Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!hpda!fortune!wdl1!jrb 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)