Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities My Big-Ass Pile o'Trades Waiting To Be Read At My Whim

I think that probably the main thing Romita improves over Ditko is the distinctive redesigns/tweaks he does on Peter and much of the supporting cast. Ditko was much more of an innovator and designer overall, but Romita excelled in bringing out the humanity in the non-costumes, something which, I'm sure, owes a lot to his history doing romance comics.

Star Wars: The Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 1 (collects Star Wars 1-44): Well, anyone who's been paying attention to my rants about the comics of my childhood shouldn't be surprised about my nostalgia for Marvel's original Star Wars series. The most pleasant surprise, though, in reading the first 300 pages of this handsome collection was really how well-crafted and entertaining these stories really were, especially with so much going against them.

What do I mean? Well, the actual film adaptation (comprised of the first six issues) of what would later be called "A New Hope" was completed without any of the creators seeing anything near the final cut of the film! I mean, Howard Chaykin and even writer Roy Thomas had to take some leaps of faith and do the best they had with what they got. What you get is an adaptation that feels much more like a comic book than a movie. A lot of the dialogue is a little off, and some scenes lack special detail. Plus, some of the iconic deleted scenes were still in the adaptation, including the legendary scenes with Luke and Biggs and the notorious Jabba the Hut (one "t") appearance as a bipedal green dude. But I love it! All of the narration and descriptions that deepen the context of the story make it, hands down, my favorite of any comics movie adaptation, especially because it's unapologetically a comic book!

Another thing interesting about the book after the movie adaptation is how little the creators had to go on to continue the story. As Thomas says in his intro, restrictions were put on the book by Lucasfilm, including their not being allowed to use Darth Vader (something they obviously would loosen their stance on eventually), to develop the Luke/Leia romance (and not being told why) or to delve into the Clone Wars as mentioned in some throwaway lines.

In truth, the post-movie stories do feel a bit off in tone. If you think about it, they didn't really have a lot to go on from just the one film. Though it did a great deal of world-building, the universe was still vastly unexplored and the characters mostly just scratching the surface. The next movie would go a long way toward expanding the scope and characters, but meanwhile, Marvel just kinda had to run with it as best they could. For me, that made for a fun and imaginative run from the get-go.

The first arc to follow the film adaptation in issues 7-10 is one that is often referenced, usually in a derisive manner, as an example of Marvel's supposed abuse of the franchise. Most often cited is the appearance of giant humanoid green Bugs Bunny-riff character Jaxon as part of Thomas and Chaykin's Seven Samurai riff with Han and Chewie at the center of the crusade. Well, I personally loved Jaxon as a kid and still love him during this rediscovery. The more egregious character in the group, to me, is the character of Don Won Kihotay, the apparently senile wannabe Jedi Knight. But even he becomes pretty cool as the story progresses and leaves me wanting more of survivors of the "Eight for Aduba" crew.

Beyond that, I like the arc for daring to focus pretty much entirely around Han and Chewie, leaving Luke, Leia and the droids entirely to brief subplot cameos. I thought it was interesting they had the pair immediately get their reward from the Rebellion ripped off by pirates and find themselves down and out on a backwater world--yet immediately finding a heroic purpose while still within their mercenary ways.

All of the Aduba Eight are fun, and when two of them are lost (though one loss is frustrating because his death or even any peril was not depicted clearly) and another almost lost, it's pretty affecting. Several of them are analogs for the missing members of the Star Wars cast, and it's interesting to see what effect Luke and the rest had on Han (who for all he knows, he may never see again) by proxy during their brief adventure.

The ending, in which there is a destructive third party called to intervene between Han's crew and the marauders, robs the story of some of it's gravitas and build-up. But it's nice to see more fantasy elements brought in, which would later become more prominent in the films.

The end of this second arc marks the departure of both Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin. Roy, I think, gives way to a writer more suited to the book, Archie Goodwin. I lament the departure of Chaykin more because toward the end of his run, Tom Palmer joined him as inker, and I feel the book never looked better (at least early on) than it did with those two paired together. I certainly wish I'd seen more of them, at the very least!

The third arc (issues 11-15), imo, is really a superior arc. While searching for a new rebel base, Luke and the droids crash land on a water planet and are caught in a war between scavengers and dragon-riders who are descendants of some never-do-wells. It gets even more complicated when Leia gets captured by the same pirates that ripped off Han and Chewie's reward while looking for Luke. Han and Chewie run into the pirates and by extension Leia, and they trick the pirates into taking them all to Luke's last known location with the promise of rebel treasure. Eventually, all the characters come back together and face the triple-threat of all these factions in a very satisfying story. Honestly, if Lucas had done an Episode IV and a half, this would have made for a very entertaining movie!

