Redesigning Marvel Premiere Classics

Last week Trey Causey sent me a link to some flicker images where a graphic artist by the name of CalamityJon has come up with some fantastic looking redesigns for the DC Archives.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/calamityjon/sets/72157630180542364

Here is an example of his amazing redesign of the Flash Vol. 1 Archive:

For comparison, here is the original design that DC is currently using:

Quite an improvement! Seeing that got me to thinking that the Marvel Premiere Classic line of hard covers could benefit from such a makeover. Here is what they currently look like:

First the Bookstore edition:

And the version you will find in your local comic shop:

Here would be my redesign for the Project Pegasus hardcover showing the back cover, spine and front cover. One of the chief improvements I feel I've made is to make the back cover artwork more engaging.

 You can click the image to see the full sized version.

Here's another example of an existing MPC for John Byrne's run on Captain America.

First the local comic shop version:

And now my version.

Lastly, here are two designs for two MPC collections that DON'T exist, but I think should.

Spider-Man: FutureShock (a classic Marvel Team-Up storyline that I have mentioned here before )

 And one for the Fantastic Four's adventures on Counter Earth from the late 70's (a great storyline with art by George Perez)

I don't know if or when Marvel will ever get around to collecting these last two, but I eagerly await them - even though they will invariably have the same lackluster covers the others in the series have. ;)

- Jim

Caine's Commander Knight

Longtime Flashback contributor Caine emailed me with the news that he is now a published writer with a story coming soon in a pulp anthology! I was naturally eager for more details, so I took the opportunity to interview him  so I could share the news today.

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First, can you tell us about the company you are being published with and what is the name of your story?

Metahuman Press is the publisher who purchased my Commander Knight story.  It's entitled "The Commander of Knights" and is one of six other stories from fairly prominent authors in the "pulp anthology" circles.  

 Each author submitted a new and original character to the title Modern Pulp Heroes anthology.  My character was the Commander.

Who is Commander Knight?

Geoffrey Knight is the field commander of Knight Inc. Knight Inc. is a private organization that's been chartered by the United States Government to provide safety and security to any and all U.S. citizens who are in need of it.  Knight Inc. has a charter that is very similar to that of the Red Cross.  Geoffrey Knight is not only the field commander but also it's president and founder.  Geoffrey's lineage is long and distinguished, something that will come out in future stories.

What can you tell us about his world?

Like the Red Cross Knight Inc functions on both a National and International level.  Their headquartered in a fictional city known as Serpent City, named for the 'dragonesque' looking forms of transportation that slice through the city proper including: an aero-train which is propelled like an airplane suspended from a heavy duty track system, the Leviathan trains which are huge freight and people moving ground locomotives that were developed at the turn of the century establishing Serpent City as a major shipping hub of the west coast, and additional "serpent" inspired architecture and matching culture themed neighborhoods. 

The Commander offices out of Knight Tower which was built in the center of town.  He marshals several crews of employees that are organized like pieces on a chess board and who are the actual providers of the safety and security that Knight Inc is chartered to provide.  Everyone from engineers to safety patrolmen.  The Commander him self is often embroiled in much larger complicated Geo-political situations that threaten the safety of the entire world.  Often times his exploits are classified and never reported to the general public.

For readers looking for an easy hook, what would you say this story is similar too? (Comics, movies, books?)

My work pulls from every crafted piece of fiction, whether it be comics, movies, games, books, or television that I've greatly enjoyed over the course of my life time and I'd like to think that there's a little bit of everything in there.  I think it's fair to call The Commander a 'pastiche' of Doc Savage although I have taken every precaution to ensure the Commander's originality.  The hook would be Doc Savage + MacGyver.  Heck the Commander's right hand man is even called Mac.

How can people purchase a copy/read your story?

You can purchase a copy of the book Modern Pulp Heroes at Createspace by clicking here.  If some people would prefer a digital copy then I'd direct them to Smashwords by clicking here.  As I stated above, my story "The Commander of Knights" is simply one of six similar stories all packaged together.  

If your followers would like to check out what Commander Knight is all about for absolutely no cost at all - FREE - then I'd direct them to a much smaller story, slightly related to the story inside Modern Pulp Heroes, also on Smashwords absolutely free by clicking here.

Anyone interested can learn more about the Commander and follow his exploits by clicking here.

Thank you Caine!

Are Comics Becoming Too Toyetic?

Last week I was reading about events in Avengers vs X-men 5 wherein five X-men get Pheonixed (they get the powers of the Phoenix with appropriately stylized Phoenix looking costumes)



It feels a little toyetic, which is to say, the characters have been given a makeover which would be perfect for creating collectible action figures. I don't actually think there will be toy versions of this new look, but this gimmick of revampng characters with thematic costumes appears to be a trend.

