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Posts: 2252
Nov 14 14 5:55 AM
deejayway wrote:I don't think there's really enough Golden Batman material to fill out a volume, but why not just do a Mike Golden DC Omnibus collecting all his work at DC? Just a thought. I wonder, however, if Golden has any kind of marquee value nowadays?
Posts: 7773
Nov 14 14 6:14 AM
Irony and subtly are the first casualties in the eternal battle of wits between people divided by a common language. So read between the lines or you'll fall through the cracks...
....Quoting other people is no substitute for thinking for yourself...
Posts: 110
Nov 14 14 8:47 PM
Posts: 25843
Nov 14 14 11:07 PM
deejayway wrote:Is anyone still following this thread by the way because I have some treats in store, but if there's no interest, I can save them for another venue.
My name is Oedi and I soar amidst the stars far from the planet of my birth. I guess this starship is the closest thing I've got to a home now, for I am a refugee and an outlaw. Vanth Dreadstar, Syzygy Darklock, Willow 327, Rainbow and Skeevo are my family. We are revolutionaries. Our goal? To bring an end to the 200 year old war between the Instrumentality and the Monarchy!
Nov 15 14 4:42 AM
Posts: 627
Nov 15 14 11:07 AM
deejayway wrote:This is a true lost gem and should be in any collection of Marvel's greatest tales, along with 'The Kid Who Collected Spiderman'.
Nov 15 14 11:22 AM
Roger Stern wrote:There's a lot of foreshadowing hidden in that little five-pager. It sets up my second run on DOCTOR STRANGE. -- Uncle Rog
Nov 15 14 12:13 PM
Nov 15 14 5:14 PM
Roger Stern wrote:Glad you like it, deej.
Glad you like it, deej.
Nov 15 14 5:22 PM
Dr. Strange 55: To Have Loved….and Lost?by Roger Stern, Mike Golden & Terry AustinThis brings us now to one of the single most dramatic episodes in the star-crossed life of Stephen Strange. Not only that, but it is one of the most ornately and beautifully illustrated episodes. Some people claim it is the single best illustrated tale in the entire series and that’s no mean praise. To be quite frank there is some merit to the argument, but let us suffice here by saying it is a dozy.
Clea has left Strange, shattering his sense of equilibrium and purpose. Storm clouds gather around his sanctum sanctorum, reflecting the swirling tempest within his heart and mind. Strange slowly sinks into a quagmire of despair and disillusion. Everywhere he turns he sees visions of his lost love. So deep is his sorrow and desperation that he wishes he had never wandered the mystical paths of sorcery.In a twist on ‘A Christmas Carol’, Dakimh the Enchanter appears like the Ghost of Christmas past and shows the despairing Stephen what the world would have been like if he had never become the sorcerer supreme. The Ancient One has grown even more ancient in his never ceasing task to hold back the tides of anarchy and Mordo is still his only disciple; a bad auger for the fate of mankind. Doc Strange meanwhile finds himself straight-jacketed in a padded cell where he is being treated for psychosis. His identity as the master magician is merely a figment of his deranged mind, inspired by comic-book adventures. In a bid to relieve Stephen of his delusions, his shrink takes him to visit the creators of the comic that spawned his fantasy world; the ever gregarious writer Les Tane and the unassuming, mild-mannered artist Ted Tevoski (sound familiar?).Doc’s mental state deteriorates further as the tenuous barriers between sanity and madness slowly erode. All that remains is darkness and despair and ultimately; death. A deadly dagger hangs in the dark abyss before Stephen, subtlety seducing him to take the easy way out. The siren song of eternal surcease tempts the sorrowful sorcerer, but at the last moment Strange rejects death and he renounces despair.Dr. Strange is made of Stern stuff and is not easily deceived by the true villain of the piece; D’Spayre; ‘the legendary destroyer of hopes!’. Now that his true enemy stands revealed, the Doc summons all his reserves of strength and resolve and banishes despair…er I mean, D’Spayre. As the din of battle dims, the exhausted sorcerer looks out his skylight, a weak smile playing on his lips; the clouds are parting and the sun is coming out (gee what a coincidence).Not only is the tale an artistic tour-de-force, it’s a riveting study of a man on the edge and his thorny road to recovery. It underlines that Doc’s true heroism lies not in his ability to face monsters from other dimensions, but in his humanity and his ability to face and conquer his own demons. Mike Golden’s artwork is sublime, rich with emotion and pathos. His style owes more to the ornateness of Brunner than the weirdness of Ditko, but it evokes both past masters nicely. This is the story that put the word ‘class’ back into ‘classic’. Stern and Golden were going to be one hell of a team to follow. Only someone of extraordinary talent and ability would stand a chance. As luck and fate would have it, such a young man was waiting in the wings, but more on him next time.
