I first discovered Budd Root's Cavewoman comics on a trip moving my brother from Virginia to Georgia more than a decade ago. I found several issues of Cavewoman: Rain on the magazine rack in a shopping mall book store. I admit, the covers caught my eye, and I rifled through the magazines and the few comics on the rack looking for all that I could find. I came away with copies of issue Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7. Many of the issues were second or third printings — something I was unfamiliar with at the time — and because the subsequent printings had different covers, I actually came away with two different copies of issue No. 5.
That's five parts of an eight-part story. Obviously, missing the final chapter means I was missing the final resolution to the tale. Baring that fact, however, I can sometimes figure out what is missing from the books before and after a gap. For instance, I might have been able to figure out what happened in the missing issue No. 3 by reading Nos. 2 and 4. What seemed odd to me in this instance though, is that issue No. 4 seemed to pick up immediately after issue No. 2. Very little development must have occurred, I figured, in that missing issue, but that didn't seem to fit events in the issues I had.
Over time, I'd given up ever trying to find copies of the issues I was missing. They truly seemed to be scarce, as many shops I'd visited had no copies in their back issue stock. A few times I'd even tried to find out if there had ever been trade collections of Rain or the original series that preceded it, but to no avail.
I'd see solicits for new Cavewoman series by Budd or other creators, but I tended to pass those by as they all seemed quite sporadic — both in terms of timing and publisher, as the series moved around a bit — and I'd never been able to finish Rain. In fact, not too long ago, I even decided to give up the search and sell the copies I had of Rain. The search seemed that hopeless.
Then a few months after selling the issues I had, I started to see copies of some Cavewoman trades showing up online and my interest was rekindled. I managed to snag a slightly used, but still in great shape, copy of the original series trade. Finally I had the original story that tells how little Meriem Cooper ended up traveling back to prehistoric times with her Gramp, and how he'd ensured she could survive both the trip back in time and the prolonged stay back in the time of dinosaurs. And also how her hometown of Marshville, Ore., managed to be transported back in time as well several years later.
I also came across and bought a brand new copy of the Rain trade collection. Likely, I paid a tad too much for that one, but it arrived not too long ago, and I'm reading it now. This trade even solved the mystery of that missing issue No. 3 that must not have advanced the Rain plot much at all. It seems issue No. 3 was an interlude that had nothing really to do with the SEVEN-part Rain saga. It was merely stuck there in the middle and got numbered as if it was a chapter, but it wasn't.
Anyway, I haven't quite made it to the end of Rain yet, but once I finish it for the first time, I've also found a trade collection of Cavewoman: Missing Link, adding a third cavewoman story to my collection.
Now, Cavewoman is not for everyone. There are brief bits of nudity, and there can be a lot of gore — both of the human and dino variety — so it isn't really an all-ages book. But it is very pretty to look at, and Root's tales have a charming, storybook quality beyond the cheesecake factor that make them equally fun to read.
If you're unfamiliar with the series but want to give it a try, order with care as the character has proven to be popular enough that in addition to the great stories, there are also several Cavewoman-themed pin-up books out there featuring great — but often adult — art based on the series by Budd Root and a number of other talented creators.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Still Pretty Raw. Same Great Human Drama.
The first time we talked about Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead was here. As we discussed then, TWD is not your typical zombie tale, but it IS a very well-written and beautifully illustrated character study. At that point I had read the first three trade collections representing the first 18 issues of the monthly comic. Since then, I've bought and read the next seven trades, making me current through 10 collections or 60 issues, and this book is STILL incredible.
Rick Grimes is clearly the main character of this book, although Kirkman does an excellent job of giving each character his or her own voice and plenty of "screen" time. Rick is a cop, and the first issue opens with Rick and his partner in pursuit of a suspect. Rick is shot and ends up in the hospital in a coma. When he wakes up, he finds the world drastically changed, now being populated mostly by zombies. First thing Rick does is make his way home only to find the house deserted. He follows his family to Atlanta, but once there, he finds things even worse in the bigger city where even more zombies have gathered.
Fortunately, he runs into a young Asian man named Glen who has ventured into the city to gather supplies for a small group of survivors living in a camp just outside of town. Rick joins Glen in rounding up supplies, then goes back to the group, finding his wife, his young son and his partner among them. Reunited with his loved ones, Rick is content to stay with the group, but everyone in the group comes to realize they cannot safely stay in the open. So eventually, this small band of survivors hits the road seeking a defensible shelter.
