Missing in this issue: the crossover with The Question.
Radioactive Man 80 pg. Colossal
Bongo Comics Group (1995)
Remember those 80 page giants DC used to do in the Silver Age? This is quite obviously a parody of those comics, where they would show one story from a multi-story comic and collect them for readers who missed those issues. I’ve covered a few here at the Spotlight that had Millennium Edition replicas. This one contains five stories and some bonus features.
When I grew up and into the 90s there were plenty of action shows for older kids. Today it’s usually either shows for younger kids or shows for adults (or shows for adults pretending their shows for younger kids but are just meant to make adults feel like they “made it better”), while the action shows for older kids have been limited to Disney XD, maybe Power Rangers on Nickelodeon, and one or two Netflix shows unless you can find those older shows or will settle for comedy? Even some of those “action shows” have to be more goofy than the stuff I grew up with that often gets slapped with “goofy” or “campy” by people who don’t know the meaning of the words sometimes. I stumbled upon an old article from Digital Spy (linked in a different article I was reading) discussing the same issue back in 2016.
I want to note right at the outset that this is not confirmed, nor is it even rumor. It is speculation on the part of the original article writer that I am responding to. There has been no announcement that WarnerMedia, the AT&T merger between itself and the Warner Brothers juggernauts (like HBO, which may be what AT&T is really interested in) that has only been in place a few months. Warner Brothers of course owns Hanna-Barbera and its libraries, including the Ruby-Spears library HB bought before being purchased by Time Warner, which was Ted Turner’s running of…you know what, never mind. If we’ve learned anything this year is that media copyrighting was crazy long before all these different mergers and splits and re-mergers. Trying to follow it is either the job of a genius or a lunatic. I rank somewhere between that so let’s move on.
At issue is this article by Forbes contributor Rob Salkowitz, who I think also writes for ICv2 come to think of it. In the article Salkowitz discussed DC Comics’ placement at this year’s San Diego Still Vaguely About Comics-Con. (Comic Con has been more about sci-fi and fantasy genre movies and TV shows, with the comic appearance more out of tradition. At least that’s how it feels these days.) It made the writer wonder if maybe AT&T/WarnerMedia is questioning holding on to the sinking comic company. While DC and co-publisher Dan DiDio have certainly damaged the brand with his approach to the DC Universe over the years and the writers he’s brought in to steer the direction of the DCU away from what made their universe so popular, I’m not so convinced by the actual “evidence” involved. Still, if DC isn’t fixed soon that prophecy might come to pass.
Okay, we need to discuss the naming issue here. As you’ll see, the cover reads Robotech Macross Missions: Excalibur Quaking Thunder. The inside cover reads Macross Missions: Excalibur II (a Robotech Adventure) with the story titled “Quaking Thunder”. The indicia says Robotech: Excalibur II #1 (A Macross Macross Missions Adventure) and the previous issues of this story also had Macross Macross Missions so it’s not a simple typo. And on every page at the bottom it reads Macross Missions Excalibur #2. For crying out loud JUST CHOOSE A NAME!
Academy Comics (July, 1996)
WRITER/ARTIST: William Jang
Oh I wish we could get a proper adaptation of this story.
This is going to take a slightly longer breakfast (the video clocks in at a little over 45 minutes) but when I see something that gets into the heart of what makes Superman great AND pushes back against his critics and haters, I need to share it with the world. SF Debris just yesterday posted a review of Superman Vs. The Elite, a direct-to-video movie adapting the comic story “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, And The American Way?”, a story that in either form explains just WHY we need Superman more than ever in his iconic state and why if someone came along with his powers we’d pray that he followed Superman’s philosophy.
The review itself also looks at our modern world and shows how we ARE getting better as a people despite all the horrible things we see in the news lately. Extremists and crazy people (sorry for repeating myself) are a huge problem on pretty much every perspective imaginable from political to geek culture but the species as a whole have made great advancements. So maybe Superman is right to see the good in us even when evil manifests?
image source: Multiplayer.it by way of TFW2005
The old expression of “I don’t know much about art but I know what I like” describes me easily. Are stories art? I don’t know, I just enjoy good stories. I guess it’s the “Apple Jacks” argument but it works for me. That’s why when Roger Ebert falsely claimed that video games can’t be considered art, I just ignored it as a dumb statement from a man who once wrote a horrible movie but still judged everyone else’s movies. (At least I know my work isn’t that great. It took years just to get to “I’m willing to share this with others”.) Of course video games are art. They can convey emotions, be used to impact the lives of others, and as the medium has improved so have the graphics. I think all forms of art are covered. You might as well say animation is not art. Just make sure your armor is good shape and your ducking behind the right object.
Apparently George R.R. Martin has brought the “video games aren’t art” nonsense from the novelist’s perspective, despite the fact that I hear he’s actually working on a video game at the moment, and there are games based on his work. Maybe he’s seen those boring Game Of Thrones browser game ads. However, video games tell a story in a way no other medium does. In fact across the whole spectrum of currently existing formats of media–television, movies, books, video games, comics, audio dramas, stage plays, role-playing, LARPing, web series, and probably some I’m not remembering right now–each can do something the others can’t and naturally vice versa. I wasn’t going to do a second video this week but The Closer Look just put out a great response to Martin’s claim and I felt the need to share it. WARNING: Some written swearing in this video.
Captain Kirk runs into Santa’s elite guard.
Star Trek: Year Four #2
IDW Publishing (August, 2017)
Look, I know IDW doesn’t really like giving their stories titles, but this is STAR TREK! Even crappy episodes have had good titles! Screw it, I’m calling it “The Crystal Cold”.
WRITER: David Tischman
ARTIST: Steve Conley
COLORIST: Leonard O’Grady
LETTERER: Neil Uyetake
EDITOR: Dan Taylor
The Clutter Reports (my other site) Atop The Fourth Wall Crisis On Earth Prime Lean Into Artcast Bully Says “Comics Oughta Be Fun” Siskoid’s Blog of Geekery
Cartoon Hero’s Lair SF Debris Four Million Years Later
