tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6830827465735526826.post1324724232386938778..comments2024-03-28T11:09:29.081-07:00Comments on Marvel University: Marvel Collectors Item Classics #26John Scolerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830334036783163702noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6830827465735526826.post-38721406768491901892014-07-09T19:35:01.496-07:002014-07-09T19:35:01.496-07:00Nothing at Marvel happened in a vacuum--DC had tur...Nothing at Marvel happened in a vacuum--DC had turned key books in its line to 100-page super-spectaculars starting with those bearing December 1973 cover dates, so it's very possible that Marvel saw the profit potential and rushed out comparable books.Jack Seabrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02216640325305820140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6830827465735526826.post-16769175334467144112014-07-08T14:20:29.984-07:002014-07-08T14:20:29.984-07:00And you, Prof. Flynn, are exactly right about &quo...And you, Prof. Flynn, are exactly right about "Hour of the Dragon" concluding in SAVAGE SWORD. As big a Buscema fan as I am, I'm still disappointed that Kane couldn't do the remaining chapters himself.<br /><br />Another Giant-Size fave I forgot to mention is GS MASTER OF KUNG FU. Moench and Gulacy were really starting to fire on all cylinders around that time, and issues 1-3 are spectacular. Even the Yellow Claw reprints in the back are nice.<br /><br />Interesting that most of the GS stories are stand-alone self-contained one-and-done adventures. Englehart's GS AVENGERS stories are the notable exception -- not only are they directly tied into the monthly title's continuity, major game-changing plot developments happen in every single GS issue. Must have been extremely frustrating for readers of the monthly who (like Prof. Matthew) didn't get the GS titles distributed in their area. "Waitaminnit -- Swordsman's friggin' DEAD? When did THAT happen?!!"<br /><br />b.t.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6830827465735526826.post-8436397291773761862014-07-08T06:18:54.548-07:002014-07-08T06:18:54.548-07:00b.t., you are 100% correct with the Giant Size Con...b.t., you are 100% correct with the Giant Size Conan being an extra treat. The GS books operated entirely outside the usual Conan timeframe, taking place years down the line when the barbarian turned king. I haven't read them all yet, but I think that the "Hour of the Dragon" adaptation actually outlived the GS line, wrapping up in the Savage Sword magazine.Professor Flynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6830827465735526826.post-6305015190924006122014-07-07T19:07:28.219-07:002014-07-07T19:07:28.219-07:00Thank you all so much for the generous feedback. ...Thank you all so much for the generous feedback. Dean Peter, you will definitely want to play it safe and go in with lowered expectations, if only because the GS books (or at least those I've read) are so uneven in quality. Anonymous and Professor Mark, I will go into much greater detail on the line's complex evolution when I comment on the specific issues, but I wanted this to be a fun and readable overview. --MRBMatthew Bradleyhttp://bradleyonfilm.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6830827465735526826.post-65163045823110156592014-07-07T18:41:36.581-07:002014-07-07T18:41:36.581-07:00Incredibly, the original plan was to have TWO diff...Incredibly, the original plan was to have TWO different lines of oversized Marvels -- the 52-pg. "Giant-Size" books and 100-pg. "Super-Giant" books. The "official" story is that someone thought it would be just too confusing to have all these various-length titles (which it probably would have been) so they split the difference, consolidated both ideas into the 68-pg. "Giant-Size" format. I'm sure some saner head also realised that it would simply be WAY too much work to produce that many titles with their already overloaded staff. The switch-over was so last-minute that a few pages of GIANT-SIZE SPIDER-MAN #1 actually have a typeset "Super-Giant Spider-Man" header in the top margin. Crazy.<br /><br />Anyhow, I loved the Giant-Size books. Back in the day, they seemed like an extra-special treat. Special faves: GS CONAN 1-4 (awesome "Hour of the Dragon" adaptation by Thomas, Kane and Sutton), GS SUPER-STARS 1 (terrific Hulk / Thing donnybrook) GS CHILLERS / CURSE OF DRACULA 1 (first appearance of Lilith by Wolfman and Colan). Oddly enough, GS MAN-THING was probably the most consistently excellent GS comic -- all five issues are great. GS WEREWOLF is the exact opposite -- all five issues are awful. There are a few other duds too -- GS AVENGERS 4 and GS DEFENDERS 4 and 5 are saddled with extra-sloppy Don Heck art. But overall, it was a great time to be a teenage comic fan that long-ago summer...<br /><br /> b.t.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6830827465735526826.post-91069987956839801802014-07-07T00:40:56.545-07:002014-07-07T00:40:56.545-07:00Prof Matthew,
That's a deep data dig. Nice j...Prof Matthew,<br /><br />That's a deep data dig. Nice job. I loved the Giant-Sized books...wish I knew what happened to mine!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756661422733285599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6830827465735526826.post-81065356100323439812014-07-06T06:34:21.106-07:002014-07-06T06:34:21.106-07:00Fabulous overview of a sub-genre that I have an im...Fabulous overview of a sub-genre that I have an immense amount of affection for. So much affection that I'm afraid to read these again. Will GS Avengers capture my imagination like it did when I was 14? Will Alfredo Alcala's delightfully goofy Kraken story in GS Chillers still be delightfully goofy? Most importantly, will GS Invaders still have me ignoring my mother's pleas to change the light bulbs in the den? I sure hope so.<br />Thank you, Professor Matthew, for opening that door into 1974.Peter Enfantinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04317575598411394944noreply@blogger.com