Showing posts with label Doctor Strange. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doctor Strange. Show all posts

Tuesday, 11 October 2016

'Acts of Vengeance' (1989) - 2


(I originally read these comics between mid October/early November 2015)

After having read Marvel's 1989 crossover event 'Acts of Vengeance' recently, this time I read all the other stories from across the line that tied into it, most quite loosely. Again, the ongoing theme is the heroes facing off against villains with whom they have no familiarity, though the original legislative attempt at a Superhuman Registration Act is a sub-plot (and one that would be returned to years later in 'Civil War'). The Wolverine issues dragged, but all the others were pretty enjoyable. Even the New Mutants and Alpha Flight issues, teams for whom I have limited interest, hooked me by using classic Spidey villains (the Scorpion and the Vulture, respectively). I'd only read the Hulk ish about six months back, but was happy to revisit it. The Uncanny X-Men issues feature Jim Lee's first extended work on the characters from when he was a hot, new up-and-comer and they sure are pretty. However, the story, where Betsy Braddock is merged with a ninja assassin, is hard to follow in parts, at least for somebody not mired in the convoluted X-Men continuity of the time. 


   
   
   
   
  
  
  


As an extra, here's Alan Davis' combined art for the two Acts of Vengeance Omnibus covers:




Fantastic Four (1961) # 334-336, Wolverine (1988) # 19/20, Doctor Strange (1988) # 11-13, Incredible Hulk (1968) # 363, Punisher (1987) # 28/29, Punisher War Journal (1988) # 12/13, Marc Spector: Moon Knight (1989) # 8-10, Daredevil (1964) # 275/276, Power Pack (1984) # 53, Alpha Flight (1983) # 79/80, New Mutants (1983) # 86 and Uncanny X-Men (1963) # 256-258 are collected in:

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Fantastic Four (1961) # 334-336 are collected in:

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Wolverine (1988) # 19/20 are collected in:

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Incredible Hulk (1968) # 363 is collected in:

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Punisher (1987) # 28/29 are collected in:

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Punisher War Journal (1988) # 12/13 are collected in:

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New Mutants (1983) # 86 is collected in:

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Uncanny X-Men (1963) # 256-258 are collected in:

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Wednesday, 5 October 2016

Doctor Strange (1974) # 14-28, Tomb of Dracula (1972) # 44/45


(I originally read these comics in early/mid September 2015) 

Hmm. Well, I must admit, reading these was something of a slog and has me questioning whether I'm actually a Doctor Strange fan at all! I could only manage one or two issues a day and I couldn't tell you the number of times I felt compelled to break off mid-issue for a snooze (though that possibly says more about me than the comics). Steve Englehart continues as writer with Gene 'The Dean' Colan replacing Frank Brunner as artist and they take the opportunity to have Colan's two contemporaneous assignments cross over with a Doc vs. Drac duel. When Englehart leaves after issue # 18, 'Tomb of Dracula' scribe Marv Wolfman takes over. The annual, drawn by P. Craig Russell, looks gorgeous but is just so much wordy, wispy, hippy wank. Jim Starlin is the latest writer to jump on board the carousel as of # 24, and I found his issues slightly more readable. He hangs around just long enough to introduce the In-Betweener before Roger Stern arrives to finish off his storyline and to begin a long and lauded association of his own with the good doctor. Stern's held in great acclaim as a Doctor Strange writer but I don't have an unbroken run of his issues. I'm hoping they'll be reprinted around the time of the upcoming movie so I can continue onwards. (At the time of posting, it doesn't look good.)


   
   
   
  
  


Doctor Strange (1974) # 14-28, Dr. Strange Annual # 1 and Tomb of Dracula (1972) # 44/45 are collected in:

Softcover:

Doctor Strange (1974) # 14-22, Dr. Strange Annual # 1 and Tomb of Dracula (1972) # 44 are collected in:

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Tomb of Dracula (1972) # 44/45 and Doctor Strange (1974) # 14 are collected in:

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Tomb of Dracula (1972) # 44 and Doctor Strange (1972) # 14 are collected in:

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Saturday, 17 September 2016

Strange Tales (1994) # 1, Tales to Astonish (1994) # 1, Tales of Suspense (1995) # 1


(I originally read these comics in late June 2015)

These comics provided a brief diversion from my Hulk by Peter David read, though not completely as he writes the 'Tales' to Astonish' one-shot, starring - the Hulk! These painted one-shots were released in tribute to Marvel's 1960s "split books" and are a grouping of comics I chose to read before I made a habit of writing reviews, so there isn't one. I've no doubt I'll revisit them at some point, though.


  


Tales of Suspense (1995) # 1 is collected in:

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