Marvel January 2011 soliciations - 1980s goodness

Only one book of note...

X-MEN: FALL OF THE MUTANTS HARDCOVER
Written by LOUISE SIMONSON, CHRIS CLAREMONT, MARK GRUENWALD, ANN NOCENTI, PETER DAVID & STEVE ENGLEHART

Penciled by BRET BLEVINS, JUNE BRIGMAN, MARC SILVESTRI, KERRY GAMMILL, WALT SIMONSON, SAL BUSCEMA, KIERON DWYER, JOHN ROMITA JR, TODD MCFARLANE, JOHN BOGDANOVE & KEITH POLLARD

The body count rises higher than ever as the X-Men and their allies face war on every front! The original X-Men have formed X-Factor, and they come up against their deadliest challenge yet in Apocalypse and his Horsemen, including the all-new Archangel! The New Mutants lose one of their own! And after the Marauders slaughter the Morlocks, they take on the X-Men — and the survivors will be asked to sacrifice themselves to stop the evil Adversary! Featuring tie-ins starring Captain America, Daredevil, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four and Power Pack! Collecting NEW MUTANTS (1983) #55-61, UNCANNY X-MEN #220-227, X-FACTOR (1986) #18-26, CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #339, DAREDEVIL (1964) #252, FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #312, INCREDIBLE HULK (1968) #336-337 & #340 and POWER PACK (1984) #35.
824 PGS./Rated A ...$99.99

Octobers in the Marvel 1980s

Here’s a breakdown by year of new or ending series that occurred in October.

1981

    October     DRAGONSLAYER 2-issue miniseries

    October     JAMES BOND: FOR YOUR EYES ONLY 2-issue miniseries

1982

    October     ANNIE 2-issue miniseries

    October     BLADE RUNNER 2-issue miniseries

    October     CONAN THE BARBARIAN MOVIE SPECIAL 2-issue miniseries

1983

    October     CLOAK AND DAGGER 4-issue miniseries

    October     CRAZY MAGAZINE ends (#94)

    October     STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI 4-issue miniseries

1984

    October     CRASH RYAN 4-issue miniseries

    October     DOCTOBEROR WHO begins

    October     KA-ZAR THE SAVAGE ends (#34)

    October     MACHINE MAN (second series) 4-issue miniseries

    October     MICRONAUTS (second series) begins

    October     THE LAST STARFIGHTER 3-issue miniseries

    October     U.S. 1 ends (#12)

    October     WHAT IF? ends (#47)

1985

    October     THE ETERNALS (second series) 12-issue miniseries

    October     VISION AND THE SCARLET WITCH (second series) 12-issue miniseries

    October     WEST COAST AVENGERS (second series) begins

1986

    October     G.I. JOE SPECIAL MISSIONS begins

    October     POPPLES begins

    October     SPITFIRE AND THE TROUBLESHOOTERS begins

    October     STAR BRAND begins

1987

    October     ALIEN LEGION (second series) begins

    October     CODENAME: SPITFIRE ends (#13)

    October     MARSHAL LAW begins

    October     MOEBIUS begins

1988

    October     EXCALIBUR begins

    October     STRANGE TALES (second series) ends (#19)

    October     THE LIGHT AND DARKNESS WAR 6-issue miniseries

    October     THE MUTANT MISADVENTURES OF CLOAK AND DAGGER begins

    October     X-TERMINATORS 4-issue miniseries

1989

    October     QUASAR begins

    October     SHADOWMASTERS 4-issue miniseries

    October     ST. GEORGE ends (#8)

    October     THE PUNISHER MAGAZINE begins

RIP Simon MacCorkindale

Simon MacCorkindale, probably most known on the 80s TV series Falcon Crest, died young at 58 due to cancer. I fondly remember him as the star of Manimal (another Glen A. Larson production) , an action/adventure series that only ran 8 episodes. Rest in Peace...