The arc just seems so perfectly crafted that I'm surprised it doesn't get mentioned more in fandom. there are some great moments--like when Leia decks Han--that seem so appropriate and prescient of what would later happen. Goodwin, supposedly restricted from exploring Luke and Leia, seems to have run with the chemistry Leia and Han had. Han comes off as a bad-ass, the Princess aggressive and cunning and Luke capable of thinking on his feet with some logical extension of his desert farmboy upbringing--it makes sense that he can't swim! And it also has just the right dash of pathos in a character's passing and just a really deep backstory behind the water planet inhabitants.

The artist in residence on the arc and for some time to come is legendary Flash artist Carmine Infantino. In some ways his style here in a situation utilizing characters whose likenesses are based on real people is a little jarring. Chaykin rarely worried about the likenesses (though in some panels he's absolutely dead-on), but his style seemed to be more of a natural to the story. I think even as a kid, I noticed that Infantino's faces seemed, I dunno, a little angular for the characters. Something else else about how he draws Leia, especially. But as I read through the story, there's no denying Infantino's storytelling ability. And though he is an odder choice and less natural fit than Chaykin, I do overall like his work here. Certainly doesn't hurt that the child inside me recognizes the images and stirs the nostalgia.

I think it's wonderful that the series began with three extended arcs (including the film). It immediately marked the book as different from its superhero brethren at Marvel and really suited the epic nature of the property. I know from memory that there are more extended arcs to come and that Goodwin wouldn't be leaving any time soon. From what I'm reading and re-living here, that's definitely a good thing!

Next up, is the first true one-shot of the series, and it's a special treat as none other than Walt Simonson steps in for a guest pencil. Not only is it the first one-shot but it also is devoid of any of the principle characters, aside from some flashback montages! It features a bounty hunter, Valance, out to get Luke and the droids. Instead, he finds the survivors of the Aduba Eight crew, thinking that the characters who fought with Han were actually them. So we get the return of Jaxon and the others in a fine adventure (one last time unfortunately) and the likelihood that Valance will meet the real deals before long, after revealing a (fairly predictable, admittedly) secret Valance has behind his hatred of droids. It's a cool story reuniting Goodwin and Simonson, who created the iconic Manhunter stories for DC.

After that issue, I decided to suspend my reading of the Omnibus for a while. I enjoyed it thoroughly but wanted to savor the great epics I'd just read, knowing that there are more great epics to come. I'll pick up where I left off soon and look forward to doing so when the time is right.

I can honestly say that I enjoyed these stories a lot. I think that aside from the nostalgia, they are very entertaining on their own merits. They are fun, imaginative and memorable. Star Wars purists may scoff, but I'm as big a fan as there's ever been and don't. Honestly, I'm hard-pressed to think of Star Wars comics much better than these and am especially delighted to see stories of the universe not bound by the struggle with the Empire and/or evil Sith lords. It's damn fun space fantasy, and that's what Star Wars is at its core!

Great reviews, Lardy. They did what I think all reviews in this forum should do -- make me want to either buy the comic or trade in question or request it from the library.

I will certainly do one of the above with this Omnibus. I'll admit I have resisted the early Marvel Star Wars stories for decades, mainly because the low regard in fandom for the Roy Thomas arcs which you already noted, and because I'm generally not a fan of post-1968 Carmine Infantino (the artist even admitted in an interview many years ago that he felt that when he was promoted to DC executive and took a long hiatus from drawing, his artwork from the mid-1970s on never fully recovered its Silver Age mojo.) That said, I am a fan of Infantino's Silver Age work on both Flash and Adam Strange (Lardy, I know you usually prefer color with your reprints, but the Showcase Presents: Adam Strange trade is a very worthwhile investment IMO) so I will give it a fair chance. And Archie Goodwin was one of my favorite writers of all time -- anyone who wonders what was so great about him should read the first bookend issue of Armageddon 2001; Goodwin was so talented, he even raised a crass marketing-driven event to the level of art...shame he didn't script the second bookend...which was further damaged by the last-minute changes after Monarch's identity was leaked...but that's a whole other discussion.

I pretty much agree with everything about Captain America: War and Remembrance, Lardy. Never less than solid, often outstanding. As great as the stand-alones are, though, it's the Invaders reunion arc that made the greatest impression on me. Byrne was often typecast as a bright and shiny artist, and this has to be the first time chronologically that he showed himself to be a master of moodiness. Of course, Joe Rubinstein's inks have a lot to do with it (how sad that Byrne and Rubinstein didn't build up a body of work as sizable as Byrne and Terry Austin.) And Stern's scripting has so many great character moments, from Jackie's self-consciousness about her age to her father's unwavering stiff-upper-lip pride to Joey's rough edges...wonderful stuff.

Colan's art on Detective was something gritty and different when I read some of the issues years ago. Going back through a lot of '80s stuff recently, I appreciate it even more.

So I recently got to read the brief but legendary run of Roger Stern and John Byrne which has been frequently collected as Captain America: War & Remembrance. In fact it's pretty much stayed in print for about three decades.

