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From: moriarty@fluke.UUCP (The Napoleon of Crime)
Newsgroups: net.comics
Subject: "WARNING, WILL ROBINSON!  MORIARTY REVIEWS APPROACHING! (Part 2)"
Message-ID: <221@vax2.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 10-Jan-85 02:10:19 EST
Article-I.D.: vax2.221
Posted: Thu Jan 10 02:10:19 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 13-Jan-85 06:45:13 EST
References: <195@vax2.fluke.UUCP>
Reply-To: moriarty@fluke.UUCP (The Napoleon of Crime)
Distribution: net
Organization: Somewhere in Soho
Lines: 210

OK, here are rest of the reviews:

------------------------------------------------

"There *are* standards.  If you can't see one, you *make* one and stick to
 it come Hell or high water -- until you see a BETTER one."

						-John Gaunt

****************************************************************************
|==>A< One of the best of the year. Example: Byrne/Claremont's Starlord    |
|==>B< A very good issue, one of the best of the month (usually 6/month)   |
|==>C< A well done, entertaining issue.  Satisfying.  Example: Jon Sable   |
|==>D< Rather boring, or a few good spots mixed with more bad ones. Ex:Mars|
|==>F< Boring AND stupid or childish.  Example: Secret Wars.               |
|==>Z< Actually offensive.  Example: Several of Haney's UNKNOWN SOLDIERs   |
****************************************************************************
--------

MACROSS #1 [F]:

Now, some of you who see this will go, "Eh, he just doesn't like giant
robots."  Partly true, but I came close to giving this my coveted 'Z' award
for actually offending me; I'm going to hold off until three issues of this
are out of the way.  I'll tell you this, though, they're on their way...

Now why do I dislike this so much?  For one major reason: I *love* Japanese
animation.  I can even, at times, put up with pap like "Pole Position" on
Saturday morning to watch the beautifully detailed work.  This is nothing
compared to my admiration for the "Kimba" and "Yamoto" shows (and, to a
lesser degree, our old buddy Speed and "Eighth Man"); those really made my
afternoons when I was 10, and I can still watch "Kimba" with no harumphing
whatsoever.  I saw the "Galaxy Express" movie and was extremely impressed
(and somewhat moved).   I would also cause mass mayhem if someone would do a
full translation of "Captain Harlock" for those of us who appreciate great
animation with a great story and characters and (constant ranting from here
on out...) -- I happen to have seen one episode from a video anthology that
was translated, and it was great.  Oh, yes, 'Macross'.  Well, this is
supposed to be the comic edition of a Japanese series that I haven't seen,
that will be hitting the states soon.  The author/translator, in the opening
page, explains that he and his creative team were so taken with it that they
threw all else to the wind and turned this out.  There is one major thing I
am sure is wrong with it, and one major thing I think is wrong with it: the
art and the writing (perhaps I should say the translation -- the Japanese
author of the series should not be responsible for Carl Macek's problems),
respectively. 

The art first: it has amateur written all over it, and it is all the worse
because it tries to do an imitation of the Japanese form of comic art, and
fails miserably.  Several frames of it made me shudder, simply due to their
attempt to imitate this certain style, and the depth of Svea Stauch's
failure.  Bad.  Do not take this to be an example of Japanese animation art
for those of you checking it out in the first place.  Baaad news.

I think what Carl Macek needs to understand is that a good translator is not
a person who has such a brilliant grasp of the language as to be able to set
it down word-for-word.  A good translator catches not only the wording of
the original work, it catches its style and its feeling, and writes it in
the second language in just such a way as to capture this feeling and
relight it -- the same flame, but in a different lamp.  I read several of
Simenon's works in both languages, and it lets one see just how much a good
translator can do for a book.  Carl Macek shows just how much a poor
translator can do (however, to be fair,  Carl may be writing from the
English-language version of "Macross", so that is why I am not sure I wish
to condemn him right off).

In short, this is Comico's first really big failure, and a very unfortunate
outing all around.  I'll check out asn issue or two more, but my
recommendation is, go out and buy the (rather expensive) "Space Cruiser
Yamoto" (sp?) if you want to see what good art and a not-poorly translated
Japanese story are like.

--------

X-MEN #192 [C]:

Several Points:

1) So much for any suspense in the Kitty & Wolverine story (what? Neither of
them die? :-) ).

