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Looking Back At Star Trek (2009)
Star Trek (2009) is not your father’s Star Trek, but dammit, Jim, it’s a hell of a lot of fun. It’s not as cerebral or as tactical as old school Trek, but it a solid blend of action and sci-fi that captured that sense of wonder from the old series.
This Star Trek reboot can be enjoyed by anyone, from Trekkies to casual Trekker to the sci-fi agnostic. Abrams went out of his way to write a story that tied in with the old series and creatively came up with a way to reboot the series without damaging the legacy of Star Trek. He also did his homework throwing in many tips of the hat to the old series, for example, using Enterprise’s mascot beagle Porthos, the familiar bridge sounds, and reusing the Kobayashi Maru’s no-win scenario.
Abrams’ team did an amazing job with the casting. He created a palpable dynamic between the crew and gave each of them the opportunity to shine on their own. I was really impressed with Bruce Greenwood’s portrayal of Captain Pike, playing a great mentor and leader. Karl Urban nailed Bones, channelling DeForest Kelly.
Tales from the Longbox – Iron Man #149-150 (1981)
Every other week, Jason Shayer will highlight an issue or a run of issues pulled from the horde of comic book long boxes that occupy more room in his house than his wife can tolerate. Each of these reviews will delve into what made that issue or run significant as well as discuss the creative personalities behind the work. “Long Box” refers to the lengthy, white cardboard boxes most comics find themselves stored within – bagged, alphabetized and numerically ordered.
Iron Man #149-150
Aug-Sep 1981
“Doomquest/Knightmare”
Writers – David Michelinie/Bob Layton
Artists – John Romita Jr./Bob Layton
Iron Man #149-150 is a great two-part story celebrating Iron Man’s 150th issue. Michelinie and Layton would revist this storyline in a sequel published in 1989 in Iron Man #249-250.
Tony discovers that an executive in his company has sold technology to Latveria, a country on Stark International’s black list. Iron Man intercepts the technology before it gets into Doom’s hands, but all that does in infurate Doom who then dispatches his minions to steal the technology back. They succeed and Tony decides to pay a “diplomatic” visit to Latveria and confronts Doctor Doom as Iron Man.
Their discussion leads to a physical confrontation: “You should not have done that, Errand boy. I was going to make your death a swift one!” But before anything can be resolved, one of Doom’s minons with a grudge, Hauptmann, sends them both back in time.
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Tales from the Longbox – Batman #400 (1986)
Every other week, Jason Shayer will highlight an issue or a run of issues pulled from the horde of comic book long boxes that occupy more room in his house than his wife can tolerate. Each of these reviews will delve into what made that issue or run significant as well as discuss the creative personalities behind the work. “Long Box” refers to the lengthy, white cardboard boxes most comics find themselves stored within – bagged, alphabetized and numerically ordered.
Batman #400
“Resurrection Night”
October 1986
Writer – Doug Moench
Artists – Art Adams, Terry Austin, Brian Bolland, John Byrne, Paris Cullins,Karl Kesel, Joe Kubert, Steve Leialoha, Rick Leonardi, Steve Lightle, Bruce Patterson, George Pérez, Bill Sienkiewicz, Ken Steacy, Tom Sutton, Ricardo Villagran.
In the fall of 1986, Batman celebrated his 400th issue anniversary and did it in style. Horror writer Stephen King penned the introduction to this issue:
“Maybe the real reason that Batman appealed to me more than the other guy [Superman]. There was something sinister about him. That’s right. You heard me. Sinister. Like The Shadow and the Moon-man of the pulps, like a vampire, Batman was a creature of the night.”
“I’d like to congratulate the Caped Crusader on his long and valiant history, thank him for the hours of pleasure he has given me, and wish him many more years of heroic crime-busting. Go get ‘em, Big Guy. May your Bat-Signal never fail, your Batmobile never run out of the nuclear pellets it runs on, your utility belt never come up fatally understocked at the wrong moment. And please, never come busting through my skylight in the middle of the night. You’d probably scare me into a brain hemorrhage… and besides, Big Guy, I’m on your side. I always was.”
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Yo Joe! Tales from the Longbox – G.I. Joe #1 (1982)
Every other week, Jason Shayer will highlight an issue or a run of issues pulled from the horde of comic book long boxes that occupy more room in his house than his wife can tolerate. Each of these reviews will delve into what made that issue or run significant as well as discuss the creative personalities behind the work. “Long Box” refers to the lengthy, white cardboard boxes most comics find themselves stored within – bagged, alphabetized and numerically ordered.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #1
June 1982
“Operation: Lady Doomsday”
Writer – Larry Hama
Penciler – Herb Trimpe
Inker – Bob McLeod
Marvel Comics was the first company to produce a comic book version of the famous Hasbro toy franchise. The comic book series’ launch was timed with Hasbro’s new toy line in 1982. They moved away from the single, larger G.I. Joe action figure and to a team concept with figures of 3 ¾” scale.