And it's well-deserved. I'm a fan of both Stern and Byrne, and they do a great job of pretty much just telling solid Cap stories. There's not a whole lot within that reinvents the wheel (well, maybe with one exception, but I'll get to that....), but everything within is rock-solid and entertaining.

I think Byrne draws a simply iconic Cap. I don't know that I realized this before I read this collection, but I now believe it's 100% true. He's certainly not one of the characters Byrne is most identified with, like the FF, the X-Men and Superman, but I now think his Cap is right up there. I mean, he draws him pitch-perfectly, but there's also something in his stance, his manner and the way he's poised for action that Byrne just nails. I don't know if he's the best Cap artist ever, but for my money, Byrne's version is as iconic in its own way as Kirby's, Epting's or anyone else's.

And of course Roger Stern just has a knack for telling stories that are at least solid and at best often outstanding. Byrne and Stern have long been friends, but this is one of the very few occasions where they actually got to collaborate as writer and artist on the same stories. And it shows that they were enjoying the collaboration.

They are three multi-parters centering around: 1) the Machinesmith and Dragon Man, 2) Batroc, Mister Hyde and Roxxon & 3) an Invaders reunion, the new Union Jack & Baron Blood. The first doubles as a kind of continuity fix (repairing some glitches about cap's upbringing and the fate of Baron Strucker) while working in a pretty tricky foe. The second is kind of an adrenaline rush precursor to movies like Speed and, I think, uses problematic cap foe Batroc rather well. The third features a trip to England and uses all of the characters very well.

But I think the collection is best known for its two standalone stories from issues 250 and 255. The latter is a retelling of Cap's origin in a manner that at the time was the most streamlined version to date. There are elements presented here that have become essential to Cap's story to the point where elements made it to the big screen version a few years ago. It must have been revolutionary at the time, but for me it's just very good and kind of a coda to the run, rather than an epic conclusion.

But for me, the show-stopper is the excellent "Cap for President!" story from issue 250. It follows Cap seriously considering a run for the Oval Office and just hits all the right notes, IMO. I won't spoil it (though I suppose his decision must seem obvious in hindsight), but to me, it still stands out for its unusual premise and its fine execution. I think anyone looking for a list of essential Cap stories should include this one for sure. It's worth mentioning that the basic idea for the story (with a different outcome) was originally pitched by Roger McKenzie and Don Perlin a few years before and that they are given credit for the plot.

Unfortunately, the run ends with the trade. I was wondering what the reason was (Stern is vague about it in his intro) and did a little internet research. Marvel politics appears to be to blame. Apparently, artists would get a bonus for doing a number of consecutive issues, and Marvel wanted to schedule a fill-in before Byrne hit the mark, apparently to avoid paying the bonus. It rubbed both the wrong way, and writer and artist ended their run prematurely.

It's a shame because they were not only telling great stories but also building up Steve Rogers' personal life pretty well with a new love interest and a supporting cast, something the character has often lacked in his history. As I recall J.M. Dematteis would later pick up their baton pretty well, but Gruenwald would eventually throw it out in a long run that admittedly had its moments..

In my opinion, War and Remembrance offers up some really terrific Cap stories. I'm glad that I finally got around to reading them. I just really wish there had been more of this great run to follow!

Tell me: is the story in which Batman is beaten to a bloody pulp, perhaps with his memory lost, by the blind kid down by the river in a shack (possibly at a garbage dump) in this? Was this even done by Gene. Hell, I can’t even remember if this was a Night-Stalker / Nocturna story or a Hugo Strange story. All I know is a 13 year old Cobie was totally mesmerized by this issue.

I agree wholeheartedly on Byrne drawing a simply iconic Cap. Perhaps even the definitive version. As a lover of Kirby’s work, he took much of what made Cap so immensely popular from the day he arrived on the stands forward, but he also added something extra that even Kirby didn’t have in there. So I definitely get what you’re saying. It’s like he added bits of Superman or George Washington or I don’t quite know what, but it screams iconic and heroic and “leader”.

I remember loving the Batroc / Hyde story the most and it was probably due to that adrenaline rush sensation you mention. I can’t remember “Cap for President” at all and that might because we simply did have it then, only to buy it later. (We now own all of Cap’s stories from his return in Avengers #4 to the present).

I’ve recently been getting nostalgic for Roger Stern, so its cool to see you reviewing this. I was looking at some Spider-Man covers on my ipad on the train and felt this itch to delve back into Spidey history (likely because of your prior reviews of Silver Age Spidey). Roger is best known Spidey-wise for the Hobgoblin, the kid who collected Spider-Man and the Juggernaut story, but he had like 25 other really fantastic stories in PPTSS and ASM.

Glad to see you're going the Essentials route so you can complete the vintage Amazing Spider-Man experience, Lardy. And I think Romita and Kane lend themselves especially well to black & white.