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Post by hengest on Mar 21, 2022 19:36:05 GMT -5
(Do we have a comic book thread? Superhero or non?) When I was a kid, I was into DC comics and some of the old "independents." Not exclusively superhero titles, but definitely a lot of superhero material. Some of my favorites were cheap back issues or reprints / collections of superhero titles from the 1950s and 60. Reading some of them recently, I note that some of the best were by Otto Binder. These stories are pretty wacky. If you have read them, you will know what I'm talking about. There's a degree of silliness mixed with seriousness that really speaks to me, even now. I note that, with a character like Superman, the challenge some of the time is to come up with a situation that requires unusual or creative use of his otherwise "game-breaking" powers. And in that way, I imagine that what went on in Binder's head, or the head of some similar authors, was like what goes on in an open-ended RPG: here's a crazy situation, think of something to do with what's at hand! Bio about Binder (I haven't read it). Thinking back, I realize this guy, among others of his generation, had a big influence on my imagination. |
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Post by oldskolgmr on Mar 22, 2022 13:10:58 GMT -5
Great topic hengest ! I also read a lot of DC, my favorites were the 70's Sword & Sorcery comics (their style is now seen in good DCC games). My favorites best were Warlord, and Arion. The 50's stuff often did not strike my fancy. Some of the 60's stuff was enjoyable. I also loved Jim Starlin's stuff in Marvel, (1970's) mainly Captain Marvel, and Metamorphosis Odyssey, the Price, and later DreadStar (for several issues). The latter three were very dark at times, I read them when I was in my late teens. There were other 70's writers I really enjoyed, John Byrne (he continued writing for several years, but my favorite stuff was the early stuff). I have begun playing DCC (and MCC) which, in good hands is evocative of the comics I mentioned. The general art was very unearthly, pseudo-psychedelic, great horrors, odd ideas, and courageous heroes. |
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Post by hengest on Mar 24, 2022 16:59:06 GMT -5
I have to share my enthusiasm for a reprint collection I just got my hands on. The Supergirl Archives ( link to volume 1 at Amazon)...stories mostly by Otto Binder. I got this last night and read it when I should have been sleeping. These stories were intended for kids who were kids in the late 1950s. Oh man, these are entertaining. The pure intensity of invention is hard even to describe. If you like the "innocent" era of comics at all...or you just like crazy invention...check this out. Hard to do the stories justice by linking to just a panel, but...here's one from my favorite story from last night, a story so packed with insane layers of deception that I can't even begin to describe it. Suffice it to say, in this relatively simple panel, Linda (Supergirl) has to participate in a sideshow in which she pretends to have super-strength (which she in fact does have, but the sideshow people don't know it, so they tell her to use these devices to deceive the crowd, which she does). So she's Supergirl (super-strong) in her secret identity, not using her super strength but appearing to possess it because of the trick device set up to allow her to win a tug-of-war with an elephant...and this is just one small part of the madness crammed into this story. The crowd is deceived (but also not, since she really IS super-strong), the sideshow runners are deceived, and later the deceit just gets more piled on. There's even plenty of deceit and strange mixed motivations and boomeranging results earlier in the story: in principle, she wants to be adopted, but she's supposed to avoid getting adopted because anyone to close to her would discover her secret, so she burns a roast so that the prospective adoptive parents won't like her, but then it turns out they like it that way and then want her because she's a good cook, too! Oops! If I could go back in time and leave some kind of gift for the writer and artist for this story, I would. I would be THRILLED to discuss these stories with anyone. If you see this post, even if it's 2033, reply or message me. If I'm alive and able to reply, I will.  Edit: at the link above, you'll see new cover art for the collection, cover art by Frank Miller. No idea why this was chosen, since it doesn't represent the art inside the volume AT ALL. |
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Post by oldskolgmr on Mar 24, 2022 23:54:40 GMT -5
Hey hengest, I remember reading some stories like these. (I don't know if they were Otto Binder's though). The Superman, Supergirl issues were always filled with ideas like these. I wish I had more to add to the discussion. Wait, the Batman issues were also whacky, Robin, "Batman how did you figure out where the Riddler hid the Bombs?" "Simple Robin, he ----(insert whacky answer that the Riddler would confirm)". |
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Mar 25, 2022 9:50:34 GMT -5
I got this last night and read it when I should have been sleeping. These stories were intended for kids who were kids in the late 1950s. Oh man, these are entertaining. The pure intensity of invention is hard even to describe. If you like the "innocent" era of comics at all...or you just like crazy invention...check this out. I love all of these, if I had them and time to read them I would. Comics were awesome back when they were written for kids ( and adults that were kids at heart). There is a place for comics whose primary audience is adults, but not a the cost of comics geared towards kids. Since the creation of Spiderman, the level of angst among comic book superhero's was good up to a point, but has jumped the shark IMO. |
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Post by hengest on Mar 25, 2022 17:33:14 GMT -5
I got this last night and read it when I should have been sleeping. These stories were intended for kids who were kids in the late 1950s. Oh man, these are entertaining. The pure intensity of invention is hard even to describe. If you like the "innocent" era of comics at all...or you just like crazy invention...check this out. I love all of these, if I had them and time to read them I would. Comics were awesome back when they were written for kids ( and adults that were kids at heart). There is a place for comics whose primary audience is adults, but not a the cost of comics geared towards kids. Since the creation of Spiderman, the level of angst among comic book superhero's was good up to a point, but has jumped the shark IMO. I agree, I enjoyed those Spiderman stories, but it has gone too far for my taste (in the last 60 or so years, ha). I suppose the medium can change and tastes can change. But after a point, the characters get too busy. They already have the colorful costumes and the insane powers. Then some personality and backstory. If it gets so that you're also supposed to track every little trauma and vaccine and personal slight, they're just too busy. You know more about them than you do about yourself. They become overloaded and the fun drops off. |
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