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From: moriarty@fluke.UUCP (The Napoleon of Crime)
Newsgroups: net.comics
Subject: "I'm a surgeon, blast it, not a MORIARTY REVIEWS!" (Part II of II)
Message-ID: <2420@colossus.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 10-Nov-85 21:50:29 EST
Article-I.D.: colossus.2420
Posted: Sun Nov 10 21:50:29 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 13-Nov-85 08:17:59 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: The Institute for Criminal Masterminds
Lines: 107

REVIEWED IN THIS ARTICLE:

MR. X		DR. STRANGE	SPECTACULAR SPIDERMAN (Annual)
THE PUNISHER	POWER PACK (Thanksgiving issue)		STAR TREK
VISION AND THE SCARLET WITCH		NORMALMAN 	HULK
NATHANIEL DUSK II	

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

MR. X #5 [D+]:

Much of the charm of the series has been lost now that the
Brothers Hernandez have left.  Ty Templeton struggles to keep
some of the atmosphere around, but I'm afraid he's not up to it.  I
wish he'd let Mr. X die and go back to STIG'S INFERNO, which is
(was?) about the best humor comic on the market today.

DR. STRANGE #75 [C-]:

Just a question for long-time Marvel historians -- you may
remember that Mephisto has been dissolved (by Franklin Richards). 
In this issue, a mysterious creature crawls out of the now-vacant
(who rents out Hades, anyway?) Pit and heads for Earth.  The good
Doctor transforms the creature back to it's original form, which is
a woman who looks vaguely familiar.  However, she seems to have
a past she cannot remember.

Well, I know that Mephisto has been the tormentor of two major
Marvel characters: The Silver Surfer and Doctor Doom.  The
Surfer's love was returned to his home planet, but Mephisto still
had hold of Doom's Mom's soul, last I heard.  Perhaps with Mephisto
gone, this is Doom's mother?

Think about it...

PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #109, ANNUAL #5 [B, C+]:

I think the reason I like Peter David's writing so much is that it
reminds me of the kind of stories you get in Hill Street Blues. 
Mostly streetwise, with a large repatory cast of characters who
work off one another.  While Parker/Spiderman is the main
character to be sure, we have long stretches dealing with lots of
supporting characters, and David is always anxious to fill in a
little more of their personalities.  My only complaint at this point
is that SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #110 finishes the Jean DeWolfe
story -- and it's already been out, and I CAN'T FIND IT ANYWHERE!! 
ARGH!  (and to top insult to injury, #111 is out and it's a Secret
Bores tie-in by Jim Owsley.  Pfeh.).

THE PUNISHER #2 [D]:

I still don't like this, and I think I'll drop it -- but did anyone
notice that that the Marvel Universe's biggest racketeer next to
the Kingpin bought it during two panels?  I'm speaking of Morgan,
the Harlem boss who was a major character through all those
Steve Englehart CAPTAIN AMERICA/FALCON books.

POWER PACK #19 [B+++]:

Even if you don't read Power Pack, read this issue.  If you enjoy it
1/8 as much as I did, you'll thank me for it.  Absolutely, positively
the most delightful thing I've read all year.  One wonders at the
kind of genetic comics talent any children the Simonsins produce
will have passed on to them.  The mind boggles... (Marvel should get
a first-round draft choice on them).

STAR TREK #23 [B]:

Not quite as good as the previous issue, but one of the finest Trek
adaptations to comics.  The final closing scene reminded me of the
best of the Trek closing speechs -- probably the best of it's kind. 
A very, very nice job.

THE VISION AND THE SCARLET WITCH #5 [C+]:

This is quickly turning into one of my favorite comics; Englehart
brings out so much from these two characters that no other writer
seems to be able to (he should, though -- he scripted their romance
together for several years in the Avengers).  If you've hesitated,
this is a thumbs-up vote for trying it out.

NORMALMAN #11 [D-]:

Heavy-handed satire (the TradeMarked gag gets old after two
pages) which amazingly tries to combine some sort of quasi-drama
with the whole mishmosh.  A soggy, moist fungus of a comic. 
Avoid it.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK #316 [C-]:

Let's just call this Marvel Nostalgia Punch-Out, shall we?

NATHANIEL DUSK #4 [C+]:

FINALLY, a mini-series with an ending which isn't a let down.  Look
at the coloring on this thing!  Colon hasn't been this good since the
color Tomb of Draculas.  McGregor doesn't gush, and the whole
thing ends tightly and compactly, just as a good detective story
should.  A big round of applause for everyone tied up with this.

                        "Listen, Kalina, I can either be Johnny Nemo or I
                         can be careful -- I can't be both!"

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