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From: jrb@wdl1.UUCP (John R Blaker)
Newsgroups: net.comics
Subject: Fast Furry and Fractile
Message-ID: <167@wdl1.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 20-Feb-84 23:45:38 EST
Article-I.D.: wdl1.167
Posted: Mon Feb 20 23:45:38 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 23-Feb-84 04:32:03 EST
Lines: 71

ANOTHER FIGHTER ENTERS THE FRAY

or, Hi There, I'm Evelyn


Just a general Hello There and some opinions.  To start with, I may as well list
the comics I currently buy regularly:

American Flagg 
Thor
XMen
N.Mutants
moon knight
Cerebus
ElfQuest (color)
normalman
kitty/wolverine
Secret Wars
Camelot 3000
Judge Dredd
Elric
Jon Sable Freelance
(If it ever comes out) Cartoon Hist/Universe
Alpha Flight
Somerset Holmes

I'm also trialling Batman and the Avengers, which I'd given up on years ago.

Opinions:  Flagg, Wars, Dredd, Sable and Holmes all seem almost gratuitously
violent, but (with the possible exception of Wars) make up for it in quality.
Wars is not one of the great comics, but certainly isn't as bad as you folks
like to make it out.  Is it fashionable to pick on it this year (the way it's
been fashionable to slur Claremont for a while)?  The ideas are good, they 
just need a better scripter.  "I, CC the AM" etc. is a scripting problem only
& the whole comic is better than its scriptin (if you follow my spoor).  In
particular, it's nice to get things like Doom tagging after Galactus; Cyke
and the Xers defending Magnus from the other heroes; etc.; etc. 

normalman is a good idea, but I'm glad it's a miniseries.  It would be too
*%&(#%()&*)!!! much of a one-joke to handle a continuing series.

Elric and Cartoon History are my pets.  Larry Gonick is the funniest man in
comics.  I would recommend that anyone with two years of high school education
should read History; and also, his Cartoon Guide to Genetics.  Both are accurate
and informative almost beyond believing.

I don't like TT and never have.

I used to be a LSH fan.  When I was in grade school.  It might be very good
right now, but I can't deal with it.  It makes me feel like I'm back in grade
school and I **HATED** grade school.

I suppose I made it pretty clear below that I think Claremont is getting the
shaft in this net.  Loudly:  He's the best character writer wandering around
in professional comics right now.  Moench comes close, but relies too heavily
on insanity.  Sim is too busy being funny to make most of his characters real.
And Chaykin suffers from Jack Nicholson disease (See The New Film and Watch Jack
Invent Seven New Cuss Words!)

But watch Thor.  This Simonson guy knows what he's doing and, while 500%/month
inflation on his first issue as writer/artist is ridiculous, it isn't TOO
ridiculous.

That'll do for now.  When I get a better feel for this net I'll try specific
issue comments.  

Happy Tuesday,

Evelyn
(a modified dog)
(Not to be confused with jrb)