Rick's group -- as he clearly becomes their de facto leader -- finds a gated community and a remote farmhouse, neither of which work out long-term, but both stops provide chances for drama, contact with more survivors, some of whom join the group, and many more zombies.
Finally, Rick's ever-changing group finds a penitentiary where they hope to set up a safe, defensible home. Of course, they first have to come to terms with the current occupants, a few surviving inmates and many, many zombies. As the small band of survivors begins to make the prison into a safe, secure home, Kirkman allows the reader to share in the characters' growing sense of contentment. You, like the characters, let your guard down, which makes it all the more powerful when Kirkman slams another large band of survivors into the mix with Rick's group.
I'll stop there in an attempt to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but as I said last time, I'm not a huge fan of zombie fare. The usual undead trappings are present in this story, because it IS a zombie tale. But it is also so much more than that. This is a solid human survival drama, and Kirkman is writing some of the best characterization I have seen from him. Once again, I highly recommend The Walking Dead!
Rick Grimes is clearly the main character of this book, although Kirkman does an excellent job of giving each character his or her own voice and plenty of "screen" time. Rick is a cop, and the first issue opens with Rick and his partner in pursuit of a suspect. Rick is shot and ends up in the hospital in a coma. When he wakes up, he finds the world drastically changed, now being populated mostly by zombies. First thing Rick does is make his way home only to find the house deserted. He follows his family to Atlanta, but once there, he finds things even worse in the bigger city where even more zombies have gathered.
Fortunately, he runs into a young Asian man named Glen who has ventured into the city to gather supplies for a small group of survivors living in a camp just outside of town. Rick joins Glen in rounding up supplies, then goes back to the group, finding his wife, his young son and his partner among them. Reunited with his loved ones, Rick is content to stay with the group, but everyone in the group comes to realize they cannot safely stay in the open. So eventually, this small band of survivors hits the road seeking a defensible shelter.
Rick's group -- as he clearly becomes their de facto leader -- finds a gated community and a remote farmhouse, neither of which work out long-term, but both stops provide chances for drama, contact with more survivors, some of whom join the group, and many more zombies.
Finally, Rick's ever-changing group finds a penitentiary where they hope to set up a safe, defensible home. Of course, they first have to come to terms with the current occupants, a few surviving inmates and many, many zombies. As the small band of survivors begins to make the prison into a safe, secure home, Kirkman allows the reader to share in the characters' growing sense of contentment. You, like the characters, let your guard down, which makes it all the more powerful when Kirkman slams another large band of survivors into the mix with Rick's group.
I'll stop there in an attempt to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but as I said last time, I'm not a huge fan of zombie fare. The usual undead trappings are present in this story, because it IS a zombie tale. But it is also so much more than that. This is a solid human survival drama, and Kirkman is writing some of the best characterization I have seen from him. Once again, I highly recommend The Walking Dead!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The Name. The Name Doomed It.
I don't always pay that much attention to story arc titles. Some, like "Batman and Son" from a few years ago, can tell you instantly what the upcoming tale is all about; some, like "Without Fear," play on phrases or traits associated with a specific character; some, like "Shadow Puppets" may even be somewhat cliche and appear over and over again; and some, like "Fruit of the Earth" can just leave you scratching your head and wondering. The saddest title of all, though, is one which instantly makes you anticipate greatness that the following read doesn't quite live up to.
I have always liked the Spider-Man story, "Fearful Symmetry," by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck. What's that? You're not familiar with that story? Sure you are, but maybe you know it by it's more popular title — "Kraven's Last Hunt." Fearful Symmetry is the original title DeMatteis gave the story, according to his foreword in the recent hardback collection, and that name DOES appear in the original issues, but Marvel editorial thought Kraven's Last Hunt sounded better.
Whatever you call this story, it is a great one! I bought and read the original issues when they first came out in 1987. The story was considered special enough at the time, that it's six parts were told across all three Spider-Man titles at the time — a common enough thing today, but unheard of then. The individual issues of the story were Amazing Spider-Man Nos. 293 and 294, Spectacular Spider-Man Nos. 131 and 132 and Web of Spider-Man Nos. 31 and 32, and I still own all six of the original issues I bought back then, though several repeat readings have left them looking a little worn.
