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From: moriarty@fluke.UUCP (The Napoleon of Crime)
Newsgroups: net.comics
Subject: EvenMoreMoriartyReviews (WholeBunchaMutants)
Message-ID: <2684@vax4.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 21-Sep-85 04:49:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: vax4.2684
Posted: Sat Sep 21 04:49:19 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Sep-85 06:23:50 EDT
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Organization: The Institute for Criminal Masterminds
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Reviewed in this issue:

X-MEN AND ALPHA FLIGHT		NEW MUTANTS SPECIAL EDITION
X-MEN #200		NEW MUTANTS #35		HEROES FOR HOPE

------------------------------------------------
"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

        "Well, if you can't believe what you read in a comic book, what *can*
          you believe?!" 
                                -Bullwinkle J. Moose
****************************************************************************
|==>A< One of the best of the year. Example: ZOT #8                        |
|==>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< Boring, but with a few good points.  Example: SQUADRON SUPREME      |
|==>F< Boring AND stupid or childish.  Example: Secret Wars.               |
|==>Z< Actually offensive.  Example: Several of Haney's UNKNOWN SOLDIERs   |
****************************************************************************

X-MEN & ALPHA FLIGHT #1 [B-]:

Like a breath of fresh air -- this reminds me of the days when
Claremont would tell a story with just enough subplots to keep it
interesting.  And he does a very nice job here, indeed (Loki's
interest in this is suitably mysterious).  Paul Smith has always
been one of my three favorite artists, and quite possibly the
favorite; and his work here is excellent, though Wiacek's inks make
it a bit sketchy for my tastes.  His faces are wonderful --
Wolverine, Scott, Illayana, Kurt and Rachael are expressive in a
way that brings back old memories of Japanese cartoons -- is that
what he based much of his work on?  Very good indeed; if
Claremont's failings (except for the Windsor-Smith/Ororo issue,
which was great) were due to his work elsewhere, I'd feel a lot
better...

NEW MUTANTS SPECIAL EDITION #1 [B+]:

Claremont's redeeming himself in one lump sum these days, isn't
he?  I must agree with Jerry -- the best New Mutants story ever;
and the Arthur Adams art is tremendous -- utterly magical.  Will
he be doing the art for the conclusion in X-Men Annual?

A few comments and questions: LOVED the in-jokes.  Mr. Steele,
Miss Holt.  Somehow, you KNEW Terry Austin was inking when you
saw the Vikings, didn't you ("Arf!  Arf!  Arf!")?  Warlock/Longshot
and Hela -- nice routine.  And I need help here: obviously one of
the giants is Ed Grimley ("It certainly is a decent reindeer, I must
say!"); but the other two?  I assume the red-haired one is generic,
but the other one looks a little like Fred Flintstone, or that Harvey
Comics Giant.  And 'Berto's run-in with Volstagg had me rolling.  I
agree that Asgard's Weight-Loss Clinic is rather stringent compared
to our standards, but in a magical realm...  Why must Illayanna
always be tied up and possessed?  I know Claremont has this thing
about sorceresses and evil (and by Gum, doesn't Amora look
good?), but the Enchantress hasn't been that rotten in other stories
-- think he got her mixed up with the White Queen.  Anyway,
imagine what Dave Sim's counter-part will do with her!  Make her
read Mike Bannon letters!  Have her pose nude for the CEREBUS
letter page!  The potential is endless...

X-MEN #200 [B]:

What a 200 issue should be.  A milestone.  And a damn fine one. 
Thanks, Chris (but can we start easing up on the anti-mutant
tensions, pleeeeeeease?).

NEW MUTANTS #35 [C-]:

OK, just exactly *who* is doing the art for this book?  Bill
Sienkiewicz is back doing inks, and thus has possessed the spirit of
this book once again.  Nice to see Magneto as head of the place, and
this is probably going back on my list of titles to buy... his approach
may be much better that Xavier's at this point.  It will certainly be
more interesting to watch.

HEROES FOR HOPE [As a comic story: D; Under autopsy by comics
fan: B]

Worth the money, but (face it) not as a comic book story.  I don't
think there's much of a problem with the fragmention of the
writing styles -- these hold together pretty well (the shift in artists
takes a little getting used to, though); but the plot did not move me,
either as an X-Men story or as something dealing with the
problems currently in Africa.  However, the donation is made when
you buy the comic, and for comic fans, this is a very interesting
animal, allowing you to see talent teamed in unlikely combinations. 
A few individual comments:

     Stan Lee's writing style has changed some, but it still pretty obvious
     which pages he scripted.

     Damn, but it's nice to see John Byrne and Terry Austin drawing the
     X-Men!

     After this, I want to see Stephen King script a SWAMP THING story.
     "Good Food... Good Meat.... Good God... LET'S EAT!"  I've always
     respected King more for his writing style than his ability with horror,
     but this just how talented he is at both.  And, of course, no one can
     illustrate King like Wrightson.

     I didn't think Mantlo could write this well -- I was very surprised
     when I read the credits afterwards...

     Alan Moore's writing, though, was easy to spot (good stuff -- what'd ya
     expect?), and Corben's art surprised me -- his sequence looks like he
     ran through the complete X-Men archives, which I just have a hard time
     seeing with Corben.

     Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz, together?  Man, they must have had
     to send out for the India ink to do this sucker!  Before reading this
     book, I kept thinking it might be 15 black panels with little eyes
     sticking out of them and word balloons pasted over.  Not my favorite
     sequence by any means, and Ellison's writing is not very steady in this
     sequence.

     I really like Brian Bolland's art, but apparently he can only do one
     woman's face; Ororo looks pretty generic Bolland.

     Paul Gulacy + Bob Layton = Dave Cockrum.

     And finally, I was amazed that was Chaykin pencilling the last few
     pages.  Simonsin's inks totally overpower his pencils.


                  "I can tell a Moriarty when I see one.  This crime is from
                   London, not America."

                                        Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
ARPA: fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPA
UUCP: {uw-beaver, sun, allegra, sb6, lbl-csam}!fluke!moriarty
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