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		<title>Ye Olde School Café: Aliens vs. Predator (1990)</title>
		<link>https://comicattack.net/ye-olde-school-cafe-aliens-vs-predator-1990/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[InfiniteSpeech]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jul 2017 19:08:46 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[Welcome back to another installment of Ye Olde School Café as we revisit one of the greatest rivalries in sci-fi! One that began when Dark Horse Comics pitted one of the greatest hunters in the galaxy against a nearly unstoppable killing machine in the original Aliens vs Predator series. Before we got the series that [&#8230;]]]></description>
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<p>Welcome back to another installment of <em>Ye Olde School Café</em> as we revisit one of the greatest rivalries in sci-fi! One that began when Dark Horse Comics pitted one of the greatest hunters in the galaxy against a nearly unstoppable killing machine in the original <em>Aliens vs Predator</em> series.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image wp-image-135204 size-medium"><figure class="alignright"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="192" height="300" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/dhp34-192x300.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-135204" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/dhp34-192x300.jpg 192w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/dhp34.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 192px) 100vw, 192px" /><figcaption>Where it all began!</figcaption></figure></div>



<p>Before we got the series that jump started the interstellar conflict, this only took place in the imaginations of fans during heated lunchroom debates thanks to issues #34-36 of 1989&#8217;s <em>Dark Horse Presents</em> which first introduced this rivalry. So during the summer of 1990 we got our first issue of <em>Aliens vs Predator&nbsp;</em>which blew fans away and was cemented in the fandom even more after an Alien skull was displayed in the trophy case in the film, <em>Predator 2</em> later that year.</p>



<p>But thanks to the creative team of <a href="https://comicattack.net/rsinterview/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><span class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Randy Stradley</span></a>, Phil Norwood, Karl Story, and Monika Livingston we&#8217;d get an acid-blood soaked story that kicked off a plethora of comics, toys, <a href="https://comicattack.net/tcc-3-4-10/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><span class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">video games</span></a>, and 2 movie adaptations. <em>Aliens vs. Predator</em> also introduced fans to &#8220;Broken Tusk&#8221; who is probably the most famous Predator next to the one that went toe to toe with Schwarzenegger in the original film.</p>



<p><em>Aliens vs. Predator</em> begins on the planet Ryushi, where a rancher colony has been set up and we are first introduced to Machiko Noguchi. However, she’s not the hard as nails, kick ass warrior that fans have come to know and love&#8230;yet. She’s the hard as nails, kick you in the balls, executive that has just taken over a new position&nbsp;and is trying to find her place among the workers who don’t see her as one of them yet.&nbsp;To compound her already growing list of&nbsp;problems with the new job,&nbsp;the colonists are about to receive some new and very unwelcome visitors as a ship crashes planet side. Little do any of&nbsp;them&nbsp;know that they have set up shop on one of the Predators’ hunting grounds, and it’s time to test a new group of young bloods as they have begun seeding the planet with their most deadly enemy/prey: the&nbsp;Aliens. So it doesn’t take long for things to go from bad to “Oh my god! What’s this on my face!” When some of the local herd are found stumbling around and sick&nbsp;after coming across face-huggers, the dead specimens are taken back to the compound’s lab&nbsp;for study while the ranchers speculate over what to do about the herd.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" width="600" height="346" src="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2017/07/avpsegap4.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-135206" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/avpsegap4.jpg 600w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/avpsegap4-300x173.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure></div>



<p>To keep what happened to the herd a secret, the doctor is lied to about where the face-huggers were found, and ventures out to the false location he was given to investigate. He ends up finding more than what he ever planned, because the Predators’ ship has just landed, and he is spotted while trying to spy on them. They quickly give chase, and let’s just say that the poor guy didn’t stand a chance against one Predator, let alone ten of them. While back at the compound, two pilots have discovered an open hatch that shouldn’t be, and upon investigation they run into an Alien queen and some of her brood. Talk about a bad day at work! What happens next is an all out chaotic battle between Aliens and Predators with the woefully unprepared humans caught in the middle.</p>



<p>Randy Stradley, along with the rest of the creative team, raised the bar pretty high with this mini-series which set the foundation for many AvP stories to come. From the revelation that the Predators have a tribal society made up of various clans. To a hint as to how the Aliens might have mysteriously ended up scattered across the universe since the Predators basically fly around space dropping them off on different planets then hunt them down to test young hunters. But the best thing to come out of <em>Aliens vs Predator</em> (at least for me) was Machiko Noguchi. Her growth and transformation in four issues was more than what some female characters get in four years and I&#8217;m not even talking about just in 90s comics. Her alliance with &#8220;Broken Tusk&#8221; was such an unexpected moment and the result of their partnership is something that surprised many readers by the issue&#8217;s ending. It was quite memorable to see the two of them fighting off xenomorphs and defeating an Alien Queen without falling back on old movie tropes from either franchise. If I ever got the chance, I&#8217;d thank Stradley for giving fans an imperfect and strong female character who wasn&#8217;t a carbon copy of Ripley.</p>



<p>Phil Norwood&#8217;s Predator designs were also groundbreaking at the time as we got to see specific differences within the Yautja race. From physical variances to armor designs and clan markings among the species. Not to mention the over the top fight scenes of Predators fighting each other, Aliens, and humans throughout the series.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/AvP4.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-153250" width="400" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/AvP4.jpg 410w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/AvP4-192x300.jpg 192w" sizes="(max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px" /><figcaption>Machiko &amp; Broken Tusk ready for a fight!</figcaption></figure></div>



<p>We always want to see who would win in a fight between our favs and for Aliens and Predator fans alike, Dark Horse Comics delivered! This was one of the most talked about comics around that time and had readers geeking out after every issue dropped. So it&#8217;s a good thing the possibilities are pretty much endless with these two and we&#8217;ve seen several follow-up stories over the years with characters like Batman, Green Lantern, and Judge Dredd thrown in the mix!</p>



<p>If you&#8217;ve never read 1990&#8217;s <em>Aliens vs Predator</em> and can&#8217;t find the single issues you should pick up <em>Aliens vs Predator Omnibus Vol 1.&nbsp;</em>It&#8217;s packed with <em>AvP</em> action.</p>



<p>To check out other classic comics spend some time at <a href="https://comicattack.net/category/cafeaturedcolumns/yosc/"><strong><span class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Ye Olde School Café</span></strong></a>!</p>



