Doomsday Squad #1

 

TITLE-Doomsday Squad Issue 1

PUBLISHER-Fantagraphics

Now I had heard about this 70s John Byrne series for years. Might have even flipped through an issue before. But until recently never owned an issue never read an issue.

Was a nice day shocking warm for this time of year. Filled up my travel tumbler with drink,grabbed a stack of comix and was sitting on my back porch reading comix and looking out at the lake.

Had just got this Fantagraphics reprint. Oh yea while this serie started in the 70s,published as Doomsday + 1 by Charlton,it got recolored and reprinted in the 80s by Fantagraphics once Johny Byrne had made his name on a few titles over at Marvel. Recolored cause anyone that has read Charlton stuff can tell you the colors were either average or horrible.

Set in the new future a few scientists are on a space statio orbiting the Earth. A nuclear war breaks out and they watch it from outer space. Rations are almost out so they try to figure out where to land. Possibly they are the land humans alive. 

Discovering that thanks to a storm Greenland has low radiation levels that is where they land. Seeing on the way that the ice melting has caused almost all the coastal cities world wide to flood.

Landing in Greenland they see a Wooly Mammoth trapped in an ice flow. This melts and also what appears to be a ancient Viking is freed. After escaping this Viking joins the group and they start to a port to find a ship and head off. Hoping to find supplies and maybe other humans.

This is a very 70s sci fi series. Byrne at this time wasn't a great writer,and still this 1 issue got me to go order the rest of the run. There is 7 total. All easy to find in the Fantagraphics reprint run.

The art is that 70s/early 80s John Byrne. Back before he started going to fast. One of the female scientists has redhair and in Greenland puts on a black snowsuit. Making her look like mid 70s era Black Widow.

If you enjoy 70s sci fi and/or John Byrne art track this down. Bonus each issue has a new back up story with various properties Fantagraphics was publishing back then. Issue one  a  Dalgoda story. Always love the art on Dalgoda but the story has never caught and kept my attention.

Doomsday Squad #1 gets a B-.

2017 Comic Challenge 304 Buddy Does Seattle

TITLE-Buddy does Seattle
PUBLISHER-Fantagraphics

Got this collection of the first half of Hate for X-mas. Sure I own all the issues in their original form. But it is so much easier to grab this trade off the shelf than digging thru my many longboxes to find all the issues.

Anyways it starts off with Buddy catching us up to date as to what has happened to him and Stinky since Neat Stuff ended.And from there we get all kinds of wacky stuff. Like Buddy's various attempts at having a steady girlfriend. Or the short time that Buddy manages Seattle's hottest band Leonard and the LoveGods.Finally in the last issue Buddy has too much and packs up his stuff and heads back to New Jersey,but of course he has his lady Lisa coming with him.

Peter Bagge managed to capture how it was to be a late teen/early 20 year old in the early to mid 90s.Having no idea what you want to do with your life,but knowing you gotta do something.

Buddy does Seattle gets a BUY!

2016 Comic Challenge 278 Hate #13

TITLE-Hate #13
PUBLISHER-Fantagraphics Books

Ahhhh Hate,the perfect 90s indy comic.Peter Bagge,who wrote and drew Hate,had a way of being about 2 years ahead of mainstream pop culture back then. And being in my teens then early 20s during the 30 issue run of this title I was the perfect audience for Bagge's extremely funny and somethings thought provoking series.

On the cover we got the lead,Buddy Bradley,as a voodoo doll. And the guy holding the doll is Buddy's ex-roommate George Cecil Hamilton the Third.Who if I recall correctly hadn't appeared in Hate in at least a year or two,at the time Hate came out 4 to 5 times a year.

Buddy learns that George has kind of slandered Buddy in the newest issue of his zine. So Buddy tracks him down to find out why. And learns that George is now living with a wealthy woman. Who takes care of George and pays to publish his zine.

Now I know that Hate is very much linked to the decade it came out in. I wonder sometimes how much appeal it would have to someone who didn't live thru the late 80s thru the 90s. I am sure lots of the jokes and references will go over anyone who wasn't around then's head.

Hate #13 gets a Buy!

2016 Comic Challenge 078 Freaks #02

TITLE-Freaks #02
PUBLISHER-Monster Comics an imprint of Fantagraphics

In the early 90s long time indie comic company Fantagraphics started up a few imprints. One of which was Monster Comics. While Monster Comics didn't last long,they put out a few great series. With the best being their 4 issue adaptation of Todd Browning's classic horror film Freaks.

This issue starts off right around the time Dr Blackman finds out about the circus folks camping out on his property. And going all the way to right after both of the male midgets get their physicals. The story was adapted by Jim Woodring.And it seems he pretty much just followed the shooting script. And F. Salano Lopez does the very detailed black and white artwork.

I wish Fantagraphics would put out a trade of this series and the King Kong series Monster published.But it seems this mini series is pretty much forgotten. In comic fan circles most people do not even remember Monster Comics. And in horror fan circles almost no one I have met knew this comic existed.

Freaks #02 gets a buy.

2016 Comic Challenge 035 Hate Jamboree

TITLE-Hate Jamboree!
PUBLISHER-Fantagraphics

I started reading Hate around issue 3. Before that I had read a few issues of Peter Bagge's Neat Stuff. And Hate took my favorite character from Neat Stuff,Buddy Bradley, and moved him from suburban New Jersey to downtown Seattle.

After 30 issues Mr Bagge was ready to end Hate. And Hate Jamboree came out about a month after Hate ended. It is packed with interviews with pretty much everyone who worked on Hate. And goes into lots of detail on how and why Peter Bagge created Buddy and then decided to move him to Seattle.

The interviews are great. But my favorite part of this comic is all the hard to find artwork and comics it reprints. Peter Bagge did lots of stuff from various indy music magazines. And also did some work for various porno magazines.

Now if you have never read Hate this comic I would think would have no interest for ya. But if you are a Hate fan or a fan of Mr Bagge this is a great read.

Really the only bad part of this comic is it is slightly taller than a normal comic. So storing it is a bit of a hassle. Plus the cover is made out of really cheap paper. It feels a bit like newsprint.If you are one of those comic fans that has to have everything in mint ...well finding this issue in mint condition might be a bit hard to do.

Hate Jamboree gets a BUY!But only if you are a Hate/Bagge fan.