DeMatteis and Zeck take what previously had been just another Spider-Man villain and made him great. They portrayed Kraven the Hunter as a tortured soul who has finally reached his end. He sets out to capture Spider-Man, bury him in the ground and replace him. Not satisfied just to defeat his foe, Kraven seeks to out-Spider-Man Spider-Man, to be better at superheroing that Spidey. To that end, Kraven captures another Spider-foe, Vermin. Then, when Spider-Man returns from the grave, Kraven savors his victory with a finality that was truly shocking for comics at the time. The story plays out on a psychological level even moreso than it does on a physical one, and it makes for a very powerful tale. So much so that I recently decided to shell out the big bucks required to purchase a copy of the new hardcover reprinting of the story.
Now, I haven't been following Spider-Man regularly. I've bought Spider books from time to time when one catches my eye, but his tales are more a dalliance for me than true devotion. But I DO keep my eyes open for what might be entertaining Spider reads.
When I was purchasing the hardcover reprint of Kraven's Last Hunt, I also learned there was a more recent softcover collection called Spider-Man: Kraven's First Hunt. The back cover shows a woman with a gun flanked by what appears to be Daredevil and Spider-Man chained and suspended from the ceiling upside down. So, OK, I assume that they have brought back Kraven the Hunter in the form of a female, likely the original's daughter based on her apparent age in the image. Not a reach for comics. I also assumed that with a title like "Kraven's First Hunt," this story would hearken back to that favorite tale from a few decades ago. I imagine it goes without saying that I further assumed that the story would actually live up to that title.
Most of those assumptions were proven wrong, at least to some degree, once I read "First Hunt." That image does not depict exactly what I thought it did. While the woman shown is the daughter of Kraven, there is more to her story than merely that. And finally, while the story isn't bad, it fails to live up to the name given to it, at least in my estimation.
To be fair, this trade, which collects Amazing Spider-Man Nos. 564-567 and portions of Spider-Man: Brand New Day Extra No. 1, ends on a cliffhanger and is NOT a complete story unto itself. I am mildly curious about where the story would head from the point where this trade leaves off, but I'm not sure I was happy enough with this beginning to seek out the next trade. I'm curious, but hardly dying to know, certainly not sure I care enough to plunk down money for another trade or costly back issues.
As always, if there is anyone who disagrees, dissenting opinions are welcome here. Opinions are not absolutes, mine are not always right, and they are rarely carved in stone. Anyone out there care to defend "First Hunt" and share why they think it DOES live up to it's name?
I have always liked the Spider-Man story, "Fearful Symmetry," by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck. What's that? You're not familiar with that story? Sure you are, but maybe you know it by it's more popular title — "Kraven's Last Hunt." Fearful Symmetry is the original title DeMatteis gave the story, according to his foreword in the recent hardback collection, and that name DOES appear in the original issues, but Marvel editorial thought Kraven's Last Hunt sounded better.
Whatever you call this story, it is a great one! I bought and read the original issues when they first came out in 1987. The story was considered special enough at the time, that it's six parts were told across all three Spider-Man titles at the time — a common enough thing today, but unheard of then. The individual issues of the story were Amazing Spider-Man Nos. 293 and 294, Spectacular Spider-Man Nos. 131 and 132 and Web of Spider-Man Nos. 31 and 32, and I still own all six of the original issues I bought back then, though several repeat readings have left them looking a little worn.
DeMatteis and Zeck take what previously had been just another Spider-Man villain and made him great. They portrayed Kraven the Hunter as a tortured soul who has finally reached his end. He sets out to capture Spider-Man, bury him in the ground and replace him. Not satisfied just to defeat his foe, Kraven seeks to out-Spider-Man Spider-Man, to be better at superheroing that Spidey. To that end, Kraven captures another Spider-foe, Vermin. Then, when Spider-Man returns from the grave, Kraven savors his victory with a finality that was truly shocking for comics at the time. The story plays out on a psychological level even moreso than it does on a physical one, and it makes for a very powerful tale. So much so that I recently decided to shell out the big bucks required to purchase a copy of the new hardcover reprinting of the story.
Now, I haven't been following Spider-Man regularly. I've bought Spider books from time to time when one catches my eye, but his tales are more a dalliance for me than true devotion. But I DO keep my eyes open for what might be entertaining Spider reads.
When I was purchasing the hardcover reprint of Kraven's Last Hunt, I also learned there was a more recent softcover collection called Spider-Man: Kraven's First Hunt. The back cover shows a woman with a gun flanked by what appears to be Daredevil and Spider-Man chained and suspended from the ceiling upside down. So, OK, I assume that they have brought back Kraven the Hunter in the form of a female, likely the original's daughter based on her apparent age in the image. Not a reach for comics. I also assumed that with a title like "Kraven's First Hunt," this story would hearken back to that favorite tale from a few decades ago. I imagine it goes without saying that I further assumed that the story would actually live up to that title.