<p>Infinite Speech<br>infinitespeech@comicattack.net</p>
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		<title>Ye Olde School Café: All Star Batman &#038; Robin The Boy Wonder</title>
		<link>https://comicattack.net/dc-comics-review-all-star-batman-robin-the-boy-wonder/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nile Fortner]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 May 2017 17:34:22 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Batman]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[All Star Batman &#38; Robin The Boy Wonder Publisher: DC Comics Writer: Frank Miller Artist: Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Jared K. Fletcher Colorist: Alex Sinclair Cover: Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair A Must Read For All Batman Fans I know this comic book series/graphic novel has been out for a long time now. I remember reading it [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><em><strong>All Star Batman &amp; Robin The Boy Wonder</strong></em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Publisher:</strong> <em>DC Comics</em><br />
<strong>Writer:</strong> Frank Miller<br />
<strong>Artist:</strong> Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Jared K. Fletcher<br />
<strong>Colorist:</strong> Alex Sinclair<br />
<strong>Cover:</strong> Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair</p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">A Must Read For All <em>Batman</em> Fans</h1>
<p>I know this comic book series/graphic novel has been out for a long time now. I remember reading it years ago, and I actually remember fans not liking this story so much. I&#8217;ve heard everything from, &#8220;They are making <em>Batman</em> to psychotic!&#8221;, &#8220;Why is this series so irregular with its publishing dates?&#8221;, and &#8220;Frank Miller&#8217;s weakest story.&#8221; On the other hand, with the DCEU (<em>DC Extended Universe</em>) taking so much inspiration from Frank Miller, I thought I would go back and re-read this story.</p>
<p>This story tells a re- imagining origin of <em>Dick Grayson</em>. At the end of their <em>Flying</em> <em>Grayson</em> circus act, young <em>Dick Grayson</em> witnesses the death of his parents by an assassin’s bullet. Thrust into a world of darkness, Grayson is “saved” by the mysterious <em>Batman</em> from a group of corrupt cops. The Batman offers him the chance to work alongside him, drafting Grayson into what <em>Batman</em> calls his “war” on crime.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-134119" src="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2017/05/All-Star-Batman-and-Robin.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="281" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/All-Star-Batman-and-Robin.jpg 970w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/All-Star-Batman-and-Robin-300x169.jpg 300w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/All-Star-Batman-and-Robin-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></p>
<p>Now I am going to get right into this. First of all, if you like your <em>Batman</em> to be a little more by the book and not so dark, this is not your <em>Batman</em>.  This book is written by one of my favorite authors, Frank Miller. For those who do not know, Frank Miller&#8217;s work is dark. <em>Sin City, The Spirit, 300, Daredevil: Born Again, The Dark Knight Returns.</em> This guy has a list of dark yet very entertaining and well written stories. Frank Miller’s <em>The Dark Knight Returns,</em> has been called one of the best <em>Batman</em> stories ever told. It even inspired many of the plot points in <em>Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</em>. So when it comes to our favorite caped crusader<strong>, </strong>Frank Miller knows his way around the block or two. This time he is retelling the birth of the Dynamic Duo, <em>Batman and Robin</em>. Giving it a darker, grittier edge shot through with cynical wit, amazing art from my favorite comic book artist Jim Lee<strong> </strong>alongside Scott Williams, and one graphic novel I am glad I&#8217;m re-reading, giving another chance, because I don&#8217;t think it is as bad as people were saying all those years ago.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-153769" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/batman_robin_the_boy_wonder_01-669x1024.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="918" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/batman_robin_the_boy_wonder_01-669x1024.jpg 669w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/batman_robin_the_boy_wonder_01-196x300.jpg 196w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/batman_robin_the_boy_wonder_01-768x1175.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/batman_robin_the_boy_wonder_01-1004x1536.jpg 1004w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/batman_robin_the_boy_wonder_01.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>“You’ve Just Been Drafted Into A War.”</strong></em></h1>
<p>As I mentioned earlier, if you like your <em>Batman</em> a little bit more by the book, then this book may not be in your favor. But I LOVE the character in a very dark setting, with dark characters, and dark storytelling. The <em>Gotham City</em> in this is a bad city. Crooked cops look to kill Grayson after his parents are murdered and let their killer go free; crude men prowl the streets and bars, looking for women to rape; even the best cop in town, <em>Jim Gordon</em> openly talks to his mistress on the phone while his wife lurches into the kitchen to refill her glass with booze. Even <em>Batman </em>uses profanity, says things that are not politically correct, and he is more violent than we are accustomed to. The story is not dark just to be dark. It has this tone because naturally, <em>Batman</em> is a dark character, and it is used to improve the story, have something different, and makes for amazing storytelling.</p>
<p>Fans expecting to read a typical <em>Batman</em> comic are in for a shock. Miller’s <em>Batman</em> is not your typical <em>Batman</em>. In fact, he is a kid slapping, bad guy beating, sociopath. His rough and tough exterior, eerily reminiscent of Miller’s <em>Batman</em> from <em>The Dark Knight Returns</em>, is sure to cause quite a shock to those familiar with <em>Batman</em>. We also get a few other surprise characters in this graphic novel. Such as, The <em>Black Canary, Batgirl, Superman, </em>and <em>The Joker</em>.</p>
<p>The art is rendered in masterly style by Jim Lee’s pencils, along with his long-standing collaborator on inks, Scott Williams. It is brighter and glossier than what Miller would have drawn himself, with dynamic full-page panels bringing big-screen experience, interspersed with closely-knit panel groups, taking us through frame-by-frame expressions.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-153771" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/asbrobin_pages-300x249.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="249" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/asbrobin_pages-300x249.jpg 300w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/asbrobin_pages-768x638.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/asbrobin_pages.jpg 972w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></p>
<p>This may not be Frank Miller’s best story or even his best writing style. Some of the characters tend to repeat themselves, and it sounds more like the dialogue you would read or hear in <em>Sin City</em>. However, it is still worth reading.</p>
<p>I know this may not be the popular thing to say about this story. However, I absolutely f*cking loved this graphic novel! Seriously, it is now one of my favorite graphic novels to re-read. It has good dialogue, a new twist and re-imagining of something we have seen, it takes what is old and makes it feel new again, has a fun story, and I got a kick out of it.  The art by Jim Lee always delivers. There is not one single artist who can draw beautiful women, vibrant colors, and dynamic action sequences, like Lee. If there is one thing that all <em>Batman</em> fans can agree on, it is that Lee’s rendition of <em>Batman</em> is tops. I believe this graphic novel earns a…</p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><strong> 10 out of 10!</strong></h1>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="https://joetalksgm.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/10-stars.png?w=474" /></p>
<p>So those are my overall thoughts on Frank Miller&#8217;s <em>All Star Batman &amp; Robin The Boy Wonder. </em>So if you&#8217;ve read this story, what do you think about it? Also, in your opinion, what would you consider to be an underrated Frank Miller story, and why? I&#8217;m interested in what you have to say. So I&#8217;m gonna close the book on this for now. Until next time, thank you all for reading and or viewing, and I hope you all have an amazing day and night as always. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
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<p>For more <strong><em>Ye Olde School Café</em></strong> click <span style="color: #3366ff;"><a style="color: #3366ff;" href="https://comicattack.net/category/cafeaturedcolumns/yosc/">here</a></span><a href="https://comicattack.net/archives/category/cafeaturedcolumns/yosc">!</a></p>
<p>Nile Fortner<br />
nilefortner@gmail.com</p>
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		<title>Ye Olde School Café: The Nine Rings of Wu-Tang TPB</title>
		<link>https://comicattack.net/yosc_9ringswutang/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[InfiniteSpeech]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jan 2017 23:01:57 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s been a while since we took a look back at some early comics here in Ye Old School Café but while diggin&#8217; in the crates and sorting through some old comics I came across a few gems. One of them came to the top of the pile&#160;while my playlist started blasting Protect Ya Neck [&#8230;]]]></description>
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<p>It&#8217;s been a while since we took a look back at some early comics here in <em>Ye Old School Café</em> but while diggin&#8217; in the crates and sorting through some old comics I came across a few gems. One of them came to the top of the pile&nbsp;while my playlist started blasting <em>Protect Ya Neck</em> and then <em>Triumph</em> so I took that as a sign!</p>



<p>Up from the 36 Chambers!</p>



<p>It&#8217;s the RZA, the GZA, Old Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon the Chef, Masta Killa, U-God, <a href="https://comicattack.net/?s=Twelve+reasons">Ghostface Killah</a>, and the M-E-T-H-O-D Man! But not as the globally dominant Hip-Hop group that rocked stages across the world and sold countless albums. In <em>The Nine Rings of Wu-Tang</em> they are Prince Rakeem, The Genius, Osirus, Dek, Raekwon, Masta Killa, Golden Arms, Ghost, and the MZA! A group of warriors, ninja, assassins, friends, and tortured souls destined for greatness. Now it&#8217;s not uncommon for music groups to have comics based on them but <em>Nine Rings of Wu-Tang</em> was something completely different as it chose to tell an epic story that tapped into the Wu&#8217;s love of martial arts, fantasy, and comic book storytelling.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/WUComic.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-149597" width="401" height="181" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/WUComic.jpg 640w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/WUComic-300x136.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /><figcaption>The Wu came through in Nine Rings of Wu-Tang</figcaption></figure></div>



<p>The series made it&#8217;s debut courtesy of&nbsp;Image Comics&nbsp;in the late 90&#8217;s and was written by Brian Haberlin and Aaron Bullock with art by Clayton Henry (<em>Archer &amp; Armstrong , Black Lightning</em>).&nbsp;Now, for all the hype around this being a Wu-Tang comic book they actually don&#8217;t kick the series off. The first character we meet is&nbsp;Professor Green. He wasn&#8217;t an assassin, powerful villain, or some badass rogue but an archaeologist with mysterious ties to our heroes in <em>The Nine Rings of the Wu-Tang</em>. So&nbsp;for a young Black kid that had grown tired of seeing Black characters in the same roles over and over again this was almost as exciting as getting to see&nbsp;the Wu in a comic. A comic that&nbsp;places you in&nbsp;a fantasy realm complete with all of the things that make this genre&nbsp;so exciting as&nbsp;anything can happen because&#8230;well, magic!</p>



