Wednesday, June 30, 2021

The Essential X-Lapsed, Episode 008 - Strange Tales #120 (1964)

The Essential X-Lapsed, Episode Eight

Strange Tales #120 (May, 1964)
"The Torch Meets The Iceman!"
Writer/Edits - Stan Lee
Pencils - Jack Kirby
Inks - Dick Ayers
Letters - S. Rosen
Colors - Ehhhhh?
Cover Price: 12¢

The X-Men continue looming large over the early Marvel Universe... this time with their youngest member - the sixteen-year old Kid Kool himself - crossing paths with the youngest member of the Fantastic Four - Johnny Storm, the Human Torch in the pages of Strange Tales #120!

Will these two teen-agers forgo the "Superhero Team-Ups... the Marvel Way" formula... or, will we waste several pages of this short story with a Silver Age clashing of Fire and Ice?  You may be surprised... I know I was!

--
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Tuesday, June 29, 2021

The Essential X-Lapsed, Episode 007 - Tales of Suspense #49 (1964)

The Essential X-Lapsed, Episode Seven

Tales of Suspense #49 (January, 1964)
"The New Iron Man Meets The Angel!"
Writer/Edits - Stan Lee
Pencils - Steve Ditko
Inks - P. Reinman
Letters - S. Rosen
Cover Price: 12¢

Today we head off the beaten path for the first (but not last!) time ever during our dip into the silly Silver Age, with the first X-Men guest-spot outside their own Marvel Mag!

Here we will focus on Angel as he invades an Iron Man story in Tales of Suspense... and also gets hit in the face with an ATOMIC BOMB!  It's a seminal look at the old Marvel Method of hero on hero violence... back before it was something we'd see every month (if not week)!  A fun little story, and I hope you'll check it out!

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Monday, June 28, 2021

X-Lapsed, Episode 213 - Hellions #12 (2021)

X-Lapsed, Episode Two Hundred Thirteen

Hellions #12 (August, 2021)
"Gatecrashing"
Writer - Zeb Wells
Art - Stephen Segovia
Colors - David Curiel
Letters - VC's Ariana Maher
Design - Tom Muller
Head of X - Hickman
Edits - Amaro, Basso, White, Cebulski
Cover Price: $3.99
On-Sale: June 2, 2021

The Hellfire Gala continues... and not everyone from our favorite crew of Irregulars has received an invite!  It's almost as though... not all mutants are created equal!  Hmm.  We might just keep talking about that.

Also: Some Inferno theories, Mailbag, and Comichron Sales Charts for everything X in March, 2021 (it's not great news)! 

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Sunday, June 27, 2021

The Collected Major X-Lapsed

The Collected Major X-Lapsed

Major X-Lapsed (2019)
(00:00:00) Major X #1
(00:26:33) Major X #2
(00:45:06) Major X #3
(01:09:54) Major X #4
(01:29:12) Major X #5
(01:54:16) Major X #6
(02:16:39) Major X #0: "All Along the Watchtower, Parts 1 & 2"
Writer - Rob Liefeld & Eric Stephenson
Pencils - Rob Liefeld, Brent Peeples, & Whilce Portacio 
Inks - Rob Liefeld, Adelso Corona, Dan Fraga, Scott Hanna, & Cory Hamscher
Colors - Romulo Fajardo Jr., & Digital Broome
Letters - VC's Joe Sabino, & Comicraft's Troy Peteri
Edits - Bissa, White, Cebulski, Powers, Harras
Cover Price: $24.99
On-Sale: October 15, 2019

Celebrating 30 Years of X-Force by sharing a compiled version of my three or so hour conversation with myself regarding 2019's sorta-kinda controversial miniseries (until people forgot it was still a thing) - Major X!  I discuss my roots in Liefeld fandom, what early 90's comics meant (and continue to mean) to me... and then, we get into it!

This is a very up and down little outing, so strap in - it's going to be a bumpy ride!

--
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Saturday, June 26, 2021

The Collected X-Lapsed, Episode 08 - Dawn of X, Volume 6 (2020)

