Art of Homage # 44: Uncanny X-Men # 268

As is often the case with X-Men cover art,

it gets recycled in their own books as much

as anywhere!

The Mashterpiece Theatre Project: DC '78

My original idea--as is often the case--has changed dramatically

since first conceptualized.

Like the publishing world since 1978, like the rest of the world....

everything transforms once touched by the outside.

I had wanted to recapture--actually mirror--the more innocent and

desirable days of 1978, before senseless fictional murders, rapes, and

continuous recalibrations became the norm. The comics community

seems determined to try and force their relevance and promote

their 'bad-ass' (wannabe) nature by striving for what is considered

'maturity,' 'sophistication,' or at least the vileness that passes for it

with pseudo-realistic comics.

Striving for a sophistication the medium inherently lacks, while

sacrificing all that's great about the medium in the process.

Explain to me how we need relevance and scientific explanation,

real-world violence and despair when we're dealing with a universe

of flying men, aliens, and endless super-powered battles and umpteen

resurrections?

Ah, I'm showing my age. Proudly.

I definitely feel that comics is a medium designed for (or at least

beholding to) shelf lives.

There is a need for closed runs and definitive endings; this stuff can't

go on forever, especially in the same form.

But we seem to avoid that concept.

Instead, everything's become homogenized and rehashed in order

to keep publishing endlessly.

Well, those old days will never be here again. We can homage them,

reprint them, fan fic them, and wax philosophic on them, but they are gone.

And thus, even the desired recapturing I imagined changed.

Which, in the end, is all for the best.

Art exists in the moment. That's the magic of it; an atmosphere, a

conceptualized sensation, brought about by the joining of artist and

audience. Trying to duplicate innate success never ends well. A copy

can't hold a candle to the original.

I received a lifetime of fond memories from the DC Comics of my

childhood; those exact stories, those exact creators, those exact

characters, mixed into my world at that precise moment. It's a

combination that was unique and personal and perfect. You can't

touch perfection without destroying it.

So, what you see now is the end result of a newly streamlined endeavor.

a 'unified' world, but hopefully plenty full of room for every voice to be

heard as distinctly and diversely as they were created to be heard.

A place for every concept to have its own corner to shine, maintaining

the flavor that made them real. Even if half the fun you have here is

picking it apart, have fun. That's the whole point.

You can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself.

Mashterpiece Theatre: DC '78

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Good Reads: "Life Sucks"

The original graphic novel "Life Sucks" by

Jessica Abel, Gabriel Soria, Warren Pleece, and

colorist Hilary Sycamore.

The best way to approach this book is to know nothing,

and simply take it like it comes; more rewarding that way.

It's a fun, intriguing, unique take on some old standards

that's entertaining and engaging for all ages.

But what I can tell you is that this is the story of

Dave, a slacker store clerk who is in proximity to a 

large collection of goths daily. He works the night

shift and has an interesting back story. And the ins

and outs of young life in Cali would be captivating

enough, but what if there's more?

***

Art of Homage # 43: X-Men # 101/50 (1st Phoenix, 1st Polaris)

(Uncanny) X-Men # 101 is usually the

homaged cover in question that most people

attribute to like images.

And, it is a classic, purely cool

Dave Cockrum cover spotlighting

the introduction of Phoenix.

But I say that image itself is owing in

at least part of its inspiration to the above

work by Jim Steranko, from X-Men # 50

from many years prior!

The composition is varied slightly,

but it's still the prominent debut of a

powerful (X) woman which has the other

characters beneath them in lesser positions!

"That's one HUGE cast you're sporting, there, buddy!"

A smattering of favorite issues and story lines

that had outrageously over sized casts...yet

still managed to handle the story well!

Wonder Woman (3rd series?) # 173-175,

"The Witch and the Warrior"

Phil Jimenez magic with Andy Lanning

and (pictured) Adam Hughes cover.

The JLA/Titans mini-series, "The Technis Imperative"

by Devin Grayson and Phil Jimenez

Young Justice #s 50 and 51,

by Peter David, Todd Nauck.

Avengers # 181

(and the ensuing buildup issues,

# 167, 168, 170-177, "The Korvac Saga" by

David Micheline, Jim Shooter, Bill Mantlo,

George Perez, Sal Buscema, and more!)

"JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice"

original graphic novel by

David S. Goyer, Geoff Johns, Carlos Pacheco

A beautiful rendering of the classic team-up

with characterization and interaction

depicting the teams' personalities and histories.

Guy Gardner, Warrior # 29,

with the grand opening of Warriors bar, featuring

cameos by nearly every DCU member at the time!

Featuring both the gatefold specialty cover

(opening to a Jimenez crowd scene) or

the regular edition featuring the homage cover.

"Project: Super Powers" from Dynamite Comics and Alex Ross

doing a splendid revitalization of a host of Golden Age

characters, including Daredevil and Black Terror.

The beloved "Defenders for a Day" storyline from

the 1970s, from "Defenders" #s 63-65, featuring

a slew of B and C characters of the day!

JSA: OUR WORLDS AT WAR Special # 1, featuring

nearly every legacy character of the time!

Great for Golden Age fans!

Hanna Barbera's "Laff-a-Lympics" featuring

the entire cartoon universe of Hanna-Barbera.

Published by Marvel Comics, Charlton, and more.

"Crisis on Infinite Earths," the standard-bearer and first

kitchen-sink-cast comic of this magnitude. Hated

the end result, but the cameos and art was stupendous.

James Robinson and Paul Smith's splendid

"The Golden Age" mini-series with a great

smaller human interest story, but with a

bunch of Easter eggs and a final scene that

delivers for 'big fight scene' fans.

Waid and Kitson's Silver-Age revamp with the

early days of the retconned Justice League,

featuring all the heroes of the age.

(Albeit conveniently deus-ex-machina'ed

into second banana status for the purpose

of this story.)

The original super-team-up at DC Comics

with a really cool story combining all the characters

previously featured in SHOWCASE!

Story by  Paul Kupperberg and Paul Levitz,

 and art by Joe Staton!

***