<p>Along with Professor Green, writers&nbsp;Haberlin and Bullock introduced us to the&nbsp;Monk who is our bridge between the present day and the past. From here we would meet&nbsp;the members of the Wu-Tang Clan through a series of interconnecting flashbacks that would set up the overall plot of the series.&nbsp;And when we first meet them some are already enemies as Ghost and Raekwon are battling what seems to be a possessed MZA but are spared when out of nowhere, RZA stops the killing blow and is able to cleanse the soul of&nbsp;the rampaging warrior before he ends their lives. These men would soon form a bond and begin a&nbsp;journey that would lead them on the path of the soon to be other members and the evil spreading across the land.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/RCO012_1548655182-667x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-155850" width="450" height="691" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/RCO012_1548655182-667x1024.jpg 667w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/RCO012_1548655182-195x300.jpg 195w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/RCO012_1548655182-768x1179.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/RCO012_1548655182-1001x1536.jpg 1001w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/RCO012_1548655182.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px" /></figure></div>



<p>Now when it comes to the Wu members, Haberlin and Bullock do their best to balance out the huge cast&nbsp;however, there&#8217;s a lot of character development lacking in some but that can also be attributed to the early cancellation of the series. Characters like RZA, The Genius, Rakeem and others are your basic warrior types with their own personality traits to help them stand apart. However there are members that have special abilities that go beyond martial arts skill. U-God aka Golden Arms gets his name from literally being able to transform his arms into powerful golden weapons. Masta Killa is a sort of lycanthrope who goes full on beast mode when it&#8217;s time to throw down.&nbsp;Ghost Face has shadow manipulation skills and his backstory gives us a glimpse of The&nbsp;Brothers of the Dusk also called The Shadow Boxers and why they are hunting him. Another character that gets a deeper role early on is ODB aka Osirus. It seems his deteriorating&nbsp;mental state&nbsp;is due to the fact he&#8217;s actually an Oracle who&#8217;s power has been prematurely unlocked. However,&nbsp;being on this plane of existence is driving him mad so he&#8217;s taken away by angel-like beings after they defeat several Wu members in a fight with a promise to return him. This&nbsp;is a bit&nbsp;of&nbsp;eerie&nbsp;real life foreshadowing&nbsp;considering the rapper&#8217;s passing just several years later.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/RCO022_1548655204.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-155849" width="401" height="174" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/RCO022_1548655204.jpg 1024w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/RCO022_1548655204-300x129.jpg 300w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/RCO022_1548655204-768x332.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /><figcaption>Ghost ain&#8217;t nothing&#8217; to $#@! with!</figcaption></figure></div>



<p>When we shift from the heroes to the villains we get&nbsp;goblins, genies, changlings, mystical warlords, and a wide array of creatures that populate this realm.&nbsp;The main cast&#8217;s character designs were some of the best and would stand toe to toe with many costume designs today. Clayton Henry&#8217;s Ghost Face and Dek designs are probably my favorites as they stand out most from the group and who doesn&#8217;t like a cool looking ninja? One of the villains, Ellion, is a mountain of a man and an unforgiving&nbsp;killer&nbsp;that would have made for one hell of a fight sequence when he finally confronted the Wu-Tang Clan. But this is a fight that the fans wouldn&#8217;t get to see Clayton Henry put down in the pages of this series.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/WUclaytonHenryArt-665x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-149607" width="236" height="362" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/WUclaytonHenryArt-665x1024.jpg 665w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/WUclaytonHenryArt-195x300.jpg 195w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/WUclaytonHenryArt-768x1182.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/WUclaytonHenryArt-998x1536.jpg 998w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/WUclaytonHenryArt.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 236px) 100vw, 236px" /><figcaption>Masta Killa is a lycanthrope!</figcaption></figure></div>



<p>While looking back, the book was slightly ahead of it&#8217;s time in some ways. At least for me because aside from characters in the Milestone Universe and Image&#8217;s&nbsp;<em>The Tribe</em> you just didn&#8217;t see a title starring mostly Black characters back then. Especially one that didn&#8217;t resort to a cliche urban setting while resorting to&nbsp;overused and disingenuous portrayals&nbsp;of Black people to build their characters off of. It was also evident that Clayton Henry was a Black comic artist which again was something I remember being excited about. Now, I had never seen him but in all the years of me reading comics at that time no white comic book artist&nbsp;had ever nailed the hair of Black men&nbsp;when it came to a fade.&nbsp;Not one.&nbsp;So the&nbsp;fact it was pretty consistent every time Professor Green was in a panel&nbsp;pretty much assured me&nbsp;another brother was&nbsp;out there&nbsp;putting in work with the likes of&nbsp;<a href="https://comicattack.net/aotmdenyscowan/">Denys Cowan</a>, Chris Cross,&nbsp;Larry Stroman, and others.</p>



<p>Unfortunately,<em> Nine Rings of the Wu-Tang</em> did end quite abruptly and unexpectedly. And like most books that end this way there were questions as to why along with many unanswered plot points. Several of them actually had the potential to flesh out a pretty unique series that put a different face on a genre that hadn&#8217;t been there before. There&#8217;s no question that the Wu&#8217;s star power at the time is what helped to get them their own comic because I couldn&#8217;t tell you of another series in the 90s that had a fellowship of Black men using magic and martial arts to save the world from evil. Though maybe that was the part that many people couldn&#8217;t connect with since they only saw the Wu as Hip-Hop artists and wanted something a little more &#8220;street&#8221;.  Or maybe they never saw Black characters have a prominent role in the fantasy genre and thought it odd which is actually worse in my opinion. But for whatever reason <em>Nine Rings of the Wu-Tang&#8217;s</em> run was cut short it was, if even for a moment, great to see something like this which showed the influences the group often talked about in interviews be brought to light in a comic. If you&#8217;re interested in reading <em>Nine Rings of the Wu-Tang</em> the single issues aren&#8217;t hard to track down but you might as well get the trade which has bonus art and stories.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/RCO029_1548655182-664x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-155846" width="450" height="692" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/RCO029_1548655182-195x300.jpg 195w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/RCO029_1548655182-997x1536.jpg 997w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/RCO029_1548655182.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px" /></figure></div>



<p>Check out our&nbsp;other classic comics in past <a href="https://comicattack.net/category/cafeaturedcolumns/yosc/"><strong>Ye </strong><strong>Olde</strong><strong> School Café </strong></a>colums!</p>