The Collected X-Lapsed, Episode Eight

Dawn of X, Volume 6 (2020)
(00:00:00) Marauders #6: "A Time to Reap"
(00:48:57) Excalibur (vol.4) #6: "Verse VI: Watch the Throne"
(01:13:38) Fallen Angels (vol.2) #6: "Conclusion"
(01:49:32) New Mutants (vol.4) #6: "Not As Hoped"
(02:20:09) X-Force (vol.6) #6: "Intelligence"
(03:09:48) X-Men (vol.5) #6: "The Oracle"
Writers - Gerry Duggan, Tini Howard, Bryan Hill, Ed Brisson, Benjamin Percy, & Jonathan Hickman
Art - Matteo Lolli, Mario Del Pennino, Marcus To, Szymon Kudranski, Flaviano, Stephen Segovia, & Matteo Buffagni
Colors - Erick Arciniega, Federico Blee, Frank D'Armata, Carlos Lopez, GURU-eFX, & Sunny Gho
Letters - VC's Cory Petit, Joe Sabino, Travis Lanham, Joe Caramagna, & Clayton Cowles
Design - Tom Muller
Edits - Robinson, Bissa, White, Cebulski
Cover Price: $17.99
On-Sale: July 14, 2020

As news begins to trickle in regarding the upcoming INFERNO event, The Collected X-Lapsed is inadvertently relevant (well, as relevant as it can be) - as this compilation episode contains the "shoe-drop" issue of X-Men wherein we all learn of Mystique's designs on our Island Nation!  Also: Kitty goes for an x-tended swim in Marauders, Fallen Angels mercifully ends, and Beast gets even nastier over in X-Force!

All that, as well as the always x-cellent Mailbags and the normal amounts of my marblemouthed nonsense!  If you're just now discovering X-Lapsed via these "collected editions", please let me know!

--
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Friday, June 25, 2021

X-Lapsed, Episode 212 - X-Force #20 (2021)

X-Lapsed, Episode Two Hundred Twelve

X-Force (vol.6) #20 (August, 2021)
"The Secret Garden"
Writer - Benjamin Percy
Art - Joshua Cassara
Colors - GURU-eFX
Letters - VC's Joe Caramagna
Design - Tom Muller
Head of X - Hickman
Edits - Amaro, Basso, White, Cebulski
Cover Price: $3.99
On-Sale: June 2, 2021

In which the Hellfire Gala continues... and I talk myself in circles trying to figure out how to "fix" the Beast!  Our favorite sociopathic mad scientist might just have veered a little too deep into straightforward supervillainy at this point... where only a "deus ex cerebro" can save him!  I'll talk all about it... after I kvetch a bit about the rampant spoilers for everything-X overflowing on Social Media!

Also: Great Mailbag, wherein I get the opportunity to wax nostalgic over my days on USENET while "fanboying " out over Paul O'Brien from the X-Axis and House to Astonish!

--
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Thursday, June 24, 2021

X-Lapsed, Episode 211 - Marauders #21 (2021)

X-Lapsed, Episode Two Hundred Eleven

Marauders #21 (August, 2021)
"You Are Cordially Invited to the Hellfire Gala"
"Out With the Old: A Tale of Hellfire Gala Past"
Writers - Gerry Duggan & Chris Claremont
Art - Matteo Lolli & John Bolton
Colors - Edgar Delgado & Glynis Oliver
Letters - VC's Cory Petit & Tom Orzechowski
Design - Tom Muller
Head of X - Hickman
Edits - Bissa, White, Nocenti, Cebulski
Cover Price: $4.99
On-Sale: June 2, 2021

We are cordially invited to the Hellfire Gala... and so, if you can find something outrageous and/or stupid enough to wear - I invite you to be my date!

Today we kick things off with sort of a bird's eye view on the event... it's a tough issue to analyze, since so many of the story threads will be fleshed out as we proceed... and so, this is mostly a recitation of events with very little in the way of analysis and editorializing.

But that's not all!  Come for the Gala, stay for the x-tended Mailbag Segment!

--
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Wednesday, June 23, 2021

X-Lapsed, Episode 210 - X-Men #20 (2021)

X-Lapsed, Episode Two Hundred Ten

X-Men (vol.5) #20 (July, 2021)
"Lost Love"
Writer - Jonathan Hickman
Art - Francesco Mobili
Colors - Sunny Gho
Letters - VC's Clayton Cowles
Design - Tom Muller
Edits - Bissa, White, Cebulski
Cover Price: $3.99
On-Sale: May 26, 2021

On the eve of the Hellfire Gala, our flagship book (in its penultimate issue) finally decides to advance the main story of this era!

Remember Nimrod?  Remember Orchis?  Remember Mystique threatening to burn everything down?  Well - it's finally time to start moving these elements forward - and it looks like it's all headed to INFERNO

... but, ya know... first, a fashion show.

--
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Tuesday, June 22, 2021

X-Lapsed, Episode 209 - New Mutants #18 (2021)

X-Lapsed, Episode Two Hundred Nine

New Mutants (vol.4) #18 (July, 2021)
"Homecoming"
Writer - Vita Ayala
Art - Rod Reis
Letters - VC's Travis Lanham
Design - Tom Muller
Head of X - Hickman
Edits - Bissa, White, Cebulski
Cover Price: $3.99
On-Sale: May 26, 2021

Today we continue our discussion regarding a budding Krakoan "class system" when certain rules are bent for one of the more connected members of society...

