Creator Profile #2 Marshall Rogers

Hey there friends, another edition of the ultimate comics blog is here for consumption!! This creator profile features one of the best Batman artists of all time, Marshall Rogers. While he is best known for his work on Batman, Rogers, who had a background in architectural design, drew Gotham city with such a moody accuracy, that it became just as big a character as the dark knight himself. He and writer Steve Englehart did a mere six issue run on Detective Comics in the mid seventies and each issue is now considered a classic having been reprinted several times. His moody solitary Batman was the perfect counter to the maniacal Joker and his laughing fish of issue #475. Later in 2005, he would once again team-up with his old pal Englehart and do a limited series called Dark Detective in which Batman thwarts the Joker's plot to run for office. Aside from his work on Batman, Rogers did many fill-in issues and covers for Marvel and DC respectively. He did moderate runs on Mister Miracle for DC as well as an underrated run on Marvel's Silver Surfer in the late 80's. Rogers was a warm and friendly guy; I was fortunate enough to meet him a few years back, and he was very giving with his time and artistic gift. Sadly Marshall died suddenly in 2007 and the comics community lost one of the best artists of the seventies, as well as a premiere Batman creator. That's it for today true believers, but i'll return very soon with more great comic facts for you!!! Peace, B.M.T.

Comics That Only Need A Cover #2

Howdy friends! Another beautiful day in Boston! Well this installment of the Ultimate Comic Blog will take us all the way back to 1969, but first a little history lesson for you. Back in the 1960's DC created various new characters and placed them in a title called Showcase. Many of these heros were duds and were quickly forgotten (B'wana Beast anyone?). Others became classic heroes that still exist today (The Flash). For several issues starting with issue #73 each issue featured a character that soon got their own title. Issue #74 was the Anthro issue. Anthro is a caveman. Yep that's it. So easy Anthro could do it. Anthro #1 was released in July 1968, and promptly erased in 1969. The last issue is the one showcased today.

Anthro #6

This cover will always be one of the best because of the cat-fight! With art by Howie Post and Wally Wood it harkens back to the good old times when you could just sit back, "relax" and eat your turkey leg while two broads fought over you. Now it's all about saturday trips to Pier 1.But in all seriousness, that is why it's still a fun cover, it's absurdity. Thanks for taking the time true believers and i'll catch you later! Peace, B.M.T.

The Funny Books

For the second installment of The Funny Books, i've chosen a more recent offering. Superman/Batman Annual #1 from 2006. I know I went on a bit of a rant about the superiority of older books, but this one is just plain FUN!

Writer: Joe Kelly

Artists: Ed McGuinness, Various

Synopsis: Superman and Batman team up to thwart the efforts of Deathstroke and The Crime Syndicate.

The creators knew what they were doing with this book. This non-continuity tale takes place on a cruise ship with Clark and Bruce having to share the same stateroom and keep an eye on Lois Lane. Deathstroke the Terminator has been contracted out to kill Superman, so he shows up disguised as a waiter, waiting for the moment to make his move. The Crime Syndicate shows up to shake down the wealthy guests on this cruise, as well as another unnamed assassin. This assassin acts and resembles a certain "merc with a mouth" and basically gets in the way of Deathstroke earning his pay. I'm sure you can guess who wins, but the ending is too good to reveal here. All in all this is a hilarious take on an otherwise serious title and i would recommend grabbing this one next time you see it in the dollar bin. Well that's it for this edition folks, i'll be back soon with another DC book with... an AWESOME cover. Take care true believers, B.M.T.