<p>Infinite Speech<br>infinitespeech@comicattack.net</p>
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		<title>Ye Olde School Cafe&#8217;: Marvel and DC Present: The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans #1 (1982)</title>
		<link>https://comicattack.net/yoscxmentitans/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[InfiniteSpeech]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Jan 2015 19:00:44 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Columns]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DC Comics]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[X-Men]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ye Olde School Cafe]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Chris Claremont]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Darkseid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jack Kirby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marvel and DC Present]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new gods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Phoenix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teen Titans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terry Austin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Walt Simonson]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=116865</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[It may be hard to believe but there was a time when the two largest comic companies got together and let their respective characters play in the same sandbox for a while. Maybe things were a little more fun and a lot less corporate (at least to the casual fan) back in 1982 but it resulted [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It may be hard to believe but there was a time when the two largest comic companies got together and let their respective characters play in the same sandbox for a while. Maybe things were a little more fun and a lot less corporate (at least to the casual fan) back in 1982 but it resulted in one of the best team-up/crossover books in comic&#8217;s history! Sure that might just be my opinion but <em>Marvel and DC Present: The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans</em> will always stand out as a classic that brought the best from both companies at the time and gave the fans something to be excited about.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XMENTEENTITANS.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-117310" src="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XMENTEENTITANS.jpg" alt="XMENTEENTITANS" width="500" height="381" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XMENTEENTITANS.jpg 800w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XMENTEENTITANS-300x229.jpg 300w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XMENTEENTITANS-768x586.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a></p>
<p>Written by the legendary Chris Claremont with art by <a href="https://comicattack.net/twcbsimonson/">Walt Simonson</a> and Terry Austin, <em>Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans</em> did not read like your average crossover. This story left the tried and overused team-up formula behind in favor of a more developed and focused story. Nor did it fall back on the one universe invading another trope either. What we do get is a shared universe in which two of the most powerful galactic threats  from each coming together and the heroes who join to stop them.</p>
<p>The issue begins with a conversation between Darkseid and Metron where through some manipulation it seems as if Darkseid is free to begin his plan. From here we meet the X-Men who are going through some training in the Danger Room. Claremont uses this sequence to introduce anyone unfamiliar with the characters in and then puts the plan into action. Darkseid is draining their memories of the recently deceased <a href="https://comicattack.net/mscs-jeangreyphoenix/">Jean Grey</a> also known as Phoenix. During the process he accidently awakens <a href="https://comicattack.net/marvsnap-kitty/">Kitty</a> whose screams alerts her teammates. When they realize they were all having nightmares about Jean there&#8217;s a knock at the door and a ghost like image appears to <a href="https://comicattack.net/marvsnap-cyclops/">Scott</a> pleading for help!</p>
<p><a href="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XTITANS.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-117394" src="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XTITANS.jpg" alt="XTITANS" width="400" height="198" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XTITANS.jpg 619w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XTITANS-300x148.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a></p>
<p>Over at Titans Tower, which was in New York at the time, Raven has a nightmare of her soulself being consumed by the Phoenix. Her screams bring along <a href="https://comicattack.net/character-spotlight-starfire/">Starfire</a> and Changeling (<a href="https://comicattack.net/charspotbeastboy/">Beast Boy</a>) who begins to take the form of the Phoenix bird as Raven describes what happened in her dream. Seeing the creature causes Starfire to attack him but she quickly comes to her senses and alerts the rest of the team. This is where those Marvel fans new to the Titans get introduced to <a href="https://comicattack.net/charspotwallywest3/">Kid Flash</a>, <a href="https://comicattack.net/character-spotlight-cyborg/">Cyborg</a>, and Wonder Girl. The only member who doesn&#8217;t respond to the call is <a href="https://comicattack.net/character-spotlight-dick-grayson/">Robin</a> who ran into Deathstroke and some of Darkseid&#8217;s parademons earlier that night and was knocked unconscious. When everyone is finally together Starfire explains her reasons for hating the Phoenix that ties in the Shi&#8217;ar and the moment the cosmic entity killed five billion when feeding on a star.</p>
<p>After some investigation, <a href="https://comicattack.net/marvsnap-xavier/">Proffesor X</a> sees the pattern in the attacks on his students and attempts to intercept their mysterious enemies. This leads to quite the exciting battle but in the end the X-Men are defeated and captured. Much like the Titans who were taken down as well while they were attacking the X Mansion and mistaken for the mutants by a group of Parademons. Both teams are brought together and Darkseid is able to move his plan ahead by siphoning the rest of the energies needed to bring about the second coming of Dark Phoenix! However, this is just part of his plan as Earth is on the agenda to become the new Apokolips!</p>
<p><a href="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XMENTEENTITANTS3.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-117307" src="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XMENTEENTITANTS3.jpg" alt="XMENTEENTITANTS3" width="300" height="464" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XMENTEENTITANTS3.jpg 712w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XMENTEENTITANTS3-194x300.jpg 194w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XMENTEENTITANTS3-662x1024.jpg 662w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a></p>
<p>Claremont does a masterful job merging the Marvel and DC characters without sacrificing any part of who they are. Fans of each will be pleased with how their favorite characters are represented here as it doesn&#8217;t seem like one was favored over the other. When the teams actually do meet it&#8217;s a peaceful moment that results in introductions and handshakes because they actually TALK first. They save their aggression and fighting for the bad guys which makes sense and gives the story more credibility than most. The actual fight against the bad guys is a great show of abilities and powers but Claremont also shows how much of an emotional fight it is for the X-Men. Especially for Cyclops.</p>
<p>The artwork from Simonson and Austin just leaps off of the page and helps make this one of the visually best stories around. There are several panels that really stand out for various reasons starting with the very first page. The perspective of the Source Wall only hints at it&#8217;s size but both Darkseid and Metron look like ants. It&#8217;s an imposing shot that really sets up the scale of this place. There&#8217;s also a panel where Scott screams for Jean and the entire panel is colored red as you can see his ruby quartz glasses barely holding back the blasts. As great as these two are the visual story really shines as they allow the influence of Jack Kirby to be seen throughout much of the book. From the infamous crackle to the characters that Kirby created, Austin and Simonson kept the essence of all of that while maintaining their own styles as well.</p>
<p>My final thoughts about <em>Marvel and DC Present: The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans</em> is that this book exceeds most if not all team-up/crossover books. This title actually holds the first five spots in my top ten comic team-ups and deservedly so. The creative team delivered what fans had actually been begging for without the cliché battle between the good guys. A story that seemed more natural and organic than most crossovers. And neither side seemed concerned with outdoing the other but just telling a good story for the fans. This was Claremont in his prime and any character he wrote made you want to know more about them. So whether you were a Marvel fan or a DC fan at the time he made you want to know exactly who the Teen Titans or X-Men were after reading this. It&#8217;s a shame that we didn&#8217;t get any more due to conflict between the two companies that developed during that time. It would have been awesome to see what would become of the second issue but at least we&#8217;ll always have this one.</p>
<p><figure id="attachment_117309" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-117309" style="width: 400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XMENTITANSMEETING.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-117309" src="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XMENTITANSMEETING.jpg" alt="XMENTITANSMEETING" width="400" height="599" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XMENTITANSMEETING.jpg 644w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XMENTITANSMEETING-200x300.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-117309" class="wp-caption-text">Can it be that it was all so simple then?</figcaption></figure></p>
<p>For more classic stories from <strong><em>Ye Olde School Café</em></strong> click <a href="https://comicattack.net/?s=ye+olde+school+cafe">here</a>!</p>
<p>Infinite Speech<br />
infinitespeech@comicattack.net</p>
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		<title>Ye Olde School Cafe&#039;: The Curse of Dracula &#8211; Tpb</title>
		<link>https://comicattack.net/yosc-cursedrac/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Billy]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2014 19:21:46 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[Dark Horse Comics]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Dracula]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Marv Wolfman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Curse of Dracula]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=115340</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[&#160; Hey everybody, welcome back to another edition of Ye Olde School Cafe&#8217;! This time around I&#8217;ll be checking out a comic book that Dark Horse Comics produced back in the late 1990&#8217;s, called &#8220;The Curse of Dracula.&#8221; This story was an homage to the Tomb of Dracula comic from Marvel in the 1970&#8217;s, and [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp;<br />
