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Still on the Shelf #48 - Revenge of Bargain Bin Love Originally published March 1st, 2004 on www.ComiXtreme.com. This work is, of course, © Craig Reade. So maybe not what you expected, but you should enjoy it nonetheless! This week, I decided to take a break from the norm and delve into the quarter bin of my local comic shop, and see what kinds of goodies were to be had there. Hey, I need an easy week every now and again! Those of you who caught Still on the Shelf #13-14 way back those many months ago know the drill, so without further ado -Marvel Age – Marvel, 1988. Cover Price - $.50. Younger readers might not recall this title. Not so much a comic book, rather, a news magazine Marvel put out each month. This particular issue had all the news about several new monthly serieses, including a new Excalibur, Cloak and Dagger, Dr. Strange, and Speedball, the Masked Marvel. I have to say it was kind of fun reading “news” from fifteen years ago- especially about a quartet of new number ones, all of which came to a relatively quick demise. Most of the info found in this incarnation of Marvel Age is found nowadays on the internet or in Previews, so the need for such a thing really isn’t there anymore. In any case, this issue sure had a really cool looking cover. Mad Dog #4 – Marvel/Ace Comics, 1993. Cover Price - $1.25. This interesting little gem featured two stories – The main story seemed to be a more “modern” tale about a Wolverine-type hero with the powers and ferociousness of a dog. While the main story was decent, I found myself more drawn to the back-up story, featuring another version of this very same hero. This Mad Dog was a more cartoony, old-style hero, with a side-kick named buddy, who fought menaces like “The Malevolent Meerkat.” This Mad Dog was dealing with something of a crisis- it seemed his powers were beginning to take over him, and he was losing control. He started to go berzerk in fights, often dealing out far more punishment than was needed to subdue an opponent, and it culminated in the end with him - GASP – hitting a woman! Granted, that woman was trying to kill him, and was the villain of the issue, but the humor was there. This is exactly the sort of thing I am hoping to see in the new “Seaguy” title over at DC – irreverant and funny heroes in not-so-serious situations. Man, I would love to see something like this resurrected- if only EPIC wasn’t canned! An interesting side-note, this issue was edited by none other than Fabian Nicieza- writer of the upcoming Cable/Deadpool series. Maybe this is why I liked it so much? Could be. 1963, Tales From the Beyond Book 4 – Image, 1993. Cover Price - $1.95. You know, another really good read from the Bargain Bin this time around – who would have thought it? This issue featured two stories- the first of which found a hero called N-Man (N for Nuclear, I would presume), dropping into an A-bomb test site to investigate a strange “Shimmering Zone,” with unusual gravimetric distortions. A pretty good action filled story, very much in the spirit of a comic tale that would be told 40 years ago. The second story was even crazier than the first- a sixties hipster calling himself “Johnny Beyond” finds his apartment building is the center of a fracture in space-time. Tenants from across a span of years all merge into the same time period, including himself from 40 years in the future. I have to say that this story was the best of the two in this issue- complete with a solid twist at the end and enough confusion to make you slow down to really see what was going on. Now when I pick up an unfamiliar title from the Bargain Bin like this one, I never really check the credits until after I have finished reading it. Imagine my surprise to find that the issue was penned by one Alan Moore- whose work on Promethea I have enjoyed a great deal. I have got to say that I have gotten really lucky with this week’s pull! Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe, Volume XI – DC Comics, 1985. Cover Price - $1.00 Whoa boy, this one was a real doozy. Again, not so much a comic book, closer to a Secret Files, this encyclopedia spent about a page on each of the DC characters from Icicle to Jonni Thunder. Now at this time, I was most certainly not a DC fanatic, and though I have prided myself on learning about several of the current DC character’s histories, I have to say that out of the 35 characters and teams detailed in this volume, I recognized only one – the Joker. Either the landscape of the DC Universe has radically changed in the last twenty years, or else DC was intent on covering every single character with this series, no matter how obscure. There were some real interesting characters in this volume who I would love to see updated- maybe I will hold on to this one in case I ever get that chance. Showcase ’93 #9 – DC Comics, 1993. Cover Price - $1.95. There were a few stories in this issue, though the one that really leapt out for me was the lead – a nice Huntress story (pencilled by Bill Willingham of Fables fame) dealing with a pretty hefty domestic violence case gone awry. I will say this- after seeing Huntress’s costume in this issue- I will never again complain about her current look. While her look now is not my favorite, it is far and away better than the get-up they had her in back then. Sometimes when you have it good, it is easy to forget how bad it was. Doug Moench, who I admit I am totally unfamiliar with, wrote a pretty good story here, and I have to admit I am curious to see what happened next. Perhaps a little more hunting is in order. Once again I find myself surprised at what I found for a quarter a pop- on the whole it was $1.25 that was very well spent. I think I am going to have to do this more often! Once again, it goes to show, just because it is worth next to nothing on the comic collectors market, does not mean it is not worth reading! |
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