The first issue, as the cover described, was a Blockbuster 46-pages long and featured the first appearance of G.I. Joes: Breaker, Clutch, Flash, Grand Slam, Grunt, Hawk, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Scarlett, Snake-eyes, Stalker, and Short-Fuse. As well, Cobra Commander and the Baroness made their first appearances as well.
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Tales from the Longbox – Doctor Strange #66 (1984)
Every other week, Jason Shayer will highlight an issue or a run of issues pulled from the horde of comic book long boxes that occupy more room in his house than his wife can tolerate. Each of these reviews will delve into what made that issue or run significant as well as discuss the creative personalities behind the work. “Long Box” refers to the lengthy, white cardboard boxes most comics find themselves stored within – bagged, alphabetized and numerically ordered.
Doctor Strange – Master of the Mystical Arts #66
“The Chosen One”
Writer: Roger Stern
Artists: Paul Smith/Terry Austin
You may recall my previous posts on Captain America, Doctor Strange, and Amazing Spider-Man that praised writer Roger Stern, and I’m going to do it again. Stern was one of the more prolific Marvel 1980s writers and one that is truly under appreciated. His memorable run on Doctor Strange was also complimented by great artists like Marshal Rogers and Paul Smith.
In this standalone tale, Doctor Strange was recruited by an order of monks to find the next reincarnation of their spiritual leader. Using his mystical talents, Doctor Stephen Strange found him in the form of Arnie, a greens-keeper for a local golf course. After he passed a few simple tests, Strange believed this young man had natural mystical talents, but his carefree attitude didn’t line up with that of a spiritual leader. Read the rest of this entry
Tainted Love In Tales from the Longbox – Uncanny X-Men #186 (1984)
Every other week, Jason Shayer will highlight an issue or a run of issues pulled from the horde of comic book long boxes that occupy more room in his house than his wife can tolerate. Each of these reviews will delve into what made that issue or run significant as well as discuss the creative personalities behind the work. “Long Box” refers to the lengthy, white cardboard boxes most comics find themselves stored within – bagged, alphabetized and numerically ordered.
Uncanny X-Men #186
“Lifedeath”
October 1984
Writer – Chris Claremont with plot assist by Barry Windsor-Smith
Artists – Barry Windsor-Smith/Terry Austin
“Once upon a time, there was a woman who could fly.”
Chris Claremont teamed up with Barry Windsor-Smith in 1984 for a double-sized issue of Uncanny X-Men. The art was a jarring break from the usual John Romita Jr. art. However, this collaborative effort generated a sequel in Uncanny X-Men #198 “Lifedeath II” and a couple of other stand-alone stories in Uncanny X-Men #205 (which focused on Wolverine) and Uncanny X-Men #214.
Tainted Love: Tales from the Longbox – The Mighty Thor #383 (1987)
Every other week, Jason Shayer will highlight an issue or a run of issues pulled from the horde of comic book long boxes that occupy more room in his house than his wife can tolerate. Each of these reviews will delve into what made that issue or run significant as well as discuss the creative personalities behind the work. “Long Box” refers to the lengthy, white cardboard boxes most comics find themselves stored within – bagged, alphabetized and numerically ordered.
The Mighty Thor #383
Writer: Tom DeFalco
Artists: Ron Frenz/Brett Breeding
While they may have followed Walt Simonson’s memorable run on The Mighty Thor, Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz had the longest creative team run ever on title, from 1987 until 1993. Hot off their success on The Amazing Spider-Man, their fast-paced and entertaining storytelling demonstrated what a serial comic could really accomplish with a sense of energy and momentum.
Tales from the Longbox: Moon Knight – Fist of Khonshu #1 (1985)
Every other week, Jason Shayer will highlight an issue or a run of issues pulled from the horde of comic book long boxes that occupy more room in his house than his wife can tolerate. Each of these reviews will delve into what made that issue or run significant as well as discuss the creative personalities behind the work. “Long Box” refers to the lengthy, white cardboard boxes most comics find themselves stored within – bagged, alphabetized and numerically ordered.
Moon Knight – Fist of Khonshu #1
June 1985
Writer: Alan Zelenetz
Artists: Chris Warner/E.R. Cruz
The first Moon Knight series was cancelled in July 1984 and almost a year later, a new series, Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu, hit the stands and was an attempt to rebrand the character. Moon Knight writer Alan Zelenetz stayed on for the new series, kicking off this new direction.