For example, in Marvel's last event Fear Itself various heroes got Asgardian hammers and Tron looking costumes.


And again in Blackest Night, six heroes and villains got color coded power rings...



...and soon after, DC came out with a line of action figures based on the story:


And it not just in the event comics that I've been seeing these gimmicky makeovers. Currently, Spider-man has been running around for the last several months in an outfit that looks more befitting a Power Ranger.



I mentioned this to longtime Flashback Universe contributor Trey Causey, and he agreed...

Everybody gets some special bling so a new action figure can be made. Character changes have to be telegraphed. It's all the equivalence of Battle Armor He-Man or Deep Sea Adventure Batman.

I think telegraphed changes is the perfect way to describe this trend. Because things don’t really change in comics, the appearance of change has to be made more blunt so it will stand out. At the end of the day, there is no real difference between Red Hulk and Red She Hulk from their counterparts but the change in color makes it feel new.

This made me wonder was this sense of stasis present in the Bronze Age?

Without saying yes or no, here’s what I see as some big changes from the Bronze and Silver Age:

• Death of Gwen Stacy
• Death of Sue Storm’s second child
• Death of Swordsman
• Death of Adam Warlock
• Death of Norman Osborne
• Wedding of Reed and Sue
• Peter Parker leaves high school

It may be that the changes in the Bronze Age weren’t really much different than the non-changes we get now, but they felt more like change as, at the time, Marvel and DC weren’t so quick to bring back the dead. Many of those Bronze Age changes have never been undone. In other cases, it took more than a decade for some of the characters mentioned above to return from the dead. Also, when there was a big change, it was a natural part of the narrative and not an expected part of a sales driven event.
 
I would be curious what modern readers find so compelling in modern comics when they are so bereft of gravitas now? In a comics world were decade long marriages are undone by magic and heroes come back from the dead in next month's issue, where is the suspense?

- Jim

Top 5 Things That Prove The Inhumans are Boring.

With the astounding success of the Avengers movie, there has been a deluge of rumors going around suggesting what other Marvel teams might get tapped to become a movie. One that seems to be popular is The Inhumans.

However, I think Hollywood would have more success with a different team because a dirty secret of the comics world is that the Inhumans just ain't that exciting, and I can give you 5 reasons why.



One: They have never had a comic series which lasted longer than 12 issues.

First there was a brief run in Amazing Adventures for ten issues.



A title they SHARED with the Black Widow. However, it didn't take long before even this brief stint proved unsuccessful, and by issue 11 they were replaced by The blue haired Beast.

After that, they drifted in comics limbo until they were given another chance to carry their own comic. This time it was a full length series that ran bimonthy in the Bronze Age.



I really can't tell you much about this series as the only issue I ever was able to buy as a kid was number 11, wherein they fight a sentient cockroach.



Some of the artists who have worked on both series include such masters as Jack Kirby, Neal Adams and George Perez, but even those masters were unable to save the books from quick cancellation.

Two: For Two Decades, they were pretty much ignored by Marvel.

In the Bronze Age, it seems like Marvel was pumping out Giant-Size Annuals left and right. Almost ever hero or team had their own annual:



There are some notable exceptions to this rule, but by and large, most Marvel characters headlined an annual during this period. All the Inhumans managed to swing was a reprint appearance in Giant Sized Hulk Annual 2.

Later, during 90's, when Marvel was pumping out Annuals based around nebulous crossover events such as Atlantis Attacks, Days of Future Present, The Vibranium Vendetta, ect... Not a single Inhumans annual came out during this period. However, they did manage some guest appearances in The Fantastic Four Annual 18 and 21 (An Evolutionary War crossover).



Still, aside from the FF annuals, they didn't get much time on their own. Outside of a lone graphic novel in 1988, and back ups in What If, they were pretty much forgotten from 1977 to 1999.



It wasn't until the 1999 Paul Jenkins, Jae Lee mini-series that they headlined their own comic again. After than, they were back to guest-starting in every other Abnett/Lanning Cosmic storyline. Most recently, Jonathan Hickman made limited use of them in his current Fantastic Four run.

I think what their spotty publication history suggests is that readers like the notion of the Inhumans more than we really like the characters themselves. They work best as spice in the Fantastic Four's comic, but can't really carry their own narrative for long.

Three: Crystal, the hottest Inhuman chick around, sleeps with everyone BUT the Inhumans.

It's not like there are a lot of competition for men in the Great Refuge, so, why is it that Crystal feels the need to cross the street so much?