Creator Profile #1: Lee Weeks

Hey everyone! Sorry about the delay in posting, i've been knee-deep in Ultimate Alliance 2. If you haven't played it yet, I would definately suggest playing on legendary. The bonuses are so much stronger and the challenge is well worth the time put in. But on to my first creator profile. I'm starting with an artist who many people aren't that familiar with, Lee Weeks. Lee started his work in comics in the 1980's working for the now defunct Eclipe Comics. He achieved a more mainstream success in the early nineties with his tremendously underrated work on Daredevil. His time on Daredevil was not as mass publicized as the "Born Again" storyline from 1987, however his line work and shading is equal at least to David Mazzucchelli's work on the title. After his time with Daredevil he worked on the original Gambit mini-series from 1993. I honstly haven't read those since they were released, but i remember them having good artwork. Lee has said that this was one of his favorite stories to work on and that it was something he was very proud of. Also in the nineties, Lee did a number of small projects for DC and Dark Horse Comics. These include various covers for Batman, as well as Tarzan vs. Predator and Magnus vs. Predator. A must read for any fan of his work is Spider-Man's Tangled Web issues 7 and 8 from 2001. The story is good, but more importantly the art is fantastic! Weeks puts so much emotion into the story with his detailed pencils and covers that are simply amazing. His more recent work includes a run on Captain Marvel, as well as some impressive covers for the Hulk. Lee weeks is one of the most solid artists of the past thirty years and i think that he does better work than artists with more name recognition that do essentially the same thing. He creates moody, emotional settings and doesn't try to make things complicated with too much flash. So if you're looking for something new to look at, definately check out the great lines of Lee Weeks. Ok true believers, i'm going to let you go now, but i'll be back soon with more great comics info for ya! Peace. B.M.T.

Comics That Only Need A Cover

In the second installment of my blog, i'll be highlighting comics that are awesome for only one reason, the cover. Since the days of the first published comics, the cover was a way to attract potential buyers and to spotlight the action within. Most comic collecters have a bunch of these issues in their collections, and these will be some of my favorites. Let's start off with the first of many to follow.

Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #101

This issue sports an amazing cover by John Byrne. Using a simple black and white pallette, Byrne captures the sensation of web-swinging around New York at night. The cover is also special because it is just one more reason to love the black symbiote costume our hero donned for the majority of the 80's. Byrne also used a similar effect on Alpha Flight #3 (pictured), but the feeling of adventure and excitement really grabs the reader in this now classic cover. If you don't own this one, then try to hunt it down. This is one of the best of that era.

Well i hope you've enjoyed this posting and i'll return soon with the third aspect of my blog. I'm going to showcase an artist or writer and spotlight why they're important to comics. Who knows, maybe we'll both learn something? Until next time true believers! B.M.T.

The Funny Books

So I've created a blog to chronicle my love of comics. More importantly, old comics. I find that when i go to my local comic shop, i usually leave empty-handed. Why is this? There are plenty of characters and artists i'd love to check out, but there is a major problem with the comics industry these days. Comics are no longer fun. Comics have the stigma of being "just for kids", but anyone who has picked up a recent Batman or Captain America knows that comics are now marketed for adults. Rape, ultra-violence, and the murder of major characters are all part of the norm in comics now, with each of the big two (Marvel and DC) competeing for the biggest shocker of the year. The big two have always been in this competition, but it just seems that now it's a race to shock the readers, not to entertain them. This is my first entry and each post will highlight a back issue that does what comics should do, entertain and make people remember why they started collecting in the first place, FUN! I won't highlight key issues because they have been reviewed and analyzed to death, instead i'll pick random issues from all ages to showcase. I think it would obviously help my blog if my readers can afford to purchase the books i showcase, and honestly would you rather pay $4 for a new book, or $1 for a classic story with great art and story?
The first in this series is Moon Knight #4 from February 1981.
Writer: Doug Moench
Artists: Bill Sienkiewicz & Klaus Janson
Synopsis: Moon Knight battles hired assassins hired by "The Committee"
This is such a fun book to read. Moon Knight has been targeted by the Committee, a devoius bunch of suits who have their interests in drug trafficking, illegal gambling, and the usual late 70's/early 80's nefarious plots. Moon Knight thwarted their efforts in a previous story and this time they've hired five mercenaries to kill our coweled hero once and for all. The assassins are multicultured and each has his own specialty. First you have "Boom-Boom", a jive-talking explosives expert(no relation to the X-Force character). Next "Razor" a wimpy blade freak and "Ice" a Tom Selleck-esque sniper. Our fearsome five are rounded out by "Dragon" a martial arts expert and "Bull" who is the classic comic book brute thug. I won't go into the details of this adventure, but I think it would be fun to hear your comments after you read this issue and determine whether or not you enjoyed it. That's what this is all about; having fun and reading good comics. Until next time true believers, B.M.T.