2) Frentic... so much happens in this book.  If only Claremont didn't feel
he had to fill in what had happened in all previous plotlines EVERY ISSUE...
people come off sounding like the actors in the DUNE movie, constantly
trying to tell the audience the plot, but sacrificing the believability of
their characters at the same time.  Everyone here sounded like a Greek
chorus.

3) I have always liked Rogue, but the character improves with time.  It is
truly one of those that Claremont does better than anyone else.

4) Okay, the biggie:  I DO NOT (repeat, with sirens blaring and horns
honking, *DO NOT*) believe that all the people in America would be going
anti-mutant to this degree.  A lynching of Xavier I could see, by one of the
anti-mutant groups (Lord knows we have quite a few fanatic's around here),
but to buy the idea that there were enough Hitler Youth in Xavier's class to
want to do this is unbeliveable.  And the airport scene was the big
screw-up... everyone's thinking about mutants?  In winter?  At Kennedy
Airport?  Hell, no, they're all trying to find good plane connections!  Try
being racist when you've got 10 minutes to get from gate 5 to gate 290!
Anyway, sorry, but I just don't buy it.  As I said before, where the heck is
my (our) counterpart(s) on Earth-Marvel?  I know where I'D be...  bring
flaming wrath down upon all those SOB's in net.kill-muties!  Frightening the
wits out of those brain-damaged nim-nos in net.religion.Muties=Satan!  The
Napoleon Of Crime Rises Again!

(Excuse us, Moriarty seems to have slipped the track again... here, give him
the sedatives...).

--------

2000 A.D. #1 [C for D.R. & Quinch, D+ for Judge Dredd, and D- for Strontium
Dog]:

D.R. and Quich reminds me of a very funny O.C. and Stiggs story set in the
future... except it is much funnier that the aforementioned NatLamp stories.
Very black humor.  Strontium Dog just doesn't rise above the average story.
Judge Dredd brings new meaning to gore comics, but there is no question that
*no one* has more balls than Judge Dredd!

--------

MS TREE #14 [D+]:

I'm starting to wonder about this comic... it just isn't that amusing, or
thrilling, and the characters are cardboard.  The latter is O.K. if either
the story is funny (which earlier chapters were, in a campy way), or the
plot was interesting enough.  The last story, and this one, seem to be
heading towards the Mike Hammer lurid-thriller mode, and it is getting
monotonous.  

--------

DALGODA #3[C+]:

A warm, funny out-of-place character in one hell of a situation, which adds
to a lot of interesting predicaments, and is abetted by a real feeling for
visual situations... I often feel like I'm viewing a TV show.  Also, several
of the most non-predictable characters anywhere.  Very nice...

--------

ALIEN LEGION #6[C]:

The flip side of DALGODA -- both have excellent stories, and have very good
characterizations; but Dalgoda puts more emphasis on the characters, while
AL gives vivid flashs of the characters as the plot takes precedence.  Both
are very well done examples of their genres, though, and are worth your
attention.

-------- --------

IN BRIEF:

STAR TREK #13 [C]: Hail, Hail, the gang's all here...

FIRESTORM #34 [D]:  Conway has a certain way of writing that trancends even
the very poor artwork of this issue.  Not quite constantly entertaining, but
almost...

SUN DEVILS #9[D-]: Conway's touch is missing here, tho'; anti-climax city.

SISTERHOOD OF STEEL #2 [D+]

SPANNER'S GALAXY #4 [D]: Extremely varied, either good or poor, very little
fair...

TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #52 [D+]:  I'll be glad when we get back to only
one Titan's book....

E-MAN #23 [D-]:  Too frentic to be really funny...

POWER PACK #9 [C-]

WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #1 [F]: Spam, spam, spam, spam, Spam, spam, spam, spam....

AMAZING SPIDERMAN #263 [D]: Now going down the tubes...

ALPHA FLIGHT #21 [D+]: Shallow characters in semi-horrific situations...
great macabre art.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #304 [C-]

DREADSTAR #17[D-]: Good art, but writing so poor that the last panel elicits
unintentional guffaws.

DOCTOR WHO #6 [F+]: Don't waste your time...

-------- --------

Graphics novels will be included at some later date, with STARSTRUCK in the
lead...  I'm planning on organizing my collection this winter, so Spring
should bring many articles on dusty old titles like the original Thunder
Agents, and the rise and crash-dive of Steranko, and the Byrne/Claremont
X-Men...

The Byrne/Claremont X-Men?  Has it been *that* long?  Just call me The
Ancient One...

       "He even looks like God... except his hands are in his pockets."
                "They should be, he's got four dead Presidents in 'em."


					Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
					John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
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