Hey everybody, welcome back to another edition of <strong>Ye Olde School Cafe&#8217;</strong>! This time around I&#8217;ll be checking out a comic book that Dark Horse Comics produced back in the late 1990&#8217;s, called <em>&#8220;The Curse of Dracula</em>.&#8221; This story was an homage to the<em> Tomb of Dracula</em> comic from Marvel in the 1970&#8217;s, and this was brought to us by the very same creative team that took that title and made it a masterpiece! Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan reunited to bring us more vampire goodness, and they didn&#8217;t disappoint. Along with Dark Horse colorist extraordinaire, Dave Stewart, we were given a three issue limited series that was one for the ages! Let&#8217;s get right down to the story, shall we?<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-64.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-115361" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-64-193x300.jpg" alt="Image (64)" width="193" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-64-193x300.jpg 193w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-64-768x1192.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-64-660x1024.jpg 660w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-64.jpg 1962w" sizes="(max-width: 193px) 100vw, 193px" /></a><br />
In modern times, we see a man, Sebastian Seward (a relative to the Seward that hunted Dracula in the Bram Stoker story), as he&#8217;s being chased down a dark street by vampire bats. Just as they descend upon him, a car pulls up, and four occupants jump out. Simon (last name unrevealed), driver/vampire hunter, Jonathan Van Helsing (distant relative of Abraham Van Helsing), CEO, and vampire hunter, Hiroshima (a blind, half human/half vampire) vampire hunter, and Nikita Kazan (ex-KGB agent), vampire hunter. These four have apparently been working together for some time now, weeding out vampire covens because of motivations that are all rooted in the curse of vampirism. They quickly dispatch the horde of vampires, but keep one alive for questioning. He won&#8217;t give up any information, so they kill him. They then take Seward back to their headquarters, and question him about his motivations for wanting to join their little troupe.<br />
After a scene change to a police investigation into the recent string of murders and disappearances, we next see that Dracula (thought to be dead at this point), is making love to a woman. We see that she is in love with him, but of course, he has ulterior motives. As she leaves Dracula&#8217;s home, across the city, Seward then takes his new friends to a spot where he found some vampires congregating. It&#8217;s some kind of nightclub (yes, very &#8220;Blade&#8221;), but they gain access through a back entrance. As they get inside, they&#8217;re horrified to see that the recent kidnapping victims have been strung up, and are being used as a blood bank for the vampires. Seward also remarks that Dracula is not dead, and that he&#8217;s behind all of the recent shenanigans.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-63.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-115362" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-63-191x300.jpg" alt="Image (63)" width="191" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-63-191x300.jpg 191w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-63-768x1206.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-63-652x1024.jpg 652w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-63.jpg 1929w" sizes="(max-width: 191px) 100vw, 191px" /><script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></a><br />
We see that Dracula is planning with his minions, and orders them to get some dinner for the evening, and to also go and destroy the team of vampire hunters, but to bring Van Helsing to him. Hundreds of bats descend on the club, and the team fights off most of them, but Simon is gravely injured during the battle. As the remaining bats flee, the team rushes Simon to their facility to get medical attention. It is now that we realize that Dracula is playing a different game than we are typically used to seeing. The woman that he has in the palm of his hand is married to a man, a Senator, that is running for President. By controlling her, we&#8217;re given the impression that he will control her husband (or so we&#8217;re led to believe initially).<br />
Her husband, throws a party to gather some momentum for his aspirations, and Dracula is among the guests. He slips away with Carole (the Senator&#8217;s wife), but another guest notices this, and tells him. As the two have an intimate moment, her husband bursts into the room, and attempts to assault Dracula. Obviously this is a fool&#8217;s errand, and Dracula easily deflects his attempts at physicality.<br />
I&#8217;ll stop at this point, because there might be some out there that haven&#8217;t read this yet, and I definitely don&#8217;t want to spoil it for  you.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-65.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-115363" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-65-191x300.jpg" alt="Image (65)" width="191" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-65-191x300.jpg 191w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-65-768x1203.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-65-654x1024.jpg 654w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-65.jpg 1943w" sizes="(max-width: 191px) 100vw, 191px" /></a><br />
This was a great homage to the Tomb series from the Bronze Age. Wolfman and Colan don&#8217;t miss a beat from those days with this story. The story is more visceral, and does contain some nudity (nothing crass), so this one is definitely for the mature readers.The story is a different angle for a Dracula story, but one that everyone who&#8217;s a fan should definitely check out. You get a solid story. strong artwork from Gene Colan (RIP), and very eerie colors from Dark Horse stalwart, Dave Stewart!<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Billy Dunleavy<br />
billy@comicattack.net<br />
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		<title>Ye Olde School Café: Strange Tales vol. 1</title>
		<link>https://comicattack.net/yosc-strtales1/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Billy]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 04 Oct 2014 15:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Billy]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Joe Sinnott]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Strange Tales]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=114874</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[&#160; Hello and welcome back to another edition of Ye Olde School Café! This time, I&#8217;ll be focusing in on some of the fantastic work by legends of the comic book industry from its pre-code days. These men should be lauded for their incredible efforts, and paving the way for all to come. Sadly, most [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp;<br />
Hello and welcome back to another edition of <strong>Ye Olde School Café</strong>! This time, I&#8217;ll be focusing in on some of the fantastic work by legends of the comic book industry from its pre-code days. These men should be lauded for their incredible efforts, and paving the way for all to come. Sadly, most of them aren&#8217;t with us anymore, but their legacy lives on in the pages of books like this one!<br />
This beautiful hardcover,<em> Strange Tales volume one</em>,  announces right on the cover that you&#8217;ll see the work of names like Joe Maneely, Gene Colan, John Romita, Joe Sinnott, Bill Everett, Dick Ayers, Russ Heath, and more! This first volume contains issues one through ten, and after even just skimming through it, you can really get a feeling for the work ethic these men possessed (and in a few cases, still do). I&#8217;ll spotlight a couple of issues, and hopefully you&#8217;ll get aroused enough to go out and find a copy for yourself! You can usually find this book at conventions for a good deal (M.S.R.P. $54.99).<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-36.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-114875" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-36-208x300.jpg" alt="Image (36)" width="208" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-36-208x300.jpg 208w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-36-768x1107.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-36-710x1024.jpg 710w" sizes="(max-width: 208px) 100vw, 208px" /></a><br />
In issue one there are five stories, two of which don&#8217;t even have any credits (back then, it was common for companies to not list creators, and also for the creators to not sign the work). One of the stories, &#8220;The Beast,&#8221; is about a crazed scientist who injects a serum into a man, and turns him into an ape-like creature. The creature then goes on a rampage, but ends up in a zoo, with apes. There&#8217;s a prose story as well, one of the &#8220;author unknown&#8221; chapters in this book, called &#8220;Death!&#8221; It features a conch that brings a man nothing but terror. Another story shows a hiker that comes upon a house in the woods, but after witnessing a murder there, he&#8217;ll never be the same again!<br />
The second issue opens with &#8220;The Egg,&#8221; and it shows that sometimes even a broken egg can have dire consequences. Another prose story that features a great illustration (image below) to go along with it follows that story.&#8221;Trapped in the Tomb&#8221; is a really good story that features a nagging wife who has her husband on the ropes. He gets his hands on a device that mimics a genie&#8217;s lamp, and uses it to get away from his significant other. His wife finds another, more sinister use for the device, though!<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-37.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-114876" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-37-300x207.jpg" alt="Image (37)" width="300" height="207" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-37-300x207.jpg 300w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-37-768x531.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-37-1024x708.jpg 1024w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-37.jpg 1792w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></a><br />
Moving on to issue four, which opens with a great story by Bill Everett called &#8220;The Evil Eye.&#8221; This one shows a gigantic eye of destruction that&#8217;s summoned to the earthly plane by a wacky scientist. By story&#8217;s end, the mad scientist regrets this decision. Wonderful illustrations (image below) by Everett. One of my favorite stories, by John Romita, follows in this issues. &#8220;It&#8221; shows a baby, and his loving parents, as they live a quiet life in the suburbs. But this baby is more than he seems, and in the end we see a baby brandishing a firearm!<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-38.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-114877" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-38-198x300.jpg" alt="Image (38)" width="198" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-38-198x300.jpg 198w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-38-768x1162.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-38-677x1024.jpg 677w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-38.jpg 1772w" sizes="(max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px" /></a><br />