We're headed back to the Crucible... this time to "make whole" a Mutant who... still has their powers?  Hmm... We've got a lot to talk about!

--
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Monday, June 21, 2021

X-Lapsed, Episode 208 - Wolverine #12 (2021)

X-Lapsed, Episode Two Hundred Eight

Wolverine (vol.7) #12 (July, 2021) [LGY#354]
"Penumbra"
Writer - Benjamin Percy
Pencils - Scot Eaton
Inks - J.P. Mayer w/Oren Junior
Colors - Matthew Wilson
Letters - VC's Cory Petit
Design - Tom Muller
Head of X - Hickman
Edits - Amaro, Basso, White, Cebulski
Cover Price: $3.99
On-Sale: May 19, 2021

Wolverine is... still fighting Vampires?  Ya kidding me?  Don't we have a Gala to prepare for or something?

This time out Cranky Chris complains about this story that refuses to end... and wonders how much longer it's going to go.  Oh yeah, we also go to friggin Otherworld for the third time this month, so I'll complain about that too!

At least there's our always X-Cellent Mailbag... and our "This Week in X" segments!

--
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Sunday, June 20, 2021

Chris and Reggie's TOTAL PACKAGE - The Comics Code Authority

Chris and Reggie's TOTAL PACKAGE

The Comics Code Authority
Weird Comics History, Episodes 1-5 (2016)


Hello Friends!

Something a little bit different... yet familiar today.  I was recently feeling kind of melancholy, and decided to start digging through the old Chris and Reggie Archives... which, I do from time to time.  Perhaps too often.

We put out a lot of audio content together, but that's just the "end product".  Our endeavors would always start with copious amounts of research... and our first "big" project was our five-part deep-dive into the Comics Code Authority.

It was five years ago, near to the day, where we began deep-diving into the post-war comics landscape... dissecting tons of information, including reading Seduction of the Innocent in its entirety, and going line by line through the Kefauver Senate Hearings on Juvenile Delinquency.

If you've never listened to these episodes before... and you believe that Dr. Frederic Wertham was the sole reason why the CCA was established (he wasn't... not even close), I invite you to take the plunge into this nearly eight-hour compilation of classic Chris and Reggie content.

If you've already listened to these episodes... well, it's probably been awhile - have another listen!  Lemme know how well these aged!

--

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00:00) Part 1: "Before the Comics Code"
(00:39:39) Part 2: "Seduction of the Innocent"
(02:23:04) Part 3: "The Kefauver Trials"
(04:06:27) Part 4: "Life Under the Code"
(05:35:40) Part 5: "Life After the Code"
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Saturday, June 19, 2021

The Collected X-Lapsed, Episode 07 - X-Men + Fantastic Four (2020)

The Collected X-Lapsed, Episode Seven

X-Men + Fantastic Four (2020)
(00:00:00) X-Men+Fantastic Four #1: "The Impossible Boy"
(00:33:32) X-Men+Fantastic Four #2: "Broken Borders"
(01:06:00) X-Men+Fantastic Four #3: "To the Victor"
(01:41:49) X-Men+Fantastic Four #4: "Welcome to the New World"
(02:49:53) Fantastic Four (vol.6) #26: "One Stop From Everywhere"
Writers - Chip Zdarsky & Dan Slott
Pencils - Terry Dodson & R.B. Silva
Inks - Rachel Dodson, Dexter Vines, Karl Story, & Ransom Getty
Colors - Laura Martin, Andrew Crossley, Peter Pantazis, & Jesus Aburtov
Letters - VC's Joe Caramagna
Edits - Ballesteros, Biro, Smith, Breevort, Cebulski
Cover Price: $15.99
On-Sale: September 29, 2020

Stepping away from our regular Dawn of X storyline... due to a dramatic event that occurs in the sixth issue of one of our ongoings, we're taking a look at the four-part X-Men + Fantastic Four miniseries, which your humble host was absolutely chomping at the bit for.  Marvel must've known that, as they wasted very little time rendering the entire thing moot by de-Mutantifying Franklin Richards!

In todays Collected Edition, we'll discuss all four parts of the event miniseries as well as the issue of Fantastic Four where it's revealed that Franklin Richards isn't... and never, ever was... a Mutant!

This compilation also includes the landmark 50th episode of X-Lapsed, wherein I spend a good half hour or so being wildly self-indulgent in reflecting on my time in audio comics commentary.

