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Title: The Adam Strange Archives - Volume 1 by Gardner Fox ISBN: 1-4012-0148-2 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 March, 2004 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (3 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: One of the Finest Archives so far...
Comment: Wow.
i was waiting and hoping that someday DC would do right for this character and these stories and they have.
i first ran into Infantino stories from reprints in late 60s/early seventies Strange Adventures.
i used to buy beat up copies at the local flea market on the cheap purely for reading material and became hooked by Infantino's slick, fine lined, modernistic style- which for once perfectly complements the characters and milieu, as well as for the tight, fast paced, and very creative scripting.
i quickly realized that Adam Strange stories were just plain fun to read with oodles of wit and a refreshing lack of the usual cheese found in DCs pre-Denny O'Neil/"relevant" work.
While a good chunk of the book (the first 87 pages) features the first stories illustrated by Mike Sekowsky, the Sekowsky on display here looks a little more refined than the Sekowsky that i know from Justice League.
he seems to be operating in a Ross Andru/Al Toth mode, and his page breakdowns look a tad more sophisticated, and his anatomy less clunky.
not bad, but once the Infantino work kicks in the book really soars.
i've purchased about 10 of the archives so far- there is a ton of great work reprinted in these from Jack Cole to Joe Kubert, CC Beck to Gil Kane, Reed Crandell, Jack Burnley, etc but the work here- both story and art, puts this book at the top of the heap for me.
i agree- Vol 2 can't come soon enough!!!!!
just one request, if anyone from DC is listening- how about collecting the Gil Kane Batgirl back-ups form the late 60s/early 70s Detective Comics?
great work in there, would be a shame to let them gather dust in the vaults.
Rating: 5
Summary: One of the Best Archives so far!
Comment: Of all the characters in the DC Mythos, Adam Strange is one of the most endearing. He has no super powers, yet he is a super hero. He has a combination of Jet Rocket flying (like Commando Cody); teleportation to his work site via Zeta Beam (like John Carter to Barsoom); and lots of cleverness and brains to work through those everyday drab problems that menace his planet (smarts like Batman). He has a REAL girlfriend (dare I say 'lover'?) as an equal in every adventure, so there is a romantic twist in every story.
What more could you want?
Well, there is a LOT more. The stories, for the most part, are fantasticly scripted by that master Gardner Fox. And the artwork-- ah yes, the artwork! As the series evolved so did the art! It started with covers by Gil Kane and interior pencils and inks by Sachs and Sekowsky, (later of Justice League of America fame). Then in came Carmine Infantino. While this improved the artwork immensely while his pencils were being inked by Joe Giella and sometime Bernie Sachs, it was when the brilliant Murphy Anderson stepped in to embellish the flamboyish Infantino that comic book art hit it's zenith. Once those two also started doing the covers, Adam Strange adventures became something to treasure whenever they hit the comic book racks. It was, and is to this day, inspirational.
This first archive of Adam Strange starts with his appearances in Showcase, and then his evolution as the recurring and starring character in Mystery in Space. For the most part in this archive, all of the stories are about nine pages in length, so there are a LOT of stories here. Gardner Fox practically drove many youngsters to desire previous issues they may have missed, because it would seem that each story had at least ONE back reference to a previously published story; and if you missed it, you were not getting the entire idea of what was going on! This only made us youngsters collect every Adam Strange story they could, and may have been the start of the comic-collecting days in our society!! So to have these first stories collected in one place is like finishing a puzzle you put down 40 years ago because you lost a few pieces. Very satisfying.
Towards the end of the archive you will see Adam Strange as what he will be remembered as; heroic, brave, smart, well-drawn, and always under control. Not one of those 'retcon' figures.
Here's hoping that the DC Archives publishes volume two soon! Many of us have been waiting YEARS just for this one; don't make us wait too much longer for the next one!!!
Rating: 5
Summary: Out of this World Archive Edition
Comment: One of the best Archive Editions of DC's secondary characters. Rereading these wonderful stories starting in 1958 Showcase and moving into a long run in Mystery in Space brings a real appreciaton for the creative team of Julie Schwartz, Gardner Fox, and Carmine Infantino. Adam had no superpowers other than a cool jetpack and raygun. He generally overcame the threats to his adopted home of Rann by outhinking his opponents in clever and unusual scripts by Fox. The relationship with Alanna is unique because she is an equal partner with him in his battles-way ahead of the 1960s womens lib movement.Their relationship is integral to the stories and always bittersweet because Adam inevitably returns to earth when the Zeta-beam wears off. Infatino's artwork is elegant and lyrical with beautiful futuristic cities and alien landscapes. This book shows the effect of different inking styles on Infantino's pencils with Murphey Anderson stealing the show. Even though Adam owes his heritage to Buck Rodgers and Flash Gordon, there is a unique cold war post-sputnik tinge to these stories that is interesting to ponder from the vantage of 2004. Quirky, wonderful scripts, art by Infantino at his best, and one of the best Silver Age love stories ever-Please get volume 2 out fast!
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Title: Challengers of the Unknown Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions) by Dave Wood, Jack Kirby ISBN: 1563899973 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
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Title: Atom, The - Archives, Volume 2 by Gardner Fox ISBN: 1401200141 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
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Title: Supergirl - The Archives, Volume 2 by Jerry Siegel ISBN: 1401200001 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
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Title: Doom Patrol, The - Archives, Volume 2 by Arnold Drake ISBN: 1401201504 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 May, 2004 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
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Title: Sgt. Rock Archives, The - Volume 2 by Robert Kanigher ISBN: 1401201466 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
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