The Holiday Tradition Continues…
It’s time once again to dive into the wonderful world of Asterix – a holiday tradition at Major Spoilers! The druid conference is just around the corner, and all good druids will be there with their golden sickles.
Category Archives: Retro Review
RETRO REVIEW: Avengers/JLA #4 (September 2003)
Or – “From The First Crossover, To The Last… At Least For Now.”
Last week, I put on my Retro Goggles to look at a giant-sized blast from the past in Superman Vs. The Amazing Spider-Man. That first in-universe co-production led to more crossovers, including a proposed Justice League/Avengers crossover which went into production in 1981. Before the book could see print, though, relations between the Big Two went sour for more than two decades, but fans (and co-creator George Pérez) never lost faith, and eventually the tides of fortune shifted into favor for a new crossover. But was it worth the wait? Your Major Spoilers (Retro) Review awaits!
RETRO REVIEW: Superman Vs. The Amazing Spider-Man (January 1976)
Or – “Treasury-Sized Comics Were Both A Great And A Terrible Idea…”
As with many things, my cousin Elwood was way ahead of my personal curve on comics. In addition to introducing me to G.I. Joe, Star Wars and the Legion of Super-Heroes (my own copy of That Damned Tabloid was originally his), his comic book collection included this over-sized gem, my first real interaction with (non-television) versions of the mightiest super-heroes of two publishing companies. what happened the first time the Man of Steel crosses paths with our friendly neighborhood Web-Head? Your Major Spoilers (Retro) Review awaits!
RETRO REVIEW: Crash Comics Adventures #1 (May 1940)
Or – “The Golden Age Was Full Of Plagiarism!”
A couple of months ago, I took a look at Wonder Comics #1, Fox Features’ attempt to cut in on the Superman money train, the first of many heroes to try to replicate the success of the Man Of Steel. He was, however, certainly NOT the last… Your Major Spoilers (Retro) Review awaits!
RETRO REVIEW: House Of Mystery #202 (May 1972)
Or – “A Holiday Fright For Ghouls And Boils Alike!”
There’s something really fun about a good comic book horror story (or, for that matter, even a BAD one.) One of my horrifying memories of childhood was in reading a tale of the uncanny in which an unscrupulous pool hustler was somehow transported to a world of giants and crushed by the very 8-ball he used in life. What was most horrifying was in seeing the giant player rubbing the bit of schmutz that used to be our protagonist on a rag before re-racking his table, seeing a life reduced to nothing more than a tiny splotch. (Anybody who can tell me where this story appeared will get a coveted Bronze Blok Award for service above and beyond the Spoilerite call of duty.) As for today’s fright-fest, I think one sentence sums it up: Sergio Aragonés drawing a legendary tale of the uncanny. Your Major Spoilers (Retro) Review awaits!
RETRO REVIEW: Marvel Spotlight #12 (October 1973)
Or – “File This Under A For ‘Ain’t Gettin’ Away With This Kinda Thing Today’…”
I completely forgot that a couple of weeks ago was my six-year anniversary of writing for Major Spoilers. This isn’t really surprising (I forgot October 4th last year as well), given my tendency to live twelve to fourteen seconds at a time, but it always makes me feel bad for not coming up with a spectacular blast of fireworks or something for y’all, the Faithful Spoilerites. To that end, I racked my brains for something that would make this week’s Retro Review extra-special. Silver Age Legion? Too commonplace. Golden Age goofiness? Too soon after Captain Marvel. That issue of Tarot where the girl’s nether regions are haunted? Still not old enough. No, Faithful Ones, there was only one thing that would successfully do the trick, and end up being seasonally appropriate (although that may be the ONLY kind of appropriate) as well. Your Major Spoilers (Retro) Review awaits!
RETRO REVIEW: Supergirl #10 (September/October 1974)
Or – “The Realities Of A Shared Universe Are That It Is Seldom Really Shared.”
Back in 1973 or so, the legendary Joe Simon (creator of Captain America and the other half of the much-admired Simon/Kirby team) returned to DC Comics after a long absence, and proceeded to just go nuts. One of his most memorable creations was ‘Prez,’ the story of an alternate world where the age for the presidency was lowered to 18, and the first teenager to successfully be elected to the post, a riff on the then-somewhat recent movie ‘Wild In The Streets.’ It was pretty wacky stuff, but clearly not in the continuity of the main DC Universe.
Problem is, nobody told Cary Bates. Your Major Spoilers (Retro) Review awaits!
RETRO REVIEW: Whiz Comics #2 (February 1940)
Or – “Sure, He’s Shazam Now, But Back In Nineteen-Forty?“
There has been some consternation amongst DC fans that the new 52 revival of the character formerly known as Captain Marvel has been redubbed ‘Shazam’ by the publisher, ostensibly because the character is better known by that name to the general public. Given the Golden Age origins of the character, though, it may be that it’s not just the NAME that needed the update. Your Major Spoilers (Retro) Review awaits!
RETRO REVIEW: Uncanny X-Men #183 (July 1984)
Or – “When You Boil It Down, Much Of The Marvel Universe Is About High School…”
There is a theory I’ve heard that ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ was popular not because of its supernatural overtones, but that because the series itself was a metaphor for growing up. I’d have to say that there’s a grain of truth in that (though there are episodes where they try far too hard to hammer that point home, notably much of Season 6) but I don’t think that they’re alone in that department. The X-Men, significantly, have gotten a lot of mileage out of using the mutants plight in a world that hates and fears them as a microcosm for any disenfranchised group of people. Then, there are issues like this one, that are universal, dealing as it does with the end of a romance, something that the majority of people have or will eventually live through. (Turns out it’s a bit more flashy with super-powers, though.) Your Major Spoilers (Retro) Review awaits!
RETRO REVIEW: Green Lantern #201 (June 1986)
Or – “A Key Bronze Age First Appearance Of A Big-Time Fan Favorite…”
Geoff Johns is a talented writer, and he has a knack for bringing characters to life in new and different ways, making them feel fresh and iconic at the same time. Sometimes, though, it’s interesting to go back to the beginnings and see how some of our favorites started out, like when the episodes of ‘Good Morning, Mrs. Bliss’ end up in ‘Saved By The Bell’ rotation. Luckily, for everyone involved, there’s a lot less Mr. Belding here…
RETRO REVIEW: Villains & Vigilantes #4 (of 4) (July 1987)
Or – “It’s Strange The Things That Stick With Us From Days Gone By…”
It’s interesting to remember that, a couple of decades ago, the city in which I currently live, where I met my wife and saw my kid born, was just the far-off Big City home of my college roommate. My first visit to Topeka involved a visit to the comic shop (one which changed hands in the ensuing decades, but eventually became known as Gatekeeper Hobbies) and the purchase of an ENORMOUS stack of comics out of the Five-For-A-Dollar bin. This book was one of ‘em, and it has stuck with me ever since…
RETRO REVIEW: Amazing Spider-Man #400 (April 1995)
Or – “The Reason Why I Believe Aunt May Should Have Stayed Deceased…”
Here’s the real truth about comics, Faithful Spoilerites: Every story you hate has fans. Every character you don’t want to read about is immensely popular with someone. And even the worst thing, THE VERY WORST THING you have ever read in comics is someone’s favorite moment of all time. And the thing is, we’re all right. Thus, in the midst of the barren wasteland called ‘The Clone Saga’ came one of the most touching Spider-Man stories I’ve ever read, and one of the most memorable Marvel issues of the 1990s. Cynics may want to skip this one, but for softies like me? I recommend a tissue or two…