Posts: 241
Nov 15 14 10:25 PM
Nov 16 14 5:21 AM
StrontiumDog wrote:"A Moment's Peace" and DOCTOR STRANGE #55 are gems, indeed! I'd love to see this era of DOCTOR STRANGE in a collected edition.
Nov 16 14 5:50 AM
Posts: 2561
Nov 16 14 6:08 AM
Posts: 14389
Nov 16 14 6:31 AM
Golden Age
Nov 16 14 1:46 PM
Nov 17 14 6:05 AM
Nov 17 14 6:37 AM
Nov 21 14 10:59 AM
I know I recently reposted this in a thread devoted to the Nam, but no self-respecting Mike Golden thread can do without a Nam post and as I have run out of Golden scans, this is my last contributon.
The Nam Magazine (b&w): 1-6by Doug Murray & Mike GoldenThe portrayal of the Vietnam conflict by Murray and Golden is about as realistic and well-balanced as one could possibly hope for from an American comic under the strictures of the comic code and produced in the mid 80s, when the memory of the Vietnam was still relatively fresh and raw.They do a fine job of showing ordinary guys under extraordinary circumstances. Young - at times well-intended and/or misguided - men prone to bravado, bad judgement, reckless heroism, fierce camaraderie, substance abuse, cowardice, doubt and fear fighting a pointless war in an alien, hostile environment.Pages from Nam #2: The night, the jungle, the unseen enemy and a burst of action.(All issue numbers mentioned here are from the original colour comic numbering. The scans are form Nam b&w #1, chap 2).Murray and Golden obviously made an earnest attempt to depict the conflict in all its shades of moral ambiguity and from all sides, while catering to a relatively young (and biased) audience. They don’t glamorise the conflict or war in general for that matter, for which I give them major kudos and fortunately, the mag doesn’t resemble in the slightest the kind of mindless, jingoistic burlesque of Sgt. Fury and co. In fact, it shows just how ridiculous war mags like those are.No punches were pulled in this sequence from #5, 'Humpin'the Boonies', in which the GIs enter a "pacified" village. Yer fadder's war comics these ain't! (Nam b&w #3, chap 1)I picked up the entirety of Golden’s run in b&w in the Nam magazine 1-6, which reprints the colour issues 1-12. I actually think the artwork and the subject matter is better served in b&w, particularly as the original comics had some pretty bad and inappropriate colouring. The crisp b&w reproduction brings out all the great detail and nuance of Golden’s work.Golden’s artwork here is quite amazing, a unique mix of Will Elder and Jack Davis, with a smidgen of Will Eisner thrown in for good measure. Golden perfectly illustrates warfare as long periods of mind-numbing tedium and discomfort, punctuated by sudden bursts of blood-curdling terror and violence (I paraphrase). #8, 'In the Underground' is one of the best of the run, showing the war carried out in the tunnels by so-called tunnel rats. It's claustrophobic, gut-turning and tense. (Nam b&w #4, chap 20).He imbues all his characters with a unique look and personality and his subtle but superb command of facial expressions perfectly conveys the gamut of emotions experienced by the cast in their day-to-day struggle for survival in Vietnam, which to many of the grunts was as alien as the mountains of the moon.I am, however, quite amazed that his depiction of blacks with thick, rubbery lips didn’t cause an uproar at the time. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest because his other ethnic types are portrayed with a similar degree of caricature but I would’ve thought this would be a more sensitive matter.#9, 'Pride Goeth' is another powerful issue, showing the ferocity and insanity of the conflict (Nam b&w #5, chap 1).#9 ends with the senseless death of one of the main characters. His death is quick, unexpected and moving. No last moment heroism or stirring words. Just a sniper shot. Snap! Lights out. Sad.... The inks are mainly handled by Armando Gil (whatever happened to him?) and John Beatty. I much prefer the latter’s lush, finely wrought inks but curiously enough Beatty’s sparser, more rigid, straight-forward inks work better in b&w. Sometimes Gil is so cluttered and detailed that colour is needed to bring out highlights and details.
Nov 22 14 2:41 AM
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