--

The ALL-NEW ALL-DIFFERENT X-Lapsed Voicemail!

623-396-5375 (or, 623-396-JERK)... as in "Professor Xavier is a..." and not anything off-color!  Shame on you for thinking it was!

--

Twitter: @acecomics / Instagram: @90sxmen

weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com

chrisandreggie.podbean.com

chrisisoninfiniteearths.com

xlapsed.chrisisoninfiniteearths.com/

facebook.com/groups/90sxmen

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Friday, June 18, 2021

X-Lapsed, Episode 207 - Way of X #2 (2021)

X-Lapsed, Episode Two Hundred Seven

Way of X #2 (July, 2021)
"Let Us Prey"
Writer - Si Spurrier
Artist - Bob Quinn
Colors - Java Tartaglia
Letters - VC's Clayton Cowles
Design - Tom Muller
Head of X - Hickman
Edits - Andrews-Balesteros, Thomas, White, Cebulski
Cover Price: $3.99
On-Sale: May 19, 2021

It's my favorite day of the X-Lapsed Month... Way of X day!

After reading the first issue of this series, I was sure nothing could ever top it... and then they went and DID!  A truly wonderful issue, indeed - listen to me gush over it for over a half hour!

Plus: Our Always X-Cellent Mailbag!

--
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Thursday, June 17, 2021

X-Lapsed, Episode 206 - X-Factor #9 (2021)

X-Lapsed, Episode Two Hundred Six

X-Factor (vol.4) #9 (July, 2021)
"Interlude: DJ Mark's Mixtape of Mojoverse Beats to Make Out To"
Writer - Leah Williams
Art - David Baldeon
Colors - Israel Silva
Letters - VC's Joe Caramagna
Design - Tom Muller
Head of X - Hickman
Edits - Andrews-Ballesteros, Thomas, White, Cebulski
Cover Price: $3.99
On-Sale: May 12, 2021

When is a penultimate issue more like a finale?  Well, when your actual final issue is a chapter of an Event Crossover... like the Hellfire Gala.

Oh, you didn't know?  There's a Hellfire Gala on the horizon.  They totally don't talk about it every chance they get... so, I don't blame you for not knowing!

Today, we look at a book whose watchword is "truncation".  The axe of cancellation appears to have fallen during the production of this issue... and yet, Williams and Baldeon still manage to deliver an enjoyable outing!  We've got Morrigan and Mojoworld... um, please listen anyway - I promise it'll be fun!

Also: An X-Panded Mailbag Segment full of x-cellent x-chatter!

--
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Wednesday, June 16, 2021

X-Lapsed, Episode 205 - X-Corp #1 (2021)

X-Lapsed, Episode Two Hundred Five

X-Corp #1 (July, 2021)
"Simply Superior"
Writer - Tini Howard
Art - Alberto Foche
Colors - Sunny Gho
Letters - VC's Clayton Cowles
Design - Tom Muller
Head of X - Hickman
Edits - Amaro, White, Cebulski
Cover Price: $4.99
On-Sale: May 12, 2021

Welcome, friends... to, hands down, the most difficult episode of X-Lapsed I've ever done!  If you've been following this show for any length of time, you'll know I really don't like being negative about our books... but, this one... hoo boy.  I literally almost threw up the white flag.

I feel like I need to publicly apologize to Fallen Angels, Empyre: X-Men, the Broo King Egg story, X-Men #12 and #14 being the same damn book, and even X-Men: Curse of the Man-Thing... because, those were all a dream compared to this!

On a positive note... if you can make it through my negativity long enough - we've got some great mailbag discussion to close out!

--
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Tuesday, June 15, 2021

X-Lapsed, Episode 204 - Children of the Atom #3 (2021)

X-Lapsed, Episode Two Hundred Four

Children of the Atom #3 (July, 2021)
"Unusual Dinner Guests"
Writer - Vita Ayala
Art - Paco Medina
Colors - David Curiel
Letters - VC's Travis Lanham
Design - Tom Muller
Head of X - Hickman
Edits - Robinson, Andrews Ballesteros, White, Cebulski
Cover Price: $3.99
On-Sale: May 12, 2021

The CotA "slow burn" continues... and, well - there ain't a whole heckuva lot to say about it!

We do have some great mailbag discussion today though!

