HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: Peter_A_David@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Re: Sucking up......
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 92 03:58:34 PST
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Distribution: world
  <1992Dec22.013314.1096@lokkur.dexter.mi.us>

Do I relate to other pros what's being said?

Depends.

If some is positive to a very large degree, I will.  For example, I told Jame
Fry how a lot of people on various computer nets seemed to enjoy "Slapstick,"
a book very near to his heart which got *no* promotion at all from Marvel.

On the other hand, I don't run around and say, "Hey, Usenet is tearing you
to shreds."  On occasion I have been asked.  Scott Lobdell, for example, was
*very* anxious to know what people were saying about his writing.  I said
to him, basically, "Ohhhh, Scott...you don't *really* want to know that."
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: rkelly@carina.unm.edu (Robert Kelly)
Subject: Re: SANDMAN:Lucien's Library
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 92 21:40:40 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque


--the Illustrated version of Burrough's Naked Lunch by the Pander Bro's,
	inked by Dave McKean (or their likenesses).

--Big Numbers

--The Illustrated Autobiography of Malcomb X, done by black interpreters 
	and black artists

--The Secret History of the CIA by Alan Moore, printed uncensored in America.

--The Biography of Leonard Peltier, of Gertrude Stein, of Harvey Milk.
	(If you don't know who these people are, go look'em up).

--The retcon of John Byrne's Life, by John Byrne, edited by Tom Defalco

--"Son O' God" by Lee and Ditko

--RAC Comics Special, featuring the Multiples Deaths of the Suicide Squid,
	special guest deaths by the ENTIRE Legion of Net Heroes, Pete Daavid,
	Moriarity (sp), Cthulhu's Jersey Epopt, among others.
	
--Wolverine's family reunion, featuring SaberTooth as Mr Cleaver, Feral as 
	Mrs. Cleaver and Wolverine and the Beav...

--The Original Death Story of NorthStar (by AIDS), by Byrne, unedited

--A bound edition of the New Adventures of Hitler by Grant Morrison

--Lobo's Repent and Conversion into a Homocidal Lesbian Terrorist, by 
	Dianne DiMassa and Simon Bisley, unedited, printed by anyone
	else but Time-Warner.

--The Annotated Sandman, bound and printed by "reputable literary firm," 
	foreward by Gaiman, illustrated by Kelly Jones and Dave McKean.

Hmmm...
I'm sure there's plenty more.

Robert Kelly
rkelly@triton.unm.edu
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I don't patronize bunny rabbits!"
        Heathers
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: cwelsh@morgan.ucs.mun.ca (Craig Welsh  )
Subject: Shadowman was (re: Valiant Issues.)
Organization: Memorial University of Newfoundland
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1993 18:31:47 GMT

>> Anyone who has more information on these, please post them.
>> There doesn't seem to be enough talk about the current Valiant issues.
>
>I don't have *information* but I do have an editorial comment.  Since 
>many people have been recommending Valiant to me, and since I just hadn't 
>been able to get into the Valiant comics, in spite of my love of B arry 
>Windsor-Smith's art, I have over the past two days read SHADOWMAN #1-6.  
>I was determined to give it a chance; I wanted to like it; mysticism and 
>creatures of the night are fun.  Besides, I don't want to be forever 
>prejudiced against Shooter's writing because in the past I have found it 
>immature, dull, irritating and/or offensive.
>
>So I read SHADOWMAN very carefully and I found it (sigh) immature, dull, 
>irritating and eventually very offensive.
>
>The art was kind of nice, but I was terribly disappointed.
>
>There was also a confusing discontinuity between #5 and #6, where the 
>story must have carried on in other comics -- an annoying habit that 
>Marvel and DC have that I would hope other companies would not emulate.
>
Shadowman was always the weakest of the Valiant titles. I wanted to like
it as well, but was finding myself collecting it more for the sake of
being a completionist (a bad habit).  I had resolved to drop it if the
title never picked up soon.

Of course then the bastards went and improved it.

I'm not saying it's the greatest thing in the world, but the title has
finally found something it has been lacking since its
inception...direction.  The introduction of Master Darque is finally
doing something with the title.  The art has gotten better, that inane
csotume has been reworked and the writing has improved dramtically. It
actually started to pick up right after #6 and I was genuinely impressed
with #11, which has a nice little cliff hanger.

