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James Woodcock
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Joined: 21 September 2007
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Posted: 27 March 2020 at 12:40am | IP Logged | 1 post reply
For the most part yes. There were scenes where Marlene worries that
he was being lost to the different roles & the lines were becoming
blurred. But not to the degree later writers fixated on this one aspect
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James Woodcock
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Posted: 27 March 2020 at 2:53am | IP Logged | 2 post reply
Re Engleheart and the Fantastic Four - I couldn't get
into his stories at all - they just seemed so
disappointing after JB's excellent run.
And then it became very clear something was not right
behind the scenes when he started calling himself
Jonathan Harkness - he wasn't having a good time and
neither were the readers.

They should have just called it quits and ended the
pain.

I did enjoy his initial issues of the Silver Surfer
(although I do remember my brother being outraged that
they just showed his face smiling as they managed to
breach the 'barrier' for the first time. He wanted a far
more Jack Kirby panel for that momentous event).

Once Jim Starlin took over though, wow. That title
became something else.
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Greg McPhee
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Posted: 27 March 2020 at 2:52pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply
I guess that Marvel didn't have anyone to replace Engleahrt on the FF. Issues 322 - 333 are just well below par. I know he took his plots from West Coast Avengers and put them and Mantis (a character I could never warm to) in to FF to finish them off.

West Coast Avengers went downhill rapidly as well due to the internal disputes. It was always a bit more of an eccentric title compared to the Stern / Buscema / Palmer run in Avengers, anyway. After the Lost in Space Time saga that title also began a downward trend.
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Greg McPhee
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Posted: 27 March 2020 at 3:00pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply
Back to the thread. 

Started Moon Knight by Moench and Sienkiewicz today, and already up to issue 5. Holds up well.
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Rick Senger
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Joined: 16 April 2004
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Posted: 27 March 2020 at 3:23pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply
Cool to hear some Moon Knight discussion. I recall quite enjoying those Moench / Bill S. issues, particularly when Bill S. was penciling and inking. Morpheus, Xenos and Black Spectre were all memorable foes / issues. After Bill S. left I quickly moved on and never even tried later iterations.
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Stephen Churay
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Posted: 28 March 2020 at 12:58pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply
Took time to read the Jim Aparo and Jim
Starlin story from BATMAN 417-420.
TEN NIGHTS OF THE BEAST!
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Greg McPhee
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Posted: 29 March 2020 at 5:03am | IP Logged | 7 post reply
Cool to hear some Moon Knight discussion.

=====================================================

Rick, my overview / review of Moon Knight so far issue #'s 1 - 16. Bit more detail as I have lockdown time on my hands.

I never quite understood the labelling of Moon Knight asMarvel's “Batman” since I felt he had his roots more in the occult pulps andwas their version of The Shadow instead

# 1 - The Macabre Moon Knight - Moon Knight's origin is detailed for the 1st time. The issue introduces Frenchie, Marlene Alraune, Betrand Crawley, Gena Landers and arch nemesis Raoul Bushman in to the origin even though some had appeared before. Moench offers up a straightforward, easy to follow story that establishes the status quo, and does not require the reader to have read previous MK stories.

Sienkiewicz is still in his early phase - many peopleconsidered him to be a Neal Adams clone, not that there was anything wrong withthat. I'm not sure I see Adams specifically, but it's definitely a morerealistic style of art and he does a lot of good stuff with shadows.

I would consider Raoul Bushman one of the scarier villainsto come out in this period.

Also he's an African warlord (there are lots of them in thereal world) and one of the few African villains not to be a Black Panther foe.

# 2 - The Slasher - Moon Knight stops a man that has been killing New York's homeless. The issue introduces Gena Landers kids, has nice art by Sienkiewicz, but is a fairly routine "hero tracks serial killer" story. Not bad. Just workman like.

# 3 - Midnight Means Murder - Introduces another member of MK's rogues gallery, The Midnight Man, a psychotic art thief. Great art by Sienkiewicz, and Moench clearly building up MK's world with the Midnight Man. The villain and his motives were interesting. 

As an aside, Moench seems to have taken the concept of the Midnight Man and spread it across Nocturna and The Thief of Night in his 1983 - 1986 Batman run. Read this issue and the Batman issues introducing them and you'll see the similarities.

# 4 - A Committee of 5  - "The Committee", the group that hired Moon Knightto go after Werewolf By Night in Moon Knight's first appearance, hires a crewof specialized assassins to get vengeance for Moon Knight's betrayal. 

Sienkiewicz gives a very strong Neal Adams look and feel to this issue.

Moench revises MK's origin and 1st appearance to marry in with issue # 1 of this series, and take care of some of the continuity snags from the Werewolf by Night issues. It works well and doesn't contradict what we have seen in this series so far, or invalidate any earlier appearances.

# 5 - Ghost Story - MK chases two bank robbers through a supposedly haunted house. The house is "haunted" by a crazy elderly lady.

Fairly routine again in terms of story, but Moench and Sienkiewicz make it entertaining and there are two good twists along the way

Issues 6 - 10 up next time!!!
 



Edited by Greg McPhee on 29 March 2020 at 5:04am
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Ben Herman
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Posted: 29 March 2020 at 11:09am | IP Logged | 8 post reply
I've been re-reading Thor and Thunderstrike by Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Joe Sinnott, Al Milgrom & friends. I absolutely loved these comic books when I was in high school in the early 1990s. Re-reading them as a 43 year old, well, okay, they're definitely on the silly side, but I still find them enjoyable. DeFalco was obviously writing for a teenage audience, so those books were perfect for me back in the day. I can appreciate the fact that when so many other writers were dragging super-heroes kicking & screaming into "mature" and "adult" territory, DeFalco was mostly keeping his stuff appropriate for a pre-college demographic.
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James Woodcock
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Joined: 21 September 2007
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Posted: 07 April 2020 at 6:23am | IP Logged | 9 post reply
Comixology have a double whammy on Marvel at the moment.
Fantastic Four collections at around 50 to 60% off
coupled with a buy one get one free code that ends
tonight (MARVEL2020 is the code for those interested).

I've just got the whole of JB's run in collection format
9 collections) for around £30 (I already have the
individual issues and the first omnibus, but I find that
I only read digital now).

Guess I'll be binging this along with Babylon 5.

Incidentally, there is also a boat load of collections
that are completely free - including Dark Phoenix and
The Kree/Skrull War.
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Greg McPhee
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Posted: 07 April 2020 at 6:33am | IP Logged | 10 post reply
I'll have to get on that one, James.

I also need to complete my overview of Moon Knight on here now as well. As I've finished the Moench / Sienkiewicz run.

Now to decide on my next one.
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Dave B Stewart
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Joined: 27 May 2004
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Posted: 07 April 2020 at 6:52am | IP Logged | 11 post reply
but I find that I only read digital now).

*****

What device do you use for digital?
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Ben Herman
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Posts: 113
Posted: 07 April 2020 at 7:27am | IP Logged | 12 post reply
I finished the Thor run last week, and I'm now reading Thunderstrike by Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Al Milgrom & friends. Yes, it's unequivocally Tom & Ron attempting to take Silver Age Marvel and turn it into an early 1990s mainstream title, but it's enjoyable. I can enjoy it for what it is, a fun, melodramatic, slightly goofy superhero book.
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