&nbsp;<br />
In issue six, the opening salvo is from Russ Heath, and in &#8220;Uninhabited&#8221; we get a sci-fi story that features exploration, tension, disappearing shipmates, and death! Incredible work by Heath on this one, and it makes the entire issue worth it all by itself. A traveling salesman that visits a funeral parlor and never leaves, a virus that turns people into serial killers, a prison escapee that finds out the hard way you get what you wish for sometimes, and a prose story about a vampire, all make this issue one of the strongest in the book.<br />
The next two issues bring the brilliance of Gene Colan, Joe Maneely, and Joe Sinnott. Colan presents a vampire story (&#8220;He Wished He was a Vampire&#8221;) that&#8217;s hilarious, and then a tale that is down right creepy (&#8220;The Old Mill&#8221;), even by today&#8217;s standards. A story called&#8221;Tap, tap, tap&#8221; is a work of brilliance by Joe Sinnott. It&#8217;s basically a war story that features men on a submarine, and a tapping noise that drives them insane. Sitting back and thinking about it, you can see how it would make a person crazy being in that situation. The final story, illustrated by Joe Maneely, features a shoe repair guy who gets murdered, but as the killer soon finds out, you might not want to walk a mile in someone&#8217;s shoes!<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-39.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-114878" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-39-196x300.jpg" alt="Image (39)" width="196" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-39-196x300.jpg 196w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-39-768x1175.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-39-669x1024.jpg 669w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-39.jpg 1758w" sizes="(max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px" /></a><br />
The last two installments of this hardcover are just as solid as the previous issues. &#8220;The Monster&#8217;s Son&#8221; is fantastically illustrated by Jim Mooney, and is kind of an homage to Frankenstein (visually). A really whacked out story about a man on the wrong end of a pack of rabbits, a wild tale about Nazis, and a shooting gallery gone wrong, are what finishes off this wonderful collection. Mike Sekowsky, Dick Ayers, Bernie Krigstein, and others on credits.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-40.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-114879" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Image-40-200x300.jpg" alt="Image (40)" width="200" height="300" /></a><br />
If for no other reason, grab a copy of this book for the outstanding contributions by these comic book legends. Any horror, sci-fi, or just plain old fan of comic book art should get this book. There&#8217;s no way possible you won&#8217;t be satisfied by this volume of comic book history!<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Billy Dunleavy</span><br />
billy@comicattack.net</p>
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		<title>Ye Olde School Café Kull The Destroyer #17, 1976</title>
		<link>https://comicattack.net/yosc-kull17/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Billy]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 20 Sep 2014 11:00:44 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Billy]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Alfredo Alcala]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Doug Moench]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ed Hannigan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gil kane]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kull The Conqueror]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Robert E. Howard]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=114152</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[&#160; Hello and welcome brethren! In this edition, I&#8217;ll be starting a look at a few issues of Kull The Destroyer, in which the warrior that would become king has some tremendous adventures! I try to mix things up here in Ye Olde School Café once in a while, and this certainly is a genre I [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp;<br />
Hello and welcome brethren! In this edition, I&#8217;ll be starting a look at a few issues of <em>Kull The Destroyer</em>, in which the warrior that would become king has some tremendous adventures! I try to mix things up here in <strong>Ye Olde School Café</strong> once in a while, and this certainly is a genre I haven&#8217;t covered in a very long time. The character was created by the legendary writer Robert E. Howard, and anyone who knows this man&#8217;s work can&#8217;t be anything except impressed. He basically created the genre (sword and sorcery) with <a href="https://comicattack.net/2011/01/marvsnap-conan/">Conan</a>, <a href="https://comicattack.net/2011/01/marvsnap-kull/">Kull</a>, and <a href="https://comicattack.net/2013/12/dynamite-comics-review-red-sonja-6/">Red Sonja</a>, along with a few other great characters. His incredible contributions to the world cannot be questioned. The adaptation is written by the underrated Doug Moench, pencils by Ed Hannigan (another underrated creator), inks by the talented Alfredo Alcala (he did some fantastic work on <em>Swamp Thing</em>), colors by Hubert Paley, letters by Annette Kawecki, edited by Roy Thomas, and just look at that cover (very Ray Harryhausen!) by Gil Kane!<br />
OK, let us travel back in time now, to when the world was not yet ripe with its many resources of today, but still a time with heroes and villains, damsels in distress, and evil creatures that roamed the sea&#8230;.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-209.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-114153 size-medium" src="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-209-195x300.jpg" alt="Image (209)" width="195" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-209-195x300.jpg 195w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-209-768x1180.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-209-666x1024.jpg 666w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-209.jpg 1974w" sizes="(max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px" /></a><br />
As Kull is standing near a cliff, he watches the beautiful Kareesha as she dives off of the same cliff. He dives in after her, but she&#8217;s too fast for him. She swims through the wreckage of an old ship, sunken for some unknown reason, many years ago. As Kull passes by, he sees some kind of odd shaped box, and the strange object begins to glow a furious green color. He looks at it, and almost touches it, but then remembers about how he dislikes sorcery, so he leaves to chase after the woman. Once they are both on the shoreline, Kull questions the woman about something, but she refuses to answer him. Just then, a group of soldiers from Atlantis pop out of some corner and threaten Kull. He doesn&#8217;t take kindly to this, and then gives them the beating they deserve.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-210.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-114194" src="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-210-210x300.jpg" alt="Image (210)" width="210" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-210-210x300.jpg 210w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-210-768x1096.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-210-718x1024.jpg 718w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-210.jpg 1741w" sizes="(max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px" /><script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></a><br />
As Kull returns to his home, he sleeps, but his mind is anything but asleep. He dreams about some recent events, especially the ones that involve his acquaintance Kareesha, and all the mystical mojo surrounding her at the moment. He also dreams about fighting his mortal enemy, Thulsa Doom. Suddenly, a rock hits Kull in the head, awakening him from his slumber. The musician Ridondo (a &#8220;man of Sherwood forest&#8221; look-alike) informs him that the king, Om-Ra, has requested to see Kull immediately. Om-Ra tells Kull that he&#8217;s worried about their mutual friend, Khornah (former friend). This man, Khornah, is a would-be conqueror, and Om-Ra understands that if he&#8217;s allowed to keep going unchecked, he might one day overthrow the kingdom.<br />
As Kull and Ridondo prepare to depart, Kull is mystically (and mentally) frozen in his tracks, where he&#8217;s beset by Kareesha, and told to not interfere in her plans. She then casts a spell on him so he won&#8217;t remember the incident. Kull then heads to Khornah&#8217;s ship, and gets a rather cold greeting. Kull tells Khornah that the king himself requested that he board this sip for its journey, so Khornah relents and lets him come with him. Not very long into this journey, Khornah is looking through a spyglass, and Kull snatches it from his hands. He looks in the same direction and sees a fleet of ships bearing the flag of their enemies from Lemuria! He tells Khornah to turn away, as they&#8217;ll be killed, but he ignores Kull, giving him the impression that he&#8217;s in league with the enemy.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-211.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-114195" src="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-211-200x300.jpg" alt="Image (211)" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-211-200x300.jpg 200w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-211-768x1150.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-211-684x1024.jpg 684w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-211.jpg 1766w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" /></a><br />
As all this is transpiring, Kareesha is watching with her crystal ball. She remarks that she won&#8217;t allow Kull to be killed, because she wishes to use him as a puppet in the coming times. She gestures, and then we see that the ship is over the area where Kull and Kareesha dove into the water earlier. The glowing box that had mesmerized Kull slightly on the sunken ship begins to quake, and then the &#8220;inhabitants&#8221; of that sunken ship begin to rise to the surface. Meanwhile, Kull is fighting off Khornah&#8217;s minions on the deck of the ship, and everyone is about to be in for a surprise.<br />
Suddenly, under the surface, the glowing green box erupts, and out pops the Kraken! It, along with these skeletons, comes to the ship and attacks it. Kull is busy trying to kill these undead skeletons, while the rest of the crew is trying to fend off the Kraken, but their efforts are futile. The ship is torn in half by the legendary beast, and everyone is either killed by the Kraken or just simply drowns. Everyone except Kull that is, because he&#8217;s actually grabbed by the Kraken, but manages to stab it in the eye, and it releases him. He swims to the surface, and then to the shoreline.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-213.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-114196" src="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Image-213-198x300.jpg" alt="Image (213)" width="198" height="300" /></a><br />
Kull staggers around and is startled by Ridondo, who is wooing a woman nearby. Ridondo exclaims that Kull looks like he&#8217;s seen a ghost, but he remarks that Khornah has not been dead long enough to have become a ghost. Just as he finishes that comment, we see that Khornah did not die, but also managed to get away and swim to another part of the shore. He then shouts that Kull will die for this atrocity!<br />