I'm still not sure if it is worth the $3.15 aa month I have to pay for
it, but I'll hold on for a while and see.  I'll just can Hard Corps and
Bloodshot instead.

-Craig

***********************************************************************
*      Stupid Last Requests While waiting on Death Row                *
*      #1 - To hear "Wombling Merry Christmas" one last time.         *
***********************************************************************
 

Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: lsmith@myria.cs.umn.edu (Lance "Squiddie" Smith)
Subject: Re: Sam & Max
Organization: Reelance Squid Police of the Poor
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 00:59:19 GMT

In article <1992Dec21.085839.28046@athena.mit.edu> dml@athena.mit.edu (David M LaMacchia) writes:
>
>A good friend of mine wrote to Steve Purcell and got a letter back saying
>that there are plans for more Sam & Max in 1993, including a two-issue
>limited series and random other products (plush toys?  plush toys?).

The Sam and Max series made it into the preview book that Marvel gave out
to their retailers. It sounds like each issue will be partly Sam and Max 
and partly other stuff that Purcell wants to do. 

As for other products, so far I've seen the S&M T-shirt, the Sam and Max
Pin, the Max Pin, and the "Protected by Sam & Max" window sticker. No
word on plush toys yet. Do the people who get the LucasFilm flier have
anything else to report?

-----------------------------
  Lance "Cr2O3.2H2O" Smith  | "I guess you're right. The town would be better
    (lsmith@cs.umn.edu)     |  off if you had never been born. Now, I'll never
    Formerly disgusted.     |  get my wings. Well, what are you waiting for?
     Now just amused.       |  Go ahead and jump!"       _It's a Wonderful Nut_
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: dani@netcom.com (Dani Zweig)
Subject: Re: Happy Squid Appreciation Day -- the SQUIDDIES are here!
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 03:43:25 GMT

rogerk@queernet.org (Roger B.A. Klorese):
>>)>10. Favorite team of characters
>>)Do the Endless qualify?  They have a collective name, powers, funny 
>>>costumes, and angst.
>>Surely the Endless are a family, not a team.
>Surely the Fantastic Four are a family, not a team.  ;-)

The Fantastic Four aren't Endless; they just age very very slowly.
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: tyg@quip.eecs.umich.edu (Tom Galloway)
Subject: Re: SANDMAN: New Years with Delirium (Maybe some spoilers)
Keywords: confetti noise makers champagne Endless stuff like that
Organization: Interleaf
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1993 15:38:51 GMT

In article <C05K3r.9D2@watdragon.uwaterloo.ca> jwtlai@jeeves.uwaterloo.ca (Jim W "GrimJim" Lai) writes:
>>In rec.arts.comics.misc lsmith@myria.cs.umn.edu (Lance "Squiddie" Smith) writes:
>>>- Tempus Frangit. Time stops or time shatters or time breaks? Anyone have
>frango: vt. break, shatter, wreck, crush, grind; (fig.) break down, weaken,

And here I thought it meant that since moving to the Midwest Neil had 
discovered Frango mints and was musing that it was time for one.

"I'm going to hang around the drugstore all afternoon and eat candy and read
comic books." --Calvin
tyg   tyg@hq.ileaf.com
From: omni@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (Omniscient fool)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Re: Sam & Max
Date: 26 Dec 92 10:04:38 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz
NNTP-Posting-Host: ucscb.ucsc.edu


I'm looking forward to seeing new S&M stuff... yea!  Just so long as he
doesn't do a story on where Max keeps his gun.

How many of you Purcel fans have read Gumby's Summer and Winter fun special?
They were written by Purcel with art by Art Adams.  Amazing stuff.
"This is much bette than that cheezy cardbord polaris submarine."
"Ya, there was cardbord in the pool for weeks!  Your dad was sure mad."

And how many fizzball players are out there?

-- 
Craig Jackson      ---      Omniscient fool      ---      omni@ucscb.ucsc.edu
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: silbrmnd@acf3.nyu.edu (Darkmage)
Subject: re: Mr. Peanut sigs
Organization: New York University
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 06:08:02 GMT

I don't get it.  

I just don't get it.  

*DM ponders for a moment*

Nope, I still don't get it.

-Darkmage, the Eternally Confused
From: jrd@frame.com (James Drew)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Re: MISC: I'm bored - gimme something to read
Date: 23 Dec 92 22:11:52 GMT
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

Derrick Rowaldson (derrick@aupair.cs.athabascau.ca) writes:

>>- Bone.
>>  A must-read for anyone with an interest in comics as a continuum of 
>>history, a medium, a rich genre.
>
>Maybe, but try finding an issue of Bone in your average DC/Marvel comic
>book store. ie: I'd like to try it, but have no source for it.