--
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Monday, June 14, 2021

X-Lapsed, Episode 203 - X-Men: Curse of the Man-Thing #1 (2021)

X-Lapsed, Episode Two Hundred Three

X-Men: Curse of the Man-Thing #1 (July, 2021)
"Chapter 7: Devils and Dark Rooms"
"Chapter 8: Adapt or Die"
"Chapter 9: New Growth"
Writer - Steve Orlando
Art - Andrea Broccardo
Colors - GURU-eFX
Letters - VC's Clayton Cowles
Design - Carlos Lao & Adam Del Re
Edits - Tom Groneman, Mark Paniccia, Cebulski
Cover Price: $4.99
On-Sale: May 5, 2021

Today we cover a One-Shot... that is actually a Part III... which includes Chapters 7-9 of a story that started two One-Shots ago... and ran through a second One-Shot, that all had different names.  Also, it's just not very good!

Today I'm going to complain all about it... and Steve Orlando's wildly unnatural sounding dialogue!

Plus: Great Mailbag, including the return of a recently X-Lapsed friend

And - a plea to the comics social media bubble NOT to rush to spoil this week's Planet-Sized X-Men (ehh, who am I kidding... it's GOING to be spoiled for us...)

--

The ALL-NEW ALL-DIFFERENT X-Lapsed Voicemail!

623-396-5375 (or, 623-396-JERK)... as in "Professor Xavier is a..." and not anything off-color!  Shame on you for thinking it was!

--

Twitter: @acecomics / Instagram: @90sxmen

weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com

chrisandreggie.podbean.com

chrisisoninfiniteearths.com

xlapsed.chrisisoninfiniteearths.com/

facebook.com/groups/90sxmen

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Sunday, June 13, 2021

Generation X-Lapsed, Episode 12 - Generation X #87 (2018)

Generation X-Lapsed, Episode Twelve

Generation X #87 (April, 2018)
Writer - Christina Strain
Art - Amilcar Pinna
Colors - Felipe Sobreiro
Letters - VC's Clayton Cowles
Edits - Robinson, Shan, Paniccia, Cebulski
Cover Price: $3.99
On-Sale: February 21, 2018


It's the final episode of Generation X-Lapsed!

Will the Loser Squad be able to defeat M-Plate?

Will Jubilee be able to adequately use her newly returned PAFF powers?

Will we ever see these characters again?

Those answers... well, might be in this issue.

--

Help me pick the next Sunday Special Series!

  • Mr. & Mrs. X-Lapsed
    • 18 Episodes
      • Rogue & Gambit 1-5
      • X-Men Gold Wedding Issue
      • Mr. & Mrs. X 1-12
  • JEANeration X-Lapsed
    • 12 Episodes
      • Jean Grey 1-11
      • Generations: Jean Grey
--

The ALL-NEW ALL-DIFFERENT X-Lapsed Voicemail!

623-396-5375 (or, 623-396-JERK)... as in "Professor Xavier is a..." and not anything off-color!  Shame on you for thinking it was!

--

Twitter: @acecomics / Instagram: @90sxmen

weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com

chrisandreggie.podbean.com

chrisisoninfiniteearths.com

xlapsed.chrisisoninfiniteearths.com/

facebook.com/groups/90sxmen

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Saturday, June 12, 2021

The Collected X-Lapsed, Episode 06 - Dawn of X, Volume 5 (2020)

The Collected X-Lapsed, Episode Six

Dawn of X, Volume 5 (2020)
(00:00:00) Marauders #5: "A Time to Sow"
(00:28:18) Excalibur (vol.4) #5: "Verse V: Panic on the Streets of London"
(00:55:41) New Mutants (vol.4) #5: "Endangered Birds"
(01:35:21) X-Force (vol.6) #5: "Necessary Force"
(02:12:58) Fallen Angels (vol.2) #5: "Sensei"
(02:38:30) X-Men (vol.5) #5: "Into the Vault"
Writers - Gerry Duggan, Tini Howard, Jonathan Hickman, Benjamin Percy, & Bryan Hill 
Art - Matteo Lolli, Lucas Werneck, Marcus To, Rod Reis, Joshua Cassara, Syzmon Kudranski, & R.B. Silva 
Colors - Federico Blee, Erick Arciniega, Dean White, Rachelle Rosenberg, Frank D'Armata, & Marte Gracia
Letters - VC's Cory Petit, Travis Lanham, Joe Caramagna, Joe Sabino, & Clayton Cowles
Design - Tom Muller
Edits - Robinson, Bissa, White, Cebulski
Cover Price: $17.99
On-Sale: April 21, 2020

We're at our traditional "penultimate chapter" issues of each of our Dawn of X launch titles... however, only one of the six seems to be playing along!

Fallen Angels gets ready to wrap up by finally putting together their team (who we'll never see work together again after this series) - X-Men decides to ignore Fallen Angels completely by having X-23 fall back into her pre-FA character and costume... before the other series even ends -  Forge acts a chucklehead in X-Force - we resume our New Mutants space story (never thought I'd be so happy to see Deathbird!), your humble host becomes more accustomed to the new take on Bobby Drake, and Excalibur begins it's "Have I missed an issue?" meme!