Wow, this issue is something obviously inspired in some ways by the legendary Ray Harryhausen. The living skeletons, and even the Kraken looks like one of Ray&#8217;s creatures that he animated on the big screen. Doug Moench did a good job with the script, as you&#8217;d expect, and Hannigan and Alcala were dynamite on the artwork. Great issue front to back! Stay tuned next time for more great action and adventure!<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Billy Dunleavy</span><br />
billy@comicattack.net</p>
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		<title>Ye Olde School Café: Stoker&#039;s Dracula #1</title>
		<link>https://comicattack.net/yosc-stokerdracula/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Billy]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 30 Aug 2014 15:28:17 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[Dick Giordano]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dracula]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dracula Lives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roy Thomas]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=113716</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[&#160; Hello and welcome to another edition of Ye Olde School Café! This time around I&#8217;ll be focusing in on an issue that really set the bar for adaptations as far as I&#8217;m concerned, and what better story to check out than Bram Stoker&#8217;s Dracula! Back in the 1970s, during the horror comics explosion, a [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp;<br />
Hello and welcome to another edition of <strong>Ye Olde School Café</strong>! This time around I&#8217;ll be focusing in on an issue that really set the bar for adaptations as far as I&#8217;m concerned, and what better story to check out than <em>Bram Stoker&#8217;s Dracula</em>!<br />
Back in the 1970s, during the horror comics explosion, a plethora of black and white magazines hit the shelves. Marvel, like all the other companies, knew that they could put out these &#8220;magazines&#8221; which didn&#8217;t fall under the blanket of the Comics Code Authority, so the material could be more adult oriented. Scantily clad ladies, more explicit killings, and so on, adorned the pages of books like <em>Vampire Tales</em>, <em>Tales of the Zombie</em>, and of course <em>Dracula Lives</em>! In the pages of the latter, Roy Thomas and Dick Giordano (RIP) were tasked to put the classic Bram Stoker story of Dracula into our minds visually. This was no easy task, but these two icons were up for it, and then some.<br />
Thomas was at the top of his game, and Giordano was no slouch either. Both men had already contributed great work to the industry. With Giordano being around since the early 1950s, you knew he was going to bring his &#8220;A&#8221; game to this project, and could be counted on to be a consummate professional. Thomas was more of the new kid on the block, but in the short time he was in the industry, he had written such titles as the <em>X-Men</em> (his great collaboration with Neal Adams), <em>The Avengers</em> (another excellent partnership, this time with &#8216;Big&#8217; John Buscema), and many other great books.<br />
Most readers know the story that Bram Stoker gave us, so I won&#8217;t get too  heavy with the story itself, but rather show the fantastic work by these two gentlemen, and let it speak for itself. The magazine <em>Dracula Lives</em> did get cancelled before Thomas and Giordano could finish their adaptation, but in 2004 Marvel had both men return and finish it, and it was collected in a hardcover, and later (2010) released in a colorized version, in hardcover once again.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-122.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-113792" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-122-196x300.jpg" alt="Image (122)" width="196" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-122-196x300.jpg 196w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-122-768x1175.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-122-670x1024.jpg 670w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-122.jpg 1976w" sizes="(max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px" /><script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></a><br />
The story begins just as the novel does, with Jonathan Harker heading out from Munich on a train to Transylvania. Once there, he is to be taken by carriage to the castle of Count Dracula. He&#8217;s warned off by the locals about going to this area of the countryside, but he initially thinks the people are just full of superstition. On the carriage ride, he seems to be wavering a bit about the villagers&#8217; superstitions, as an ominous storm is following them, and then they reach the destination where Count Dracula is to meet Harker. At first, no one appears to be there, but then suddenly, out of thin air Dracula and his carriage arrive!<br />
After nearly being devoured by wolves, Harker is beginning to think this was a bad idea. Dracula orders the wolves back into the forest, and to Harker&#8217;s amazement they obey the Count! A quick trip to the castle, where Harker finds that Dracula is very cordial, but sinister at the same time. It doesn&#8217;t take Harker long to realize that he&#8217;s in over his head, so he attempts to contact someone outside of the castle, but Dracula&#8217;s minions stop the letter from getting to its destination.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-125.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-113793" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-125-213x300.jpg" alt="Image (125)" width="213" height="300" /></a><br />
Later one evening, Harker is nearly asleep in his bedroom when he sees three beautiful women enter. One of them approaches him, and appears to try and engage him in somewhat of a sexual manner. He&#8217;s frozen by their beauty, or is it something else? As the woman nears his throat, a hand grabs her and tosses her aside like a child. It is Count Dracula, and he scolds the women for attempting to make Harker their own.<br />
Days pass, and Harker has numerous nightmares, but one evening in particular has him feeling ill. He awakens to the screams of one of the villagers, a woman, screaming outside the castle walls. She begs for this &#8220;monster to give her back her child.&#8221; As she does, a pack of wolves suddenly surrounds her, and then there is silence. As Harker looks around to the other side of the castle walls, he sees Count Dracula, scaling the wall like some kind of lizard. He also notices he&#8217;s carrying a sack with something living inside of it, wrestling around.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-126.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-113794" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-126-207x300.jpg" alt="Image (126)" width="207" height="300" /></a><br />
Harker then decides to try and escape this madhouse by crawling down the side of the building. He only gets slightly lower than his window, and to the bedroom of Count Dracula. As he enters, he sees a pile of gold and jewelry lying on the floor. He then creeps quietly around the castle, looking for a way out. He descends into the basement, and discovers a row of coffins. He opens one, and lying inside is Count Dracula! He seems to be in some kind of trance, so Harker picks up a shovel and smacks him over the head with it, cutting him open slightly. A blow that would&#8217;ve killed a normal man, but barely scratched the Count. Harker then returns to his room, and cries to himself in the corner, admitting defeat.<br />
Well, that&#8217;s all for issue one, and believe me, the collection is well worth it for any fan of Dracula or horror comics. Giordano did a great job rendering this story, and you can definitely see he drew the characters with certain people in mind. For instance, Count Dracula looks very similar to the character as played by John Carradine (<em>House of Dracula</em>, 1945), and one of the vampire women (Dracula&#8217;s brides) clearly looks like Ingrid Pitt (<em>Countess Dracula</em>, 1971, and <em>The Vampire Lovers</em>, 1970). Nice homage to the film industry, or just a good use of reference material! See you next time!<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-124.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-113795" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-124-194x300.jpg" alt="Image (124)" width="194" height="300" /></a><br />
&nbsp;<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Billy Dunleavy</span><br />
billy@comicattack.net<br />
&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Ye Olde School Café: Captain America: Bicentennial Battles Tpb</title>
		<link>https://comicattack.net/yosc-capbb/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Billy]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 16 Aug 2014 13:30:07 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Avengers]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Bicentennial Battles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Captain America]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Falcon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Herbe Trimpe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jack Kirby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[John Romita]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=113304</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[&#160; Hello and welcome to another edition of Ye Olde School Café! This time around I&#8217;ll be showcasing another incredible offering from the unbridled imagination of Jack &#8216;King&#8217; Kirby! In the trade paperback Bicentennial Battles, Jack Kirby had recently returned to Marvel (after creating his Fourth World material, Kamandi, and others), and gave the world [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp;<br />
Hello and welcome to another edition of<strong> Ye Olde School Café</strong>! This time around I&#8217;ll be showcasing another incredible offering from the unbridled imagination of Jack &#8216;King&#8217; Kirby! In the trade paperback <em>Bicentennial Battles</em>, Jack Kirby had recently returned to Marvel (after creating his Fourth World material, Kamandi, and others), and gave the world some of the absolutely wildest stories the Marvel Universe had ever seen. Or ever will.<br />
With talents like Herbe Trimpe, &#8216;Jazzy&#8217; John Romita Sr., &#8216;Jumbo&#8217; John Verpoorten, Frank Giacoia, and Bob Smith inking Jack&#8217;s work, you get some of the most mind-blowing artwork ever by Kirby. Add in John Costanza, Jim Novak, George Roussos, and more, and you get a book full of awesomeness. The book collects <em>Captain America #201-205</em> (1976/77). Let&#8217;s dive in!<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-96.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-113430" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-96-194x300.jpg" alt="Image (96)" width="194" height="300" /></a><br />
In the beginning of this trade, Cap meets the enigmatic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Buda">Mister Buda</a>. This kooky figure sits inside some kind of time-travel device shaped like a pyramid. While inside, he can traverse to any location in time/space. He returns from somewhere/when, and Cap confronts him. Mister Buda convinces Cap to take a journey through the veil of time, to seek out those in need. Cap&#8217;s first mission ends up in familiar territory: WWII. He fights against Hitler and the Nazis, and even meets up with his old partner Bucky Barnes!<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-97.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-113431" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-97-188x300.jpg" alt="Image (97)" width="188" height="300" /><script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></a><br />
