Comic books.
Find myself agreeing with Chad Nevitt’s fierce admiration for Kieron Gillen’s coordination of Marvel’s A.X.E. event: “I was stunned by the complexity of the narrative he is telling. It is absolutely stunning to see the various threads weave in and out of different comics, pulling together all of these characters….
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Comparing Panel by Panel with Maximum FF suggests the change in the way that the November 1961 first issue of Fantastic Four seems to be viewed (at least by Marvel). In 2005, Walter Mosley’s presentation of the issue is as an art object: something that “crystallized an art form that…
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Very glad I found this in W.H. Smiths. Written by Alec Worley with art by Dani, Black Beth is the revival by Rebellion of an obscure British comic originally created in the 1970s (but unused at the time) with one published story appearing in the Scream! Holiday Special in 1988….
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Micronauts vol 1 #7 July 1979“Adventure into Fear!”by Bill Mantlo, Michael Golden and Joe Rubenstein CoverMan-Thing is “Guest-Starring” in this issue. He is standing in water holding unconscious Marionette and Rann while the remaining Micronauts are positioned about his feet. While Microtron and Biotron appear to flee, Acroyear wields his…
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Micronauts vol 1 #6 June 1979“The Great Escapes”by Bill Mantlo, Michael Golden and Joe Rubenstein CoverThe Micronauts are attacking a Folorida Highway Patrol car. Bug is using his lance to melt through the windshield, Acroyear swings a piece of wreckage, Marionette points a gun at the cop. PAGES 1-6 (1-3,…
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Micronauts vol 1 #5 May 1979“The Prometheus Pit”by Bill Mantlo, Michael Golden and Joe Rubenstein CoverTiny Micronauts – plus Muffin the dog – defending Steve from a Deathlok-type cyborg at the edge of a circular Prometheus Pit. (It’s a great cover!) PAGES 1-2: The Micronauts arrive at H.E.L.L. The Astrostation…
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Micronauts vol 1 #4 April 1979“A Hunting We Will Go!”Bill Mantlo (writer), Michael Golden (artist) and Joe Rubenstein (embellisher) CoverKarza facing the reader, blasting rebels. In the background dog soldiers are shooting down unarmed people who are running from them PAGES 1-6 (1-3, 6-7, 10): Dog soldiers raid the underground…
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Micronauts vol 1 #3 March 1979“Death Duel at Daytona Beach”Bill Mantlo, Michael Golden (breakdowns) & Joe Rubenstein CoverA space cruiser battling the Endeavour on a street corner. Acroyear and Rann flying. A couple of people in the street shocked by what’s happening (a typically Marvel cover). Michael Golden and Joe…
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Mantlo and Golden bring the Micronauts to Earth and begin to develop characterisation. In an interview in BEM #24, Mantlo explained how he established the characters: “The personalities of the characters partially arose from their visual appearance as toys. Not knowing Mego’s conception of their own toys at the time,…
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In Creating a new series for Marvel Comics: The Micronauts, Comics Journal #40 (June 1978) Mantlo writes: “The world would be, I decided, inhabitants of a “world within worlds,” as their name suggested. Homeworld, a whirling molecule on a spiralling DNA chain, became the first world in the Microverse that…
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