Month: August 2014

Dr Strange….UK Counterparts in Comics?

As I’ve been here watching comedies since 11:00hrs, I gradually progressed to H. P. Lovecraft audio stories and then I had to really think about something. It happens.

I’ve gone through the complete sets of The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen with all its -though enjoyable in parts- naiive and almost school-boyish ideas of magic. So, I went to my collection of The Essential Dr Strange and, to be honest, the stories and concepts just blow Moore out of the water. And the pages in black and white actually make the books far superior to the colour comics.

Black and white is best for horror comics.

I want to write a piece on Dr Strange when possible but that might be a bit of a ways off.

A few questions rose, though.  Did we, in the UK, have anything similar to Dr Strange in UK comics?  Yes, we had Spellcaster with Sylvester Turville.  More an alchemist, though. Cursitor Doom -basically a paranormal investigator.  But any who were full spell-casting sorcerors?

So, a question for you Brit comic fans: Can you name such a character from UK comics -or did you get your Magick kick from Dr Strange?

It’ll be interesting to find out.

Now, since the arms of Morpheus repell me…on to a Lovecraft documentary!

DC and Marvel Comics. Dead In The Water.

Well, I’ve given it a bit of thought and to be honest both DC and Marvel -DISNEY Comics are so far beyond redemption it really is no longer worth covering either of them. I was a Marvelite from about 6-7 years old so 50 years later to just look at what has happened….sad.
The thing is, though, I predicted all of this at the time Disney took over “Marvel UK”/Pannini and warned that UK creators would be out of work.  No one listened.  I demonstrated the history of what Disney does. “Total rubbish!”  When all those long faces came up to me with “Marvel UK arent giving us any more work” I could have laughed. But its wrong to laugh at morons.
I actually posted that Disney were buying Marvel MONTHS before it was officially announced and where were those “nay” sayers when it happened as I said it would?  Convenient amnesia.  When I told everyone that Disney “promised” (did anyone check for crossed fingers?) NOT to interfere in any way with Marvel comics I pointed out the history again and that Disney WOULD be controlling everything from day one…and yet Marvel COULD have purchased Disney.  Sheesh.
Disney Comics is a huge cash-cow. Marvel is dead.  Long live the memories!
Image result for marvel comics

Black Tower: The Amazing World Of Alan Class

The Amazing World Of Alan Class

 
By Terry Hooper-Scharf

Black & White/text

A4
Paperback
 24 Pages
Price: £5.00
Ships in 3–5 business days
 
 
Marvel, Timely, Atlas, Charlton, ACG, MLJ/Archie Dennis the Menace (US) -one man published them all. Alan Class. Who? Class is legendary for bringing black and white reprints of US comics to a country starved of the medium thanks to a certain war! 
 
From 1959-1989 Suspence, Sinister, Astounding and Uncanny gave us a comic fix for a few pennies. Learn more about the man and how Class Comics came about in the long awaited print version of Terry Hooper’s exclusive interview!

September 2014 In Marvel Comics Will Be April 2015…but…only in…two titles???


Hickman’s Avengers and New Avengers will be skipping forward eight months but no one is sure if that’s “Marvel Universe Time” or “Publisher Time”!  Oh,  and then those titles will be staying there while the rest of the Marvel Universe  catches up in April 2015 for the “Times Out Event.”

This is what the fans are talking about. In fact, I find it hard to believe or understand just what the confusion is.  Avengers and New Avengers of September 2014 will be set in April 2015.  Every other title of September will be set in September (schedule).

 “Publisher Time” or “Universe Time”???  Uh, that makes no sense. Not unless Disney has discovered time travel and gone ahead, printed and brought back comics from the future.  It’s Marvel Disney Comics Universe time. Avengers and New Avengers WILL BE SET IN APRIL 2015 and ALL OTHER TITLES WILL BE SET IN THEIR CURRENT PUBLISHING SCHEDULE.

Got it?

Yes, it is a feckin great mess but all those “Yous” out there….look, I explained it all here: http://hoopercomicart.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/marvel-reboot-on-waywell-duh.html

So, I put all of this to one of the few ‘Marvel’ Comics fans I could find and his reaction was…..

I rest my case.

And it looks like the Marvel Movie Universe may be following the comics crap. Chris Evans contract for three Captain America movies is almost up and there are VERY strong rumours that a black actor will be taking on the Captain America mantle -apparently there have been try-outs.

Reaction so far? I refer you to the face above.