All that, plus the always X-Cellent Mailbags!  If you are only now discovering X-Lapsed through these Collected Editions - please, reach out and let me know your thoughts!

--

The ALL-NEW ALL-DIFFERENT X-Lapsed Voicemail!

623-396-5375 (or, 623-396-JERK)... as in "Professor Xavier is a..." and not anything off-color!  Shame on you for thinking it was!

--

Twitter: @acecomics / Instagram: @90sxmen

weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com

chrisandreggie.podbean.com

chrisisoninfiniteearths.com

xlapsed.chrisisoninfiniteearths.com/

facebook.com/groups/90sxmen

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Friday, June 11, 2021

WC #1 - Green Lantern

Wednesday Comics #1 (Green Lantern)
By Kurt Busiek & Joe Quinones
Edits - Mark Chiarello

It's time to check in on our Action Comics Weekly "leading man", Green Lantern!  I wonder if this first outing will end with someone being brutally murdered?

Ehh, probably not...

--

We open at the Orbit Lounge in Coast City where the gang from Ferris Airfield have decided to head for some after-work libations.  Hal isn't here... but, we're very much in the Hal-is-Poochy mode here, where everybody won't stop talking about him.  If Hal ain't on panel... make sure everyone wants to know where he is.  This is the Geoff Johns era, after all!


Carol is annoyed that Hal isn't here... and is also annoyed that, despite the fact that she turned down his advances, that he dares to date other women.  Remember, post-Rebirth (the first Rebirth) Hal Jordan is basically Fonzie.  Men wanna be him, women wanna be with him.


On the bar's television is an interview with Joe Dillon, an astronaut.  Naturally, everybody says "Ooh, Hal oughta be here to see this!" because, I mean... what else are these productive adult humans going to say?


We close out in true Poochy fashion, with someone just plain asking where Hal's at.  Turns out, duh, he's out Green Lanterning!


--

Was... this parody?

This is basically every criticism of the post-Johns Hal Jordan given four-color flesh!  Hal Jordan... even though he doesn't actually show up until the final panel... is the main topic of conversation.  How do these Ferris folks even function in their everyday lives?

Do they stand in the shower wondering what Hal's upto?  When they fix their morning coffee... are they thinking about the way Hal uses seventeen Splenda packets in his?  I mean, this is just plain sad.

I say this as an actual fan of the post-Johns Green Lantern too (though with the understanding that sometimes the "man-crush" Geoff had on Hal was a little too evident)!  Though, as folks who follow this blog know, I'm also a fan of pre-Johns Hal Jordan.  I like my Hal to be a bit flawed... and not viewed as an idol to his work peers.

I guess as an introduction to 2009-Hal Jordan... it's about as accurate as it's going to get though, so I can't hold it against our creative team.  It's just, for long-time readers of Green Lantern, it feels a bit on the nose with just how adored our Hal is.

The art is nice too.
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The Essential X-Lapsed, Episode 6 - X-Men #6

The Essential X-Lapsed, Episode Six

X-Men #6 (July, 1964)
"Sub-Mariner! joins The Evil Mutants"
Writer/Edits - Stan Lee
Pencils - Jack Kirby
Inks - Chic Stone
Letters - S. Rosen
Colors - Eh?  Probably Somebody...
Cover Price: 12¢

Stop me if you've heard this one... it's the X-Men vs. The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!  But, friends, that's not all... this time out, the Brotherhood is joined by Namor the Sub-Mariner, firmly establishing that the X-Men are part of the shared Marvel Universe!  Why, we even get editorial footnotes pointing us to recent issues of Fantastic Four and Avengers!

Plus: Starting today (and hopefully for as long as we can), we're going to be taking the pulse of the comics fan of the day, when we read and discuss the "Let's Visit the X-Men" Letters Pages!  Today we'll be covering the letters Stan and Jack received for issues #3 and #4 (appearing in X-Men #5 & 6)!

It's a good time as always... hope you'll give us a try!

--

The ALL-NEW ALL-DIFFERENT X-Lapsed Voicemail!

623-396-5375 (or, 623-396-JERK)... as in "Professor Xavier is a..." and not anything off-color!  Shame on you for thinking it was!