More Paul Smith Love and a beautiful colour sketch by Byrne, Austin, and Oliff

Not much to say other than enjoy...

Cleaned up version of the cover to Amazing Heroes #12.

A 1986 colour sketch by John Byrne, Terry Austin, and Steve Oliff.

1987 – Moebius – The Airtight Garage

Moebius’ The Airtight Garage was volume #3 in a series of graphic novels published by Marvel Comics under their imprint, Epic Comics. This series of graphic novels reprinted Moebius’ work from the late 1970s with a translation from French to English done by Jean-Marc Lofficier.

For the 1980s, these graphic novels had a hefty price of $12.95US/$16.95 which put them out of my financial reach back then.

Apparently, The Airtight Garage took Jean “Moebius” Giraud four years to write and draw. This graphic novel presents the story in colour, which Moebius insisted either be done by himself or by assistants under his direct supervision. It also features a new translation which apparently corrected a few story inconsistencies.

Despite being popularly known as The Airtight Garage, a more accurate translation of the title is “The Garage Hermetic of Lewis Camelian”.

From Moebius’ introduction:

“With The Garage, it all started like that. I drew the first two pages with the feeling of making up a big joke, a complete mystery, something that could not possibly lead anywhere. And yet, at the same time, I was trying to create something that captured a feeling of joy and fantasy that I felt inside me, almost as if I was remembering the incomplete part of a dream.”

While I had difficult time with the story and the story-telling techniques, what kept me turning the pages was the art. Stunningly beautiful doesn’t even begin to describe Moebius’ work. Incredibly rich panels, stunning linework, and layouts with spectacular sci-fi fantasy scenes and technology. His detailed art work is balanced with simple caricatures that draw attention to themselves as your eye scans the panel. The colour work is beautifully done as well considering the technology of the mid-1980s.

I found the story difficult to follow and can honestly said I didn’t get it. The art is breathtaking, but the overall package didn’t work for me. The material felt very foreign and I’m bilingual in French! I can’t help but wonder what my 16 year-old self would have thought about the comic in 1987. He’d probably have been bummed out after dishing out $17 on this. 

An interesting homage to Will Eisner:

Some Paul Smith love...

Not much to say other than enjoy!

1984 - John Byrne's Fantastic Four poster

Had this lovely poster up on my wall as a kid for the longest time...

Love the Byrne puppet in the hands of the Puppet Master!

Here's my stab at Who's Who:

From top left to right:

Impossible Man (the balloon)

Tomazooma the Walking Totem Pole

Annihilus

Human Torch

Dragon Man

Reed Richards

Galactus

Silver Surfer

Sentry 459

(next row)

Watcher

Him (Adam Warlock)

Psycho-Man

The mysterious man from Fantastic Four #51 – This Man, This Monster

The Monster from the Lost Lagoon (and his mate) ???

The Monacle

(Starting back at the left)

Lockjaw

Triton

Maximus

Black Bolt

Medusa

Gorgon

Karnak

Crystal

Franklin Richards

Susan Richards

Torgo (FF #93)

Blastaar

Ronan the Accuser

Mad Thinker’s Android

(Starting back at the left again)

Agatha Harkness

Diablo

Sandman

Rama-Tut

Wizard

Trapster (Paste Pot Pete)

Klaw

Wyatt Wingfoot

Prester John

The Infant Terrible (FF #24)

(Starting back at the left again)

Quadimodo

Red Ghost and his Apes (Mikhlo, Igor, and Peotr)

Super Skrull

Hate Monger

Gideon (FF #34)

Miracle Man

Mad Thingker

(Starting back at the left, first row)

Willie Lumpkin (The FF’s postman)

Puppet Master

Mister Miracle

Skrulls

Alicia Masters

Thing

Mole Man and two of his Moloids

Black Panther

Namor

Doctor Doom

Attuma

Kurrgo, Master of Planet X (FF #7)