On the reading pile: Marvel's cosmic stuff. Like, most of it.

[thehefner]

My latest kick in comics: Marvel's cosmic stuff. Mainly for Thanos, because Thanos is one of the most magnificent bastards in the history of comics.

I'd originally planned to read all of Annhilation onwards, but that's turned into a desire to read Infinity Gauntlet first. Which meant that I should probably read Thanos Quest first. Which meant that I should probably read Silver Surfer: Rebirth of Thanos as a whole. Oh hell with it, I'm gonna track down a copy of The Life and Death of Captain Marvel and just go from there.

I'm also wondering if I can get Henchgirl interested with me. She loves the epic cosmic scope of Green Lantern, as do I, but lord knows if she'll give a damn about the Captain Marvel epic. Hell, lord knows if I will, as I haven't even read it yet. Again, I'm mainly in this for Thanos. Because Thanos is Thanos. When I read him, the voice I hear is Scorpius from Farscape, with the teeniest dash of Michael Ironside's Darkseid.

Similarly, Henchgirl has picked up Mark Evanier's Kirby hardcover coffee table book, which has gotten her interested in checking out some classic Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four. I have the third Essential volume, so we're gonna see how far we get reading the issues aloud from the Inhumans on through Dr. Doom meeting the Silver Surfer. That seems like a pretty solid run.

Maybe I'll also take the opportunity to read the original Negative Zone storyline. I just reread Ultimate Fantastic Four vol. 3, "N-Zone," the retelling of the Negative Zone by Warren Ellis. I normally find Ellis' superhero work to be entertainingly glip and superficial, but I think the science aspects really gave him a sense of fun to work with, because I really dug that story.

Not such which would make the better intro for Henchgirl. She's a lot more picky when it comes to Marvel, because he's a hardcore DC all the way. Which, really, is still rather awesome to consider. So Marvel's cosmic works might just have to be a pleasure for me and me alone. Unless you guys have read 'em too. If so, keep an eye out here, as I may be coming to you guys for geekgasms and rants.

Comments

[yaseen101.livejournal.com]

of the few comics i have right now, i have 4 (heh) fantastic four Marvel pocketbooks that has the original lee/kirby stories from he 60's including the first meeting with the inhumans and galactus. they are very, very good.

I'm also surprised at how far down the ladder Reed has come since the days when lee/kirby wrote them.


btw, do you read tintin?

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I have not read Tintin, no. I feel like I missed out. Maybe I'll read it to my own kid in the near future, along with Asterix. I certainly read Asterix.

[yaseen101.livejournal.com]

heh, not to worry. Even on S_D I only around 2-3 people who have read the series. If you do end up reading the series, let me know what you think. :)

[tragical-mirth.livejournal.com]

I read so much of that crap during my first pass with comics and remember so little of it.

[tragical-mirth.livejournal.com]

(Though, to be clear, I remember liking it a lot and really wish I could afford to get back into Marvel Cosmic now!)

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I hear you. The reason it's taken me this long was that I couldn't afford it at the time! I've been getting most of these volumes used at discount prices on eBay and Amazon, or on sale a cons.

[tragical-mirth.livejournal.com]

I need to tap into this public library GN world (esp. given my new profession).

[jessebaker.livejournal.com]

That reminds me; why does Marvel seem unable or unwilling to produce a decent TPB or HC for the original Thanos epic from the pages of Captain Marvel?

The thing appeared (in abridged form) as filler for the "Death of Captain Marvel" TPB Marvel put out awhile back and was expunged from the collection when they re-issued "Death of Captain Marvel" as a HC this year.

A Captain Marvel Vs Thanos HC, using the 80s reprint series "The Life of Captain Marvel" as a blue print for reprinting the entire storyline, would be better than the failed attempts to collect it that they have tried in the past.

Also, second the love for the third Essential Fantastic Four volume. It's that volume where EVERYTHING came into place as far as Kirby and Lee's legendary run on the book, as far as the first 40 issues mainly being rather boring build-up towards the crazy awesomeness of the Inhumans, Galactus/Silver Surfer, and Doom gaining cosmic powers.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I just bought the new HC thinking it was gonna be the exact thing as the TPB. How sorely mistaken I was. Now I have an expensive paperweight while I await a used copy of the TPB from eBay. For now, the abridged version of that epic will be better than nothing, I guess.

Of course, just wait: with this current Thanos awesomeness out there, Marvel will finally release the full original epic. It'd be just my luck.