--

Twitter: @acecomics / Instagram: @90sxmen

weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com

chrisandreggie.podbean.com

chrisisoninfiniteearths.com

xlapsed.chrisisoninfiniteearths.com/

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Thursday, June 10, 2021

WC #1 - Deadman

Wednesday Comics #1 (Deadman)
"This Dearly Departed Detective, Part I: Portents and Symbols"
By Dave Bullock & Vinton Heuck
Colors - Dave Stewart
Letters - Jared K. Fletcher
Edits - Mark Chiarello

Heyyy, another Action Comics Daily mainstay making it's Wednesday Comics debut!  For those of you who have been with me for awhile, you'll probably remember the two weird takes on Boston Brand that we checked in on during ACW.

The first was a (mostly) straightforward story with very clean and comicbooky Dan Jurgens art... the second had more of a horror bent with the more stylized Kelley Jones work.

This WC strip doesn't seem like either one of those takes!  Let's see what it has in store for us, yes?

--

We open at a crime scene, where a woman and man have been brutally murdered.  Deadman is here while the police and CSI folk take it all in.  Boston comments that the officers seem to be disconnected from all this, though only says so to emphasize how "dulled" your senses can be to even the most traumatic of sights if you see them enough.  He also uses this to remind us all that he's... ya know, dead.


We then get the quick 'n dirty on Boston Brand himself... how he died, what a selfish human he was, the boring Rama Kushna stuff... you know the deal.


From here, we take it straight home... Deadman flies outside, hears a scream... then happens across, perhaps the killer culprit behind this current rash of murders!


--

Not a whole lot to say about this one.  In a few ways, it's not unlike the Kamandi story we looked at earlier.  Deadman, like the Last Boy on Earth, is definitely more of a "niche" character (relative to the more mainstream JLAers, of course), and so - it would be to the story's benefit to provide a fair amount of exposition and introduction to him and his world.  This was accomplished pretty well here... despite the fact that anytime I see the words "Rama Kushna" I almost instinctively fall asleep.  It's right up there with "K'un L'un" on my bored-o-meter.

That said, this was quite well done.  We have our sorta-kinda mystery... we get introduced to our protagonist... and we get a cliffhanger ending.  What more could we ask out of a single-page Sunday Funnies format strip?

Let's talk art.  I'm a bit torn on it, as I really liked how it looked... but, I have this weird knee jerk dislike for the DC "Animated Series" look.  Definitely a "Chris-problem", as I know a whole generation (plus) worth of fans absolutely adore it.  I just never really did.  That said, without my weird bias - I did like how this looked.  As much as it pains me to admit, I feel the Animated Series look is a good fit for Deadman.

Overall - very nice first outing!
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The Essential X-Lapsed, Episode 5 - X-Men #5 (1964)

The Essential X-Lapsed, Episode Five

X-Men #5 (May, 1964)
"Trapped: One X-Man!"
Writer/Edits - Stan Lee
Pencils - Jack Kirby
Inks - Paul Reinman
Letters - S. Rosen
Colors - Wouldn't you like to know?
Cover Price: 12¢

Boy, I hope you're not already tired of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants... because, we're just getting started with them!

Today, we meet Jean Grey's parents... who have such a high opinion of Charles Xavier, they probably wouldn't even mind him creeping on their little girl.  They also don't seem to have a problem with the fact that she's the only young lady in a house full of teen-age boys.  Different times, I s'pose!

Also... the Brotherhood!  They do Evil and/or Morally Ambiguous stuff... it's kinda their gimmick!

--

The ALL-NEW ALL-DIFFERENT X-Lapsed Voicemail!

623-396-5375 (or, 623-396-JERK)... as in "Professor Xavier is a..." and not anything off-color!  Shame on you for thinking it was!

--

Twitter: @acecomics / Instagram: @90sxmen

weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com

chrisandreggie.podbean.com

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Wednesday, June 9, 2021

WC #1 - Superman

Wednesday Comics #1 (Superman)
Writer - John Arcudi
Art - Lee Bermejo
Colors - Barbara Ciardo
Letters - Ken Lopez
Edits - Mark Chiarello

Well, stop me if you heard this one before... we've got us a Superman strip!

Folks who have been following this humble blog for awhile will likely recall the absolute (sarcasm) joy (/sarcasm) I had going through the "Superman Strips" during our Action Comics Daily coverage back in 2019!

Woof, those were pretty rough.

Let's see if Wednesday Comics manages to crack the code on making a Super-strip into something readable!

--

We open in Metropolis with Superman being punched all the way across the city by the latest generic hulking monster he's got to fight!  He lunges back toward the villain and proceeds to pummel it a whole bunch... actually shattering it's weird helmet, and revealing his wildly unpleasant three-eyed mug!


As he continues punching the baddie... a couple of goofballs wander up to cheer him on.  Uh-oh... a Superman strip with some goobers who seem to worship him?  This doesn't exactly bode well for us, do it?