Have you *asked* your store to order it for you, rather than waiting for it
to magically appear on the shelves (and get snapped up in 10 minutes by the
other people who have also been waiting for it)?  Your retailer *will* order
it for you, if s/he wants to keep your business; if your retailer won't or
"can't" (the Hell s/he can't) order it, then you need to find a new
retailer.

------------------------------
                             |     "What are the odds?!" said Tam, waving a
Jim Drew                     | piece of paper tape.  "*Three* fortunes in a
jrd@frame.com                | row, and *all* the same!"
(Furry: Randy Puritan)       |     I took the tape and read it aloud.
"Innocent, but not naive."   |     "Hershey... Hershey..."
B(2)h t c k s g+(p) rv p e   |     "He has *Ch*inese *c*ookies confused with
S8/5 g l+ y+ o+ a+ u++- j++  | *ch*ocolate *k*isses," I told Ron.
{opinions: mine != frame's}  |     "His alliterative attempts are *always*
                             | annoying," Ron replied.
                             |		- Marc Lynx, "Gaol House Rock"
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: panda@Micor.OCUnix.on.ca (Elizabeth Holden)
Subject: Re: "Sunk the Lowest" Award for 1992
Organization: M.B. Cormier INC.
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 92 07:34:18 EST

ultron@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Andrew H Krieg) writes:

> S.H.I.E.L.D. - Chicester and Guice were approaching Sterenko in quality.  Now
> 	       the book is absolute dreck.

Oh how true, how sadly true.  For a moment this series was something rare 
and delightful.  But only briefly.  And S.H.I.E.L.D.  could be SO good.

> LSH - 	       Someday, somehow, someone will return to us the Legion of
> 	       old.  Has there ever been a good comic story involving clones?
> 	       If so, I've yet to find it.



...Well, I'd say they're not doing badly, and have managed some extremely 
good bits with the clones.   Obviously you (and many others) woudl 
disagree with me..... But look at the bits in #40 with Brainiac 5 the 
younger and the SW6 Laurel; I'd call those bits of interaction.  Or even 
the Jo/Jo/Tinya hearbreaker bits.

Namaste,
Elizabeth


Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: panda@Micor.OCUnix.on.ca (Elizabeth Holden)
Subject: Re: "Sunk the Lowest" Award for 1992
Organization: M.B. Cormier INC.
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 92 09:13:57 EST

bgrubb@dante.nmsu.edu (GRUBB) writes:

> For the "Sunk the Lowest" Award for 1992 the selections include
> X-Man:  For the aborted 'who is the traitor' story and the Xavier walks
>       and becomes a cripple again in one issue idea.

But that was one of the *better* issues of X-Men this  year.

Namaste,
Elizabeth


Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: lab@pollux (Lab Administrator)
Subject: Re: The Shadow
Organization: University of Georgia
Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1993 09:02:23 GMT

jfurr@nyx.cs.du.edu (Joel Furr) writes:
>Conde Nast, the owners of The Shadow, told DC to either switch horses and
>put out a Shadow that was true to the character, as they promptly started
>doing with "The Shadow Strikes!" or stop publishing the character.

A friend of mine talked to Kyle Baker at a convention, and he (Baker) said,
"I don't know, all of a sudden Andy [Helfer] just stopped writing it."  If 
the series just HAD to be stopped, they could have at least picked a better
place -- the Shadow was dead in the issue immediately before, but they stop
the series IMMEDIATELY AFTER he was revived.
	The other thing that makes me wonder if the Conde Nast deal is
The Whole Story is that the cover of the issue is completely unlike the
previous ones.  "The Senses-Shattering Shadow?!?"  And the last issue was
so wacky, I wonder if they'd planned a whole new direction for the book or
what...

>Though I *loved* the Shadow Helfer/Baker series more than any
>other comic coming out at that time, I can see where they were coming
>from.  The Shadow as cyborg warrior fighting Shiwan Kahn as cyborg warrior
>might have been wildly wacky to read, I have no doubt, but it sure
>wouldn't have much at all to do with the Shadow as most fans of the Shadow
>pulps and radio shows knew him. 