First there was Johnny Storm:

Note to Johnny. If your girlfriend starts dressing like you, it's a bad sign.

Then Quicksilver:

That's a scene that won't end well on facebook.

And now Ronan the Accuser:

At some point, you have to ask yourself, what does Crystal know that we don't?

Four: Maximus the Mad is a poor man's Loki.


Why do I have the feeling his favorite scent is the stench of failure?

Five: Triton, Gorgon and Karnak are D List at best.

Let's be honest. Despite all the covers like this:



We know Triton is no more special than a green Atlantean who swims in his boots.

Karnak, well, he's just a jerk.



And someone please tell Marvel no amount of face tats will ever make him any cooler.



And Gorgon. Jeez. Where to start.

• The dude has giant Goat feet, but feels like he can hide identity with a domino mask.
• He has the power to shatter matter he stomps on, but doesn't fall through the floor when he does it. How does that work exactly?
• He is wearing my grandmother's shawl.

The cover Fantastic Four 44 was the first (and last) time that guy elicited excitement from readers.



Because right after they flipped that cover, here's the goon waiting for them on page 1.



I guess in the hands of a writer who could ignore the historical precedent that these three guys have zero personality, maybe something could be done with them to boost their appeal. As it is now, they ain't really helping Black Bolt's Omph factor as his Entourage.

Summation: Look, I get that a lot fans, myself included, have fond feelings for The Inhumans, but when you look at just how dry the characters are and their lacking fictional legacy, you sort of realize that a lot of our fondness is based solely on nostalgia.

On the other hand. Black Bolt sure looks cool, doesn't he?

- Jim

Unseen Flashback Universe Art

Recently, I was contacted by a company that wanted to use some of the art from the Flashback Universe as material for a pitch meeting for a television series. After signing the appropriate contracts, I then reviewed loads of artwork Pierre has sent me over the years and sent the company what I thought was some very nice images to use for their pitch. While doing this, I found several pages of art that readers of this blog may have never seen before, so I'm going to post them today for you all to enjoy.

First  up, this amazing battle scene with the Golden Age Flashback Universe characters (who I often refer to as the Wayback Universe) versus the U-Bolts. This image actually appeared in our zuda pitch in a smaller version, but it's easier to see the neat details Pierre put in with this version.

Next up, here is a cover of a Flashback Super Villain Two In One based on an idea from Jason Wright.

At one time Pierre and I talked about doing a Flashback Backstory for the Artifact. Here's a page Pierre created for that story.

While not a Flashback Universe creation, Mister Crimson is definitely one that I wished I had created which is why I was glad to host the web comic here. Seth Sherword and Diego Tripodi really put a lot of nice work into that web comic, and did a outstanding job hitting their weekly deadlines. However, on the occasion that they might be running a bit late, I would get other creators to step in with a piece of art. Here is one Pierre did which is a homage to the classic Dr. Fate/Hourman Showcase story.

Finally, here are two pages from our first Zuda project Kharon, Scourge of Atlantis. Looking through the file folder, I was surprised at how far we got with this project before circumstances caused forced us to stop. I could see picking this project back up again in the future.

I have quite a bit more, but I'll save it for another post someday.

Bonus: In honor of Memorial Day (which we will be observing tomorrow in the USA), enjoy this older Free Comics Monday post dedicated to the spirit of the holiday.

- Jim

Honor Brigade: Space Fight!

For whatever reason, I seem to get a lot of emails that basically run like this...

...Hello, I am going to start my own comics with a cohesive super hero universe, but it's going to be different than Marvel and DC because I'm going to put the fun back in the comics...

I'd say, for most people, that email is probably about as far as they ever get. Very few actually deliver on their promised goal. That's because putting together a comic is very, very hard. It's not only expensive, but you also have logistical issues to deal with (artists schedules, lettering, publishing, ect...)

So, when I see someone actually succeed in their goal as well as writer Tom Stillwell and artist Jethro Morales have in Honor Brigade: Space Fight #1, I am summarily impressed!

I discovered this comic while looking at comic book projects on Kickstarter.com and I was lucky enough to be able to be able to get a pdf version of the comic for the modest  donation of $5.00. This was the first time I had ever heard of The Honor Brigade, but apparently, Tom has been working with his own universe of characters for quite some time over at www.honorbrigadecomic.com where he has other comics and graphic novels available for purchase.

You never know what you are going to get with self-published comics. Sometimes, it's just the 88th incarnation of Spawn or Batman with little to no innovation. I'm happy to say, that's not the case here. Honor Brigade is comic that reminds me of the best of the off brand comics I remember from the glory days of the industry. If you told me this was a lost Ultraverse or Valiant comic from their publishing heyday, I could totally believe it. In all honesty, it has the feel and pacing of the legendary Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League.