Superman shouts at the lookeyloos to back the eff up... and the monster takes this opportunity to ask the Man of Steel a strange question indeed.  It addresses him as a Kryptonian, and suggests that he doesn't truly belong here.


--

Well, first things first... the art here was amazing.  Truly a joy to behold... especially at this blown up newspaper size.  It's funny how the comics industry has gone to the slicker (more expensive) paper... and we always seem to hear that it's to the benefit of the art.  I think the fabulous work we're seeing here (and throughout Wednesday Comics) is a testament to just how nice art can look on regular old newsprint!  So, howsabout we go back to the cheap stuff, and maybe knock a buck or two off the cover prices?

No?

Anyway... let's talk story, of which, we don't get much.  It's Superman fighting a great big hulking monster... otherwise known as "Tuesday in Metropolis".  Nothing we haven't seen before... and nothing we won't see again (probably each and every week in the Super-books)!

I am kind of interested in the Super-fans who rushed in as our hero was beating the crud out of the beast.  Even though I was certainly no fan of the "Church of Superman" serial that ran through Action Comics Weekly... I will admit, if this is a callback to it, it'll get a decent pop out of me!

Other than that... not a whole heckuva lot to say.  I'm looking forward to seeing where this is headed... which is more than I could ever say for those old ACW strips!
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The Essential X-Lapsed, Episode 4 - X-Men #4 (1964)

The Essential X-Lapsed, Episode Four

X-Men #4 (March, 1964)
"The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!"
Writer/Edits - Stan Lee
Pencils - Jack Kirby
Inks - Paul Reinman
Letters - Art Simek
Colors - Idunno!
Cover Price: 12¢

The Seminal Slog that is X-Men #4!


It's the first appearance of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants... including everybody's favorite former-mutant... The Pretender herself!


This issue takes a while to get going... but, gives us plenty of fun stuff to talk about!


Plus: Great Mailbag... and a brief discussion on Facsimile Editions!

--
The ALL-NEW ALL-DIFFERENT X-Lapsed Voicemail!
623-396-5375 (or, 623-396-JERK)... as in "Professor Xavier is a..." and not anything off-color!  Shame on you for thinking it was!
--
Twitter: @acecomics / Instagram: @90sxmen
weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com
chrisandreggie.podbean.com
chrisisoninfiniteearths.com
xlapsed.chrisisoninfiniteearths.com/
facebook.com/groups/90sxmen

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Tuesday, June 8, 2021

WC #1 - Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth

Wednesday Comics #1 (Kamandi)
By Dave Gibbons & Ryan Sook
Edits - Mark Chiarello

Alrighty... what's next?

Ka... Kamandi?  Really, that's what we're doing?  Hmm... okay.

Now, full disclosure... never really "got" Kamandi.  I think he's a cool character... and I like the trappings of his world, but never quite enough for me to actually sit down with him for all that long.  I'm pretty sure we did cover an issue of his book here on the blog way back in the long ago... and, only did that because it featured the discovery of Superman's costume in the far-flung post-Great Disaster future.

That said... I'm definitely interested in seeing how Gibbons and Sook make this oddball character work in the Wednesday Comics format!

--

We open with Kamandi paddling through the remains of New York City... which, I feel like is how we always start Kamandi stories, innit?  Unless this is a retelling of his first story... which, ya know - it very well could be, come to think of it!  Worth noting Sook absolutely kills it here with the visuals!


Kamandi finally reaches shore... and it's one that he recognizes.  Its near the fallout shelter where he lived and got his name... Command D.


We learn via narration that the Last Boy on Earth never knew his parents... but, was close with a man who he considered to be like a Grandfather to him.  He would raise Kamandi... but would pass away.  Our boy blames himself for his death.  We wrap up with Kamandi being approached by... something!  Something we'll surely see... next time!


--

Not too shabby!

Now, again - I'm not terribly familiar with Kamandi... but, if I had to assume, I'd guess we're getting a take on his first story here.  If that turns out to be the case, I think it's a pretty good idea.  Kamandi is a (relatively speaking) fairly obscure character (I mean, he's no A-Lister), and so - starting out slow... and educating readers who may not have ever sat down with a post-Great Disaster story before is a pretty smart play.

That said, we get just enough here to wet our collective whistles.  We know there's been a Disaster... humanity is, for the most part, wiped out... Kamandi was raised by a man who may or may not have been his actual Grandfather... until he perished.  We even learn how Kamandi got his name.  All very well done - and beautifully drawn.

Can't believe I'm actually looking forward to the next installment!
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