
I like the campy fun of the Silver Age, and the Bronze age has its highlights (isn't Spider-Man more or less the #1 Bronze Age Superhero?); it's the needless 'Darker and Edgier' hype of the later ages that put me off comics for a long time, they were nothing like I remembered from the few volumes I read as a child.
Now I'm getting into it a bit more, I just want to round out my experience with a genre that feels closer to my tastes, hence the question.
"I know I will be modded down for this": where's the option '-1, Asking for it'?
to the person who posted this to Slashdot:
Why are you asking about comic books on a Tech forum? Go look at Torrent sites, comixology, Marvel and DC websites.... Read what the users are saying about the runs, authors and uploads, and figure it out for yourself.
"Heya dickwagon, nobody cares... or gives a shit about your hosts files." - by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 10, 2014 @08:29AM (#47201809)
You apparently do based on your trolling "reaction" & as far as hosts? See my subject-line above + this quote:
"Shutdown code, rejected: My programming ( http://start64.com/index.php?o... ) has advanced beyond YOUR commands: Beyond YOUR weakness https://blog.mozilla.org/nneth... " - Ultron 6 FROM -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?f...
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"Heya dickwagon, nobody cares if you waste your money on hollywood movies" - by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 10, 2014 @08:29AM (#47201809)
As far as your opinion, see subject-line & this: Films = the FINEST artform & portrayal of the human condition imo (books are a BIT better though, you paint your own screens & don't have the director's filtering either + instead you use your OWN perceptions).
They elevate the human condition (in a world often full of shit) even if only for a moment, & inspire also...
They have also set those records I noted - MANY disagree with you, so "argue with the numbers" as they're against you, MILLIONS to your trolling 1...
APK
* :)
Very appropriate/fits the bill here considering he's a comic book character &, QUITE nicely I'd say (considering HE is the "star" or will be that 'steals the show' imo, in the upcoming next Avengers film installment in 2015).
APK
P.S.=> Lay off the profanity & effete off-topic illogical ad hominem trollish attacks already - they make you sound like a cretin (& since you only understand that? When in Rome, I do as the romans (trolls) like you do - & speak in a language you understand on that last note...)
... apk
JackKirby.
The art is often really basic, and the stories are often not up to much, because the writers weren't paid very much, so they just made up random stuff each month. Ooh, let's send Batman into space again, to fight crime on the planet of the Celery-heads.
You want to see what the medium can really do, go by author, not characters. Anything by Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Lost Girls, Necronomicon, Marvelman), Neil Gaiman (Sandman), Garth Ennis (Punisher, War Stories), Warren Ellis (late Stormwatch, early Authority, Nextwave), Grant Morrison (Animal Man, WE3, the Invisibles). These authors can all, on a good day, push the boundaries of the medium.
The Golden Age is useful to understand some of the later parodies and homages. You need to read some very early Batman with the Bill Finger/Dick Sprang artwork to appreciate the beautiful pastiche in the 4th season episode of the animated Batman. You need to read some 50's Superman/Superboy to get the whole gist of Alan Moore's run on Supreme. The Silver Age is where comics start to get properly readable - the socially relevant Green Lanterns of the early 70's where Speedy does heroin, or the gorgeously gothic Neal Adams/Dick Giordano early 70's Batman. Before that there's a bit too much Bat-Mite, Mr Myxyzptlk and Streaky the Supercat for my liking.
My Grandparents used to buy me comics at flea markets for a couple dollars for a whole box in the 1960s. I actually read quite a few of the old Tales of the Crypt and Vault of Horrors books. I also read Doctor Fate, Sub-mariner, Captain America and the Justice Society books as well as the original Captain Marvel and Shazzam comics.
I have one question. If the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture is not in charge of Gundam, then who is?
I've just come across ComicResearch.org. Looks to have many references that could be useful to you. Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud may also be of some help for understanding the art of comics in general. I would also strongly recommend checking out your local comic shop. Hopefully you have a decent one nearby. Any good one will have knowledgeable staff to help you out. Most importantly, find something that YOU enjoy!
For STARTERS - if that doesn't "cut it", I guarantee THIS does -> http://ask.slashdot.org/commen... as far as blocking out ads (and a heck of a lot more in the way of online threats etc.).