Most of those assumptions were proven wrong, at least to some degree, once I read "First Hunt." That image does not depict exactly what I thought it did. While the woman shown is the daughter of Kraven, there is more to her story than merely that. And finally, while the story isn't bad, it fails to live up to the name given to it, at least in my estimation.
To be fair, this trade, which collects Amazing Spider-Man Nos. 564-567 and portions of Spider-Man: Brand New Day Extra No. 1, ends on a cliffhanger and is NOT a complete story unto itself. I am mildly curious about where the story would head from the point where this trade leaves off, but I'm not sure I was happy enough with this beginning to seek out the next trade. I'm curious, but hardly dying to know, certainly not sure I care enough to plunk down money for another trade or costly back issues.
As always, if there is anyone who disagrees, dissenting opinions are welcome here. Opinions are not absolutes, mine are not always right, and they are rarely carved in stone. Anyone out there care to defend "First Hunt" and share why they think it DOES live up to it's name?
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Return With Us Now ...
Today we're going to talk about an odd-sized trade called High Moon by David Gallaher, Steve Ellis and Scott O. Brown published by Zuda Comics. Now, Zuda Comics is DC's online branch, and I've never been too fond of online comics. I've followed a few over the years, but never for long periods of time because either they go away or I do. When I do, it usually isn't because the comics are bad — quite the contrary — I just don't have the time at work to devote to them sometimes, and let's face it, at work is when I squeeze in most of my online time.
Anyway, some of the Zuda concepts sounded interesting to me, and since DC/Zuda were kind enough to release their online product in these neat little 6 x 8.5 trades, I decided to give some of them a try. Bayou is actually the first Zuda trade I purchased, but it got tossed on the "when I get to it" pile and I simply haven't gotten around to trying it yet. High Moon is my second Zuda purchase and the plot combines werewolves and cowboys! It even throws in some vampires as bad guys. Vamps as evil and werewolves as good! C'mon, how could I pass that up?!? I'm the choir these guys are preaching to!
A former Pinkerton detective named Macgregor rides into the small town of Blest, Texas, tracking a fugitive. He finds the town with its sheriff missing and a small girl kidnapped. Macgregor suspects his quarry, Eddie Conroy, might have something to do with the kidnapping, but soon finds evidence that the real culprit(s) aren't quite human. Gunfights and supernatural goings-on combine for all three chapters of this first collection as the reader meets others in the Macgregor clan.
The trade reads smoother than some episodic web comics do when collected as recaps for a daily audience are kept to a minimum in this volume. There were a few spots where Ellis's art was a little hard to follow from one panel to the next, but he does a good job of drawing his figures as distinct individuals. And the few unclear passages become clear as you read on, so the reader isn't left behind.
Short post this time for a short book, but High Moon is well worth a read, if you have the inkling. I know I'm watching for a follow-up collection, myself.
Anyway, some of the Zuda concepts sounded interesting to me, and since DC/Zuda were kind enough to release their online product in these neat little 6 x 8.5 trades, I decided to give some of them a try. Bayou is actually the first Zuda trade I purchased, but it got tossed on the "when I get to it" pile and I simply haven't gotten around to trying it yet. High Moon is my second Zuda purchase and the plot combines werewolves and cowboys! It even throws in some vampires as bad guys. Vamps as evil and werewolves as good! C'mon, how could I pass that up?!? I'm the choir these guys are preaching to!
A former Pinkerton detective named Macgregor rides into the small town of Blest, Texas, tracking a fugitive. He finds the town with its sheriff missing and a small girl kidnapped. Macgregor suspects his quarry, Eddie Conroy, might have something to do with the kidnapping, but soon finds evidence that the real culprit(s) aren't quite human. Gunfights and supernatural goings-on combine for all three chapters of this first collection as the reader meets others in the Macgregor clan.
The trade reads smoother than some episodic web comics do when collected as recaps for a daily audience are kept to a minimum in this volume. There were a few spots where Ellis's art was a little hard to follow from one panel to the next, but he does a good job of drawing his figures as distinct individuals. And the few unclear passages become clear as you read on, so the reader isn't left behind.
Short post this time for a short book, but High Moon is well worth a read, if you have the inkling. I know I'm watching for a follow-up collection, myself.
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