I Don't Want Old Grails 2 2

[valiantman]

2 minutes ago, THE_BEYONDER said:

It’s an illusion 

There is only one pair of pants... one pair of pants...

[NWOslave]

im right there with you OP. I almost got caught up in the collecting grails just to have them mentality. But like others here just buy what they want or love. i think the former is a small percent of actual collectors.

im at the point of my collecting hobby i am actively trying to get rid of books i no longer read by selling them on ebay and reducing my new comic buying by over half of what i was spending. im just tired of having thousands of drek books taking up space. i do have a list of grails i want to buy but if it is not a key in a run i love like, Dare Devil, or first appearance of Black Manta, i dont want it. And im certainly done with modern virgin covers. sorry scorpion, elite, frankies comics not buying your exclusive variants any more.

 

[Randall Ries]

4 hours ago, valiantman said:

Tell the truth... it's the idea of buy-one-get-one-free Batpants, isn't it?

Oh yes! LOL! Adams says he originally drew Batman naked and the office wouldn't have it. So, he went back and added pants. Which - to me anyway - probably been better if he had added a loincloth or some sort of other covering. It messes up a nearly perfect cover.

Same with Bat 251. That Joker leg is all messed up. He couldn't stand like that. The series "Vampironica" drew it in right with the issue #4 homage.

 

[Buzzetta]

10 hours ago, valiantman said:

There is only one pair of pants... one pair of pants...

It's a sailboat. 

[Point Five]

Man, I hope the board member named Grails didn’t see this thread title.

[badback83]

7 hours ago, Buzzetta said:

It's a sailboat. 

It’s a schooner.

[theCapraAegagrus]

2 hours ago, Point Five said:

Man, I hope the board member named Grails didn’t see this thread title.

@Oddball

[▫️]

3 minutes ago, Angel of Death said:

@Oddball

I know nothing of this Grails they speak of.

[theCapraAegagrus]

2 minutes ago, Oddball said:

I know nothing of this Grails they speak of.

[▫️]

1 minute ago, Angel of Death said:

 

[s-man]

And suddenly we have yet another Friday thread

[F For Fake]

Re: the Trimpe discussion, when I was a kid, I thought his stuff was terrible. One of my best friends and I would use "Trimpe" as a way to describe any bad comic art. "Did you see the new issue of XYZ?" "Oh yeah, man, the art was totally Trimpe."

As an adult I felt bad about this, because I could see some of the charm, and there's something to be said for those workmanlike artists who delivered the goods on a monthly basis. (Sal Buscema is a similar case.)  Also, by all accounts Trimpe seemed to be a nice man who was appreciative of his fans, and that goes a long way in my estimation. 

On the flipside, I was at the right age to be caught up in the McFarlane explosion. A friend of mine kept talking about this McFarlane guy who was drawing Hulk, and then when the Spider-Man run hit, it was inescapable. In my memory, it was pretty great stuff. But then a few years ago I revisited the Spider-Man run, and was shocked by how ugly and shaky a lot of the artwork was. There wasn't as much substance to the flash as I had recalled, and while some images were pretty neat, a lot of it just looked amateurish to me.

So, believe it or not, today, I'd likely take Trimpe over McFarlane, as personal preferences go, which would have blown my 12 year old mind.

[D2]

On 1/11/2021 at 9:33 AM, Prince Namor said:

One of the things that will one day be lost on people who 'collect' comics, is the thrill of seeing that brand new book on the newsstand as a boy and being excited to pick it up and read it.

Each generation gets less of a thrill from that because comic books in each generation are less and less of the standard for entertainment. In 1945, what was available to look cooler to a kid than a glossy color comic book on the newsstand? TV was still black and white, mass produced color films were still 5 years away...

For me... even in 1975, the glossy look of a new comic was the coolest thing in the world.

By 1990, you had cable TV and 100 channels, movie theaters with 12 screens, video games, etc.

By 2000, you had even more, including the internet.

The ability for comic books to dazzle the eye over whatever else was out there long faded.

People who've been around comics a long time, generally have interests in more than one era. You're not alone.

So don't take part in that conversation.

Who's singling you out? Collect what you want. Enjoy it.

 

It's interesting how you highlight that fading light where comics can't really dazzle as they did. I just finished playing Star Wars: Battlefront 2 with my son today for the first time and it was literally mind boggling to me how entirely encompassing that experience was. The depth and sheer creativity of the worlds they've created, leaves little space for books I am afraid.

But, your entire write up was inspiring. You are right, in a nutshell, collect what you enjoy. It was great advice, and motivation to keep true to the things I like, and not give in to what I hear around me.

 

On 1/11/2021 at 1:51 PM, Monstro said:

It sounds as if you don't really like comics in general 

 

On 1/12/2021 at 12:43 PM, G G ® said:

Yes.