Check out this Giffenesque exchange between Toyboy and Lightning Rod (click to read at full size)

The plot is straightforward enough that if gives Stillwell the room to introduce a dizzying array of characters to the reader without getting bogged down in back story. I sense that Stillwell, like myself, understands his audience doesn't need each and every characters origin spoonfed to them in the first outing. What we want is to see the archetypes interact in a fun and engaging way, and The Honor Brigade delivers on that in spades!

In many ways, this comic reminds me of Invincible. Not in its level of violence, but in how it plays superheroes straight and never tries to parody the genre or slip into meta textural commentary. The art also has the same light touch that makes Invincible easy to read. Morales has a style that is clean and simple, yet dynamic enough to make the pages fun to look at. He also does an amazing job giving each and every character a distinct look and feel which is quite a task when you are dealing with the huge cast that Stillwell has dreamed up!

If my review still hasn't swayed you, you can always read free samples at HonorBrigaded.com for yourself. Do yourself a favor and check it out!

- Jim

Pierre vs The Avengers

Editor's Note: As promised, Pierre has found some time in his animation schedule to give us his thoughts on The Avengers. - Jim

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Avengers Assemble! The classic Avengers rallying cry is missing from the movie. And the absence of these two words sum up what was missing for me in the Avengers movie. If it was a more classic take on the Avengers, I might be one of those who think this is the best movie ever made, but there is too much Ultimates in the Avengers movie for my taste.
That kept the fanboy in me in check and allowed me to see that movie without some rose colored lenses - although I did see it wearing some 3D lenses.

Don’t make that mistake! The 3D in that movies is pointless. Just as it was pointless in the Captain America and the Thor movies. Dark movies + 3D = NOT A GOOD IDEA!!! So do yourself a favor, don’t see that movie in 3D unless you really have too.

Is it a bad movie?? No. Absolutely not. Is it a great movie??? I don’t think so either. It is a good action flick with a pretty basic plot (villain wants to conquer the world, An unlikely group of Heroes get together to stop him) and some fun moments.

Let’s start with what I did not like:

Although the Ultimates elements did not come as a surprise. Previous films already had some Ultimates elements (Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Ultimate Hawkeye in Thor), so it was no surprise that this film felt more like seeing the Ultimates then the Avengers. If I was a fan of the Ultimates, I most likely would not mind it. But I am more of a classic Avengers fan. The first part of the movie feels pretty much like “The Adventure of SHIELD (guest starring the Ultimates)”.

Give me a Hawkeye wearing his trademark purple suit and some Skrulls as opposed to some Chitary, and I would have been a happy guy. That is one of the things that I love about the Avengers cartoon, although the animation is awful, Hawkeye is Hawkeye in that show.

And I did find it tedious how they had to slowly reintroduce all the characters. I thought that was the point of the previous films to introduce all the characters. But I can understand how they wanted to play it safe and introduce all the characters for those who may not have seen the previous films.

I read online how they had to cut out about 2 hours from this movie. And that does not surprise me. A lot of time I thought that the transition from one scene to the next was off somehow, . As if something was missing in between. So I can only guess that we can expect an extended version of the movie at some point.

And can someone explain to me Banner’s “secret”?? How he is always angry?? If he was always angry, wouldn’t he always be “the other guy”??
I don’t get it.

And now what did I like about that film?

The first time I saw Cap, Iron-Man and Thor together, I had goose bumps.
Loved every frame with Steve Rogers/Cap. Can’t imagine anyone else in the role now. The same with Tony Stark/Iron-Man.


Loved Loki. You could feel the venom dripping from his mouth. And when he gets people to kneel, loved it. And Thor and Bruce Banner the 3rd were pretty good too.

Other then being pretty, I did not care much about the Black Widow. Oops, this is supposed to be about the parts that I like. Sorry. ;)

The movie had some good action scenes and some fun moments with the characters. The scene when Hulk grabs Loki and goes “bang” “bang” “bang” with him was priceless.


And whenever Cap throws his shield, I really get a kick out of it. When I was playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance, I would use Cap and I loved throwing his shield around.
This movie is a must see for any Avengers/Marvel/Comic fans. And from the looks of it, Marvel will make a gazillion dollars with this movie. So it would seem that Marvel’s gamble paid off.

Now if only Warner/DC could make that darn JLA movie now. ;)

(Note: This poster comes from Daniel Morpheus. click to see full size version. )

Until next time.

Pierre