I’d bought these a while back from three different places, for three different reasons along with some comics. It’s taken me some time to read all of them and get around to writing about them.
Back
Issue #151
I found this on the racks at Barnes & Noble. I am a big Sandman fan, though I think I
turned down buying this the first time I saw it. I had not seen this title before there and
haven’t seen it since, so I guess it was a good thing I decided to pick this
up. (I don’t remember why I changed my
mind or refused it to begin with.)
This is a magazine about Bronze Age comics and features interviews with the creators and articles about various characters. Wow, it’s like somebody wrote this just for me and it is rather bright and colorful. Unfortunately, it’s kind of ephemeral. There’s no real substance to it. What I’ve learned from it I didn’t need to know or didn’t want to know. For example, a lot of comic book writers are jerks. (I sort of feel like I should be using stronger language.) This magazine came out right before Neil Gaiman’s recent legal trouble, so at least now I know that it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. The informative articles mostly just refer you to the original issues of the comics. It’s maybe a bit more detailed than a Wiki article.
I did like the interview section with the various Sandman
artists. I guess that and the general
premise was enough to get me to go to their website and order several pdf’s of
their past issues. I ended up with ten
of them (including a giveaway). I’m
still reading them. (It’s a lot of
material and reading on a computer is tiring.)
Overall, I’m still not hugely impressed.
(But that could change. I haven’t
read a bunch interesting articles yet.) I
still have a list of a few more I’d like to buy, and I went to B&N like
three weeks in a row looking for the next issue when it should have come
out.
I’m buying more of it, but not really recommending
it? I’m recommending it, but don’t
expect much? Okay, I don’t know what I’m
recommending here. Let’s move on. (I may do review of the digital editions, but
not until I finish reading everything, so it may be awhile. There’s a bit more to the story of me
ordering from their website.)
The
Traveler’s Guide to Cursed & Creepy Destinations
I’d gotten this off the rack at Wal-Mart because my Aunt Judy had sent me a gift card. I got a couple of diecast NASCARs and had money left over. I was under orders to buy something “fun.” It looked kind of fun when I skimmed through it.
It is. This is chocked full of spooky places, ghost stories, and monster sightings. I’d certainly recommend this for Halloween reading, perhaps out loud to an audience. I’d really recommend this for writers and RPG players, particularly Game Masters. There are adventure and monster ideas all through this. The topics aren’t exhaustively detailed, but they can lead you to more comprehensive sources.
It does start off with a bummer warning about visiting
Ukraine and Russia and tells you to watch for catching a cold when
traveling. Everything else is
swell. If this particular magazine isn’t
available during Halloween, I’m sure there will be something just like it on
the racks then.
Epic
Illustrated #8
I forgot when exactly I bought this at Zia Comics. I don’t remember if it was by itself or with
something. This was a purchase just for
the excellent Howard Chaykin cover, of which, unfortunately, there’s no story
inside attached to it. That would have
been cool. As is, there are stories by
Jim Starlin and a beautifully illustrated story by Charles Vess, but this is
far from peak Epic Illustrated. I was reading the magazine for months right
before it was canceled (and I never got the end of that Last Galactus Story). That
was the good stuff.
This was the best feature in the magazine. How totally cool and imaginative. Oh, wait.
This an ad for D&D. It is
done by Bill Willingham, though.
This issue, early in Epic’s
history, is trying to be classic Heavy
Metal, but without most of the talent.
It’s trying to be edgy and failing.
I’m told Heavy Metal was
written to be read when high. I can
believe that. I doubt most of the
stories in this Epic, would be
entertaining, regardless of your state of obfuscation. It’s pretentious and a bit juvenile, but
that’s not a mark against it, since it’s “art.”
It’s just not well done or enjoyable.
I’m surprised Marvel stuck with this experiment for as long as they did,
but they probably wanted a “classy” art outlet for their artists.
But this issue does work as a time capsule of the Year
1981. We have movie reviews by Denny
O’Neil (yeah, the Batman guy) of Superman II and Raiders of the Lost Ark. He liked Superman, but said of the plot, “I’m
chagrined that what would be a mortal sin in a 50-cent comic book is acceptable
in a $40 million film.” Raiders drew
O’Neil right back to his youth watching action serials and he loved it.
Meanwhile, comic writer, Steven Grant, did a page of
computer game reviews, which is fascinating.
First, there’s mention of a printed catalog of all available computer
games for sale. Have you heard of the
movie, Quintet, starring Paul
Newman? Me neither, but apparently it
was a cult hit that spawned real-life fan-made versions of the game featured in
the movie. How about 3-D hologram Space Invaders and 3-D TVs (coming
soon). Then there’s the innovation of
the Casio watch, which is a digital watch, a calculator, and has a built-in
video game with it. There’s a warning
that playing video games at the arcade exposes you to unsafe radiation
levels. Finally, there’s article about
“hackers,” people addicted to interacting with their computers. “The hacker may be the model for future human
behavior, moving into a symbiotic relationship with the computer.” Dwell on all that.
Since, Heavy Metal had reviews and articles, Epic thought it should, as well. I don’t remember the later Epic issues having reviews in them, but maybe I just don’t remember. Buying this may have been worth it just for the cover and reviews.
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