I'm wondering why he even bothers collecting them in the first place.

 

I see that there are a few of the same board types on here so I guess I can group you together on further clarification.

The point of my post was to illustrate that I don't seem to gravitate towards any particular story/character/or era of art (comic books), as I see the general public seems to do. GA collectors stick in their realm, SA and so on, with Modern era collectors sticking to their bunch.

My point was, I love ART. If you could reread my post, I was hoping you could highlight some of the positives I included, where I call DKR a masterpiece and how DOFP is still an amazing joy.

I was trying to focus on the struggle I have with owning comics for owning comics sake. 

So yes, to reiterate, G G ®, I don't like collecting comics for the sake of collecting them. I believe any art form, comics in general, should only be appreciated through the rest of time. This obsession of grail hunt I find to be odd.

Monstro: I am a lover of all art forms.

[Ken Aldred]

On 1/14/2021 at 3:23 PM, F For Fake said:

Re: the Trimpe discussion, when I was a kid, I thought his stuff was terrible. One of my best friends and I would use "Trimpe" as a way to describe any bad comic art. "Did you see the new issue of XYZ?" "Oh yeah, man, the art was totally Trimpe."

As an adult I felt bad about this, because I could see some of the charm, and there's something to be said for those workmanlike artists who delivered the goods on a monthly basis. (Sal Buscema is a similar case.)  Also, by all accounts Trimpe seemed to be a nice man who was appreciative of his fans, and that goes a long way in my estimation. 

On the flipside, I was at the right age to be caught up in the McFarlane explosion. A friend of mine kept talking about this McFarlane guy who was drawing Hulk, and then when the Spider-Man run hit, it was inescapable. In my memory, it was pretty great stuff. But then a few years ago I revisited the Spider-Man run, and was shocked by how ugly and shaky a lot of the artwork was. There wasn't as much substance to the flash as I had recalled, and while some images were pretty neat, a lot of it just looked amateurish to me.

So, believe it or not, today, I'd likely take Trimpe over McFarlane, as personal preferences go, which would have blown my 12 year old mind.

I thought McFarlane’s earlier work on Hulk and Spider-Man showed promise, an interesting and different style for the time, and I’d buy books from creators I thought had a lot of potential, not just big names.  It was when he started the Spider-Man 1990 series that I noticed the shortcomings, in his faces and figurework especially, and also writing which I found more or less unreadable.  Strange how I’d then go back to read the ASM run and notice exactly the same problems, which dulled my interest.

Trimpe’s Hulk art looks much better in remastered collections, a simple style which gets a nice boost in this format.  Again, like you, it wasn’t until recently that I switched on to this.  In the UK, he was often referred to mockingly as Herb Tripe. I now understand that that was actually very unfair.

Edited January 16, 2021 by Ken Aldred

[Namtak]

On 1/8/2021 at 1:03 PM, F For Fake said:

People like what they like. You should collect what you like.

I was a copper kid (but not Copper Age Kid...that's an important distinction!) so my nostalgia is largely tied to the 80's and 90's. But I love Silver and Bronze keys because those were the books that I aspired to own as a kid. Those were "old", and "old" was cool. Of course, let's not consider the fact that there's a lot more time between the Copper Age and present day than there was between the Silver and Copper age. Ugh. I'm old. Today, they're that much older, and I love them not because they're great reads (they're usually not), but because of the historical value, the cover art, etc. I don't need to read Avengers 4 to love the book. Heck, Hulk 1-6 are TERRIBLE reads (sorry, fans!), but I LOVE those books, because who wouldn't love those ancient, weird Marvels with the awesome covers, there in the early days of the Marvel Universe? I've never owned a Hulk 1, but I've owned multiples of 2-6, and even though I hope i never have to read them again, I still LOVE those books. Silver Age DC's are legendarily corny, but I still love 'em. One reading will suffice for a lifetime, but owning the books and enjoying their place in comics history, that never goes away, for me.

The truth is, if you're looking for comic writing that stands up to the test of time...there isn't much to be found. Most Gold, Silver, Bronze, and yeah, even copper, books are fairly cheesy by current standards. And then 90's, ugh. Somehow even worse! But there are always exceptions. As a reader, I find most Golden Age hero books to be a real chore to get through. However, I do legitimately love Jack Cole's Plastic Man, Eisner's Spirit, and a few others. And most of the horror books are still a joy to read. And EC? Man, EC's are still dynamite!

Of course, today, it doesn't matter much what I think about the content. Grails are generally far beyond my grasp, and hell, bronze and copper keys are fast approaching that threshold as well. 

And as stan lee  would write  nuff said my friend because you said it all