Your point being...?  I've heard this said a lot about the Shadow, and I
don't get it.  I believe the whole series started because Howard Chaykin 
saw Frank Miller and Alan Moore re-vamping characters and he figured he
should be able to, too.  The Helfer series is MUCH more faithful to the
character (as I understand it)  than Chaykin's bizarro miniseries.  One of
the reasons I think the Helfer/Baker series (and to a lesser degree the
issues with Seinkewhatever) was so brilliant was that they were able to put
a lot of humor in, while still keeping the Shadow the dementedly serious,
ultra-violent character from days of old.

(And, of course, the writing and art were perfect --
two different guys working on the story, and it seemed like
"One Vision."  The reason the book was so funny was that half the time, the
humor came from the writing, and the other half, from the art.  Have Helfer
and Baker done anything else together other than the Shadow and
Justice, Inc?)

If the Conde Nast crackdown was the true reason for the Shadow's cancellation,
it seems completely hokey.  Besides, I would think a well-written, well-drawn
series would be more flattering to the Shadow than the lame, completely
bland and predictable Shadow Strikes! series.

--
		Chuck Jordan | jordan@castor.cs.uga.edu
"You're the most dangerous man I've ever met!  And you're wacky!"
						-- Speed Racer

Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: dani@netcom.com (Dani Zweig)
Subject: Re: "Sunk the Lowest" Award for 1992
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1992 22:55:44 GMT

lis@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Elisabeth Riba):
>The gimmick with Eclipso was that the sun's rays could destroy an
>Eclipso.  Like vampires.  Wait until the sun rises.  Or use these
>fancy "solar collectors" which worked like flashlights.  Then, Batman
>destroys an Eclipso by spraying him with "solar heated water"  And it works.
>
>I stopped reading Eclipso at this point.

But, but, this wasn't ordinary heated water.  This water was infused
with *Solar Radiation*!  (You have to consider the source. :)

Truly, this gimmick is part of a long tradition of exotic science in
comics.  One of the best of these, which was only recently brought to my
attention, was in Superman #165, in which Superman thwarts the Revenge
Squad by standing on his head:  "You see, I'd figured out that all
energy has two poles, a north and a south!  As the Man of Steel, I am
also a core of energy with two poles!...In my normal position the Squad's
invisible ray robbed me of my super-powers!  But when I was upside down,
the north pole of the beam came in contact with my south pole...and was
ineffectual!"

-----
Dani Zweig
dani@netcom.com

   The inability of snakes to count is actually a refusal, on their part,
    to appreciate the Cardinal Number system. -- "Actual Facts"
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: hunter@cse.uta.edu (David Hunter)
Subject: "Sunk the Lowest" Award for 1992
Organization: Computer Science Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 22:51:49 GMT

Now that the end of the year is upon us, how about some nominations for
the book that has sunk the lowest for this past year?  That is, the
book that has fallen off the most in terms of quality (however you
want to define that.)  My nomination goes to a Marvel book (of
course):  Fantastic Four.  Ugh.  

David Hunter
hunter@cse.uta.edu

Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: panda@Micor.OCUnix.on.ca (Elizabeth Holden)
Subject: Re: Gaiman's Library
Organization: M.B. Cormier INC.
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 92 05:31:10 EST

april@athena.cs.uga.edu (April Gutierrez) writes:

> Gee, if Neil's library is anything like Lucien's (don't I wish), then there

One of the subjects I enjoy in fiction is the fantasy library.  (Probably 
because I hang out in real libraries a lot.  And I mean *a lot*.  Do you 
get to be a librarian by squatter's rights? )  There are many fantasy 
libraries in literature, and Sandman's is one of the best.

> should be a volume in there entitled "Sandman: The Early Years"....can't
> help but wonder what the Endless were like in their younger (and perhaps
> less cynical) days...although I can't really imagine (off the top of my

Well, we've had hints!  I am intrigued by the notion of learning how they 
came into being in the first place.  Did they have births, and if so, who 
were their parents?  If they, um, sort of sprang into being, on whose 
wishes was it?  What mythology or supra-mythology are we dealing with 
here?

> head) what any of them (save Del) would be like in a younger incarnation
> (assuming they would want to look and/or act young at heart....)....this 
> book would of course have a coherent comsology and creation story (of the
> Endless - not necessarily the universe although I imagine the two are
> intimiately intertwined)....
> 


Well, we do have reason to believe (from The Books of Magic) that they 
are intertwined with the fate of the Universe.  Have we not been told 
that Death was the first being and will be last?