After returning to the chambers of Mister Buda, Cap agrees to &#8220;expand his mind,&#8221; and take another &#8220;trip.&#8221; Unbeknownst to Cap, though, Mister Buda has slipped him some kind of wacky device (during a hand shake) that will help this process along. Mister Buda remarks to himself that it will take Cap into an alternate universe, where things ended up quite differently than in the America he knows. Cap then realizes he&#8217;s been transported to Colonial times, and meets Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, and others of that time. A quick run-in with some gangsters in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States">prohibition era</a>, and while there, he saves the life of a newspaper kid.<br />
The next &#8220;trip&#8221; shows Cap fighting alongside Native Americans against the forces that took their land. Next, Cap helps some workers at a cave-in. That adventure is a quick one, though, and we see Cap whisked away to fight in WWI. A fast trip back to the chambers of Mister Buda, as they have a conversation, but it ends abruptly, and Cap finds himself in a fist fight with the world boxing champion (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_L._Sullivan">John L. Sullivan</a>?) .<br />
Other &#8220;trips&#8221; of note are one to the deep south, where Cap defends the rights of slaves on a plantation; then Cap witnesses the testing of the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project"> first atomic bomb</a>; the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_fire_of_1871">1871 fire in Chicago</a>; goes to space; and literally everything else you can think of for a story!<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-100.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-113432" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-100-219x300.jpg" alt="Image (100)" width="219" height="300" /></a><br />
This book is many things: a history lesson, a lesson in forgiveness, stories that show what can happen as a result of certain atrocities. Kirby really showed how existentialism was something he apparently held in high regard. You can tell from reading a book like this (over several readings) that Kirby really understood what it was like to be a part of things like racism (being Jewish), and what it was like to fight against tyranny (as a soldier in WWII).<br />
Do yourself a favor and grab this trade. You get the incredible artwork of Jack Kirby, but also see what he could do when he had total control of a title. You get a history lesson through the eyes of one of comic book&#8217;s greatest creators ever!<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Billy Dunleavy</span><br />
billy@comicattack.net<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Ye Olde School Café: Thor #249, 1976</title>
		<link>https://comicattack.net/yosc-thor249/</link>
					<comments>https://comicattack.net/yosc-thor249/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Billy]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 02 Aug 2014 19:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[Balder the Brave]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[John Buscema]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Karnilla]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Len Wein]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mangog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Odin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tony De Zuniga]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=113072</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[&#160; Hey everybody, welcome back to another week in Ye Olde School Café! In this edition we&#8217;ll be taking a look at a comic book that had a big reveal on the eve of a big anniversary issue. Thor #249 boasts the creative team of Len Wein (writer/editor), &#8216;Big&#8217; John Buscema (pencils)(RIP), Tony DeZuniga (inks)(RIP), Glynis Wein [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp;<br />
Hey everybody, welcome back to another week in <strong>Ye Olde School Café</strong>! In this edition we&#8217;ll be taking a look at a comic book that had a big reveal on the eve of a big anniversary issue. <em>Thor #249 </em>boasts the creative team of Len Wein (writer/editor), &#8216;Big&#8217; John Buscema (pencils)(RIP), Tony DeZuniga (inks)(RIP), Glynis Wein (colors), Joe Rosen (letters)(RIP), and &#8216;Marvelous&#8217; Marv Wolfman (&#8220;face in the crowd&#8221;/plotter). This team would be a fantastic combination (Wein/Wolfman/Buscema) over quite a few story arcs, and go down as one of the best runs ever on that title!<br />
To set the stage, Thor (and Asgard) has been a victim of the machinations of Zarrko the Tomorrow Man, some wacky time travel adventures, a fight with Firelord, and a battle with the Storm Giants. Behind the scenes, though, something even more sinister is going on, and it also appears that Odin is going mad (after having been missing for some time)! All of this has set the stage for what we are about to venture into&#8230;.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-23.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-113073" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-23-194x300.jpg" alt="Image (23)" width="194" height="300" /></a><br />
As the issue begins, we see Thor entering a corridor near his father&#8217;s throne room. He&#8217;s greeted by a battalion of Asgardian soldiers who warn him that Odin has commanded that Thor be captured, and not allowed to gain access to the throne room. Thor&#8217;s temper has always been a bit suspect, and it doesn&#8217;t take long before he begins to fight the soldiers. Thor actually is taking them down with some ease, but when reinforcements arrive he decides it would be better to flee (there&#8217;s also a mystical barrier of some type blocking his way). He flies to the secret residence of Balder the Brave, where he, Jane Foster, the Warriors Three, and the Grand Vizier are plotting to stop Odin. The Grand Vizier tells Thor that they must travel to a far land to ask the help of Karnilla, Queen of the Norns. Jane Foster asks what her role is in this game, and the Grand Vizier tells her that she must stay behind to help rally the people of Asgard against Odin. He hands her the sword of the Lady Sif  (she&#8217;s been sort of missing&#8230;it&#8217;s complicated), and as she grasps it, she&#8217;s transformed into Lady Sif! After a quick tender moment, the Vizier warns that they must hurry, and so they leave.<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-24.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-113074" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-24-210x300.jpg" alt="Image (24)" width="210" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-24-210x300.jpg 210w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-24-768x1095.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-24-718x1024.jpg 718w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-24.jpg 1780w" sizes="(max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px" /><script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></a><br />
Meanwhile, Odin is barking orders to his loyal followers, and tells them to bring the Odinsword to a different chamber. He then commands them to bring his throne and place it over the sword. Odin tells his wary followers that he&#8217;ll either rule Asgard alone or destroy it! As Thor and his band of brothers are nearing Karnilla&#8217;s stronghold (actually a creepy looking cave), a few giants attack, but are quickly dispatched by the thunder god! Thor enters the home of Karnilla, and then begs her to help against the seemingly mad Odin. At first she rebuffs their requests, even slapping Balder across the face (image below &#8211; those two have a history)! The Vizier warns her that not helping them will have some dire consequences in the future, and after a short conversation she relents to their demand.<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-25.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-113075" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-25-197x300.jpg" alt="Image (25)" width="197" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-25-197x300.jpg 197w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-25-768x1168.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-25-673x1024.jpg 673w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-25.jpg 1770w" sizes="(max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px" /></a><br />
Later, they arrive back at the palace of Odin. When the guards attempt to stop them, Karnilla uses her magic to whisk them away. Karnilla then tries to use her power to destroy the barrier that protects Odin&#8217;s chambers, but she fails. Thor then tells her that together they must try to break it down again. Thor uses his hammer, Mjolnir, and Karnilla summons all of her power, and together they open a hole in the barrier. As Thor leaps through, he tells his friends to follow, but the hole seals back up immediately after Thor jumps through.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-26.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-113076" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-26-200x300.jpg" alt="Image (26)" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-26-200x300.jpg 200w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-26-768x1150.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-26-684x1024.jpg 684w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-26.jpg 1785w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" /></a><br />
Thor is then greeted by his father&#8217;s voice, and told to enter the chamber. As he does, he sees that Odin has brought the Odinsword there, and that he&#8217;s replaced the Grand Vizier with the evil<a href="http://marvel.wikia.com/Igron_%28Earth-616%29"> Igron the Invincible</a>! Igron has been a lackey of Loki&#8217;s in the past, but has now somehow deceived Odin himself. Thor begs his father to explain his actions, but he only gets more riddles than answers. Finally, Odin grows weary of Thor&#8217;s questions, and then a blinding light shimmers before Thor&#8217;s eyes. The ruse is over, and Mangog stands ready to kill Thor!<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-27.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-113077" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-27-200x300.jpg" alt="Image (27)" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-27-200x300.jpg 200w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-27-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-27-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Image-27.jpg 1784w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" /></a><br />
Wow, this was a such a huge issue, and of course a big brawl followed in the anniversary issue next. To have Wein, Wolfman, and Buscema doing this was a perfect storm as far as I&#8217;m concerned. You get great stories, consistency, and mind-blowing artwork, too! Let us not forget the covers around this time either! The king of comics had returned to Marvel and was belting out some fantastic covers! See you next time!</p>
<p style="color: #444444;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Billy Dunleavy</span><br />
billy@comicattack.net</p>
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