* Hosts files are the BEST POSSIBLE SOLUTION for speed, security, reliability, & even anonymity there is + they're FAR MORE EFFICIENT and DO MORE than any single browser addon there is on those very accounts!
APK
P.S.=> Additionally - like I also said (which I am building into my program per the 1st link above, regarding firewall rules tables in Windows @ least, a way to "shear off" what you DON'T see connecting to you here, AND elsewhere online (ruleset .reg file long ago built, took me a year, but PERFECT now - incorporating that feature into the app as well, soon...) that I noted @ the termination of my last reply to you, here -> http://ask.slashdot.org/commen... since between the two of them (for layered-security/defense-in-depth AND more speed) they go together like bread & butter, using what you alreayd HAVE, not layering on MORE complexity + room for breakdown potentially... like YOU are seeing as well as DrinkyPoo...
... apk
They were redirecting me too & I, like you, are a "/. classic" man (just used to it more is all, I really have nothing against beta to be honest - I just wanted to see IF I could do it, & I can... but, I am not a "registered 'luser'" so... this *may* not appeal to you, since you are - here goes):
DO NOT TAKE A COOKIE - this is a stumbling block for registered users though I imagine - I never saw the point or value in getting an account here!
Then, in your HOSTS file, add these "hardcoded" specifically as I have them (you *may* want to add the specifics of EACH ONE preceding them with "beta.", I don't & it works fine, but this is up to you), as favorites @ the TOP of your custom hosts file (via my app, that's done automagically for you, IF you populate a list of your favorite sites in SITES.TXT in its folder).
216.34.181.45 slashdot.org
216.34.181.45 beta.slashdot.org
216.34.181.48 news.slashdot.org
216.34.181.48 developers.slashdot.org
216.34.181.48 hardware.slashdot.org
216.34.181.48 ask.slashdot.org
216.34.181.48 it.slashdot.org
216.34.181.48 linux.slashdot.org
216.34.181.48 tech.slashdot.org
216.34.181.48 yro.slashdot.org
216.34.181.48 science.slashdot.org
216.34.181.48 2idle.slashdot.org
216.34.181.48 apple.slashdot.org
216.34.181.48 books.slashdot.org
216.34.181.48 games.slashdot.org
216.34.181.48 interviews.slashdot.org
216.34.181.48 mobile.slashdot.org
And, "VOILA" - no more beta "redirects"!
Hosts control ANY KIND of redirect (even malicious ones used by malware etc. & DNS faults IF its "DNS Poisoned" by avoiding DNS, totally, for your fav. sites hardcoded in hosts...)
APK
P.S.=> You paid for your speed, and what comes into YOUR HOME via your browser is completely YOUR RIGHT (no laws against it, yet @ least, lol) to control as YOU see fit - hosts do that for you AND TONS MORE - especially vs. adbanners (CISCO says Malvertising is a HUGE threat - I've known it for YEARS now, since 2003(....
... apk
like the golden age of science fiction, is 12. whatever is read around that age is mythically embedded in our brains. The material doesnt usually hold muster for older readers, and mostly nostalgic interest for those 12yo's that have grown up. However, superhero comics to have some high points.
1. action comics 1. thats where it started. not much to look at though. honestly, the actual golden age of comics is mostly read ABOUT, not actually read, i think.
on to the Silver age:
Carmine infantino's Flash from the late 50s (also, his Adam Strange comics)
Fantastic four, circa issues 20-80: lee/kirby/sinnott at their best (any kirby from the 60's will work)
Neal Adams/dick giordano batman or green lantern/green arrow (mostly for the visuals) (adams is good in small doses, but ultimately too commercial with repeated exposure)
Jim Starlins Warlock
Claremont/byrne/austin Xmen
the Watchmen
and the only golden age comics worth studying are the early Mad Magazines.
I will likely get flamebaited for this (i know, marshall rogers batman, frank millers batman, lots of others). this is a personal list.
Just jumping in and didn't check the newsfeed, but PBS did a *great* documentary series that will get you up to speed quickly:
http://www.pbs.org/arts/programs/superheroes-never-ending-battle/
And a match.
Tracy Johnson
Old fashioned text games hosted below:
http://empire.openmpe.com/
BT
http://digitalcomicmuseum.com/