Namaste,
Elizabeth


Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: rdippold@cancun.qualcomm.com (Ron Dippold)
Subject: Re: Looking for Asterix comics
Organization: Qualcomm, Inc., San Diego, CA
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 07:29:58 GMT

murali@stretch.polymer.uakron.edu (Murali Cotah) writes: 

>I am looking for Asterix comics - Dalton, Walden bookstores do not
>carry them. Does any one know where i can shop for them. Price range?
>Can i get used [good condition] copies for less. Would appreciate an
>answer either as a posting or through E-mail to my address. Thanks in

Post if you find anything!  Bud Plant usually carries the latest one,
but only in hardcover (expensive) and none of the older ones.
-- 
It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.
From: v129j6ed@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (This is F.U.N.)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Re: Vertigo Preview
Date: 1 Jan 93 01:33:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1992Dec31.235717.13782@netcom.com>, dani@netcom.com (Dani Zweig) writes...
>(Beyond that necessitated by the fact that Animal Man, Shade, and
>most of the Doom Patrol are dead, that is.)  If the preview is any

Actually, Buddy is back, and grittier than ever. That's right with his
four books: Animal Man, the Adventures of Animal Man, Animal Comics Starring
Animal Man, and Animal Man: Man of Fur, you can rad about the adventure as four
different clones Buddy walk around in everyone else's book to try to bring up 
DC's sagging sales. ;)

(Note: Buddy is alive again, as a human being, as of this week's issue.
I wish Jamie Delano could right for all of Marvel, too. They need it.)

>Kid Eternity:  "The continuing tale of a dead-again adolescent."  
>Written by Ann Nocenti, which I consider a weak recommendation, but
>not a kiss of death.  The preview has the Kid informing two people
>who don't much like each other that they have the potential to produce
>a Buddha Baby -- and ought to give it a try.  My first impression is
>that this title will be feature facile writing and unlikable characters.

I was quite disappointed with the preview.  I liked the Kid Eternity 
mini-series that Morrison did a couple years back.  I also liked Ann 
Nocenti's past writing chores, but this seems to be forced.  The 
characters didn't flow.  I guess I can't make a judgment on a 2 page
preview.  I'll probably pick up the first few issues.

>Black Orchid:  I'll give this title a try, of course, since the
>mini-series was so good.  It's not clear how much connection this
>ongoing title will have to that mini-series.  The writer is different
>(who's Dick Foreman?) and Black Orchid has been rather pointlessly
>gifted with mind-control powers.  (And what kind of a death-wish
>pseudonym is "Flora Black"?)

This also falls into the same catagory as the Kid Eternity series. 
With a different and unknown writer(i have never heard of him either),
I will probably will be shooting craps with this title too. 

*******************************************************************************
"You gotta take Life Cereal, baby." - Smoking Banana Peels - Dead MilkMen
*******************************************************************************
Jef Kolodziej                    Cliche Dude                    The KaTeFan(tm)
v129j6ed@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu           State University of New York at Buffalo
History Major                                                  611 LaSalle Ave.
(716) 834-2606                                                Buffalo, NY 14215
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: scs@lokkur.dexter.mi.us (Steve Simmons)
Subject: Re: Why does PAD *stay* on the net?
Organization: Inland Sea
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 92 01:41:06 GMT

djdaneh@pbhyc.PacBell.COM (Dan'l DanehyOakes) writes:
 [[ his usual good job ]]

Just for the record, I've got to second Dan'ls remarks.  Peter Davids
dialog has kept me reading The Hulk long after the plots (and sometimes
the art) stopped working.

What drives me craziest about Davids plotting is the flashes of
brilliance.  The integration subtext that started with the Joe Fixit
stories kept me waiting anxiously for each new issue.  The sequence
with Bruce/Joe talking it out with Iron Man as mediator was fantastic.
It showed what *could* be done with the combination of MPD and the
superhero genre, and made it endlessly interesting.  To wrap it up
with 24 hours of therapy most of which happened "off screen" was
the exact quality opposite.

Is it my imagination, or has the quality of the overall plotting
gone down as David has become more prolific?  Since shortly after
the start of the Pantheon arc the Hulk has gotten darned dull.

And whatever happened to Street Singer Hulk, anyway?
-- 
 "When Dexter's on the Internet, can Hell be far behind?"
		-- Steve Simmons, scs@lokkur.dexter.mi.us
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc