Comments on: Comics: A Beginner’s Guide: Stretching the Superhero

By: Kit

Kit — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:59:01 +0000

Note that while the cover (and Scott) say “complete black and white”, elsewhere I’ve read that issues 19 and 20 have been left out.

By: Martin Skidmore

Martin Skidmore — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:07:19 +0000

All this looking at other areas besides superhero comics has just been to draw people in, obviously.

By: Martin Skidmore

Martin Skidmore — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:06:37 +0000

Entries to come:
Stretchy superheroes
Size-changing superheroes
Winged superheroes
Superheroes with eye-beams
Intellectually challenged superheroes
Superhero gods
Undersea superheroes
Alien superheroes
Robotic superheroes
Magical superheroes
Demonic superheroes
…

By: Pete Baran

Pete Baran — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:51:40 +0000

AND THEY DO! Along with the Doom Patrol’s Elasti-Girl and the Incredibles - er - Elasti-Girl. Though she doesn’t count as a comics character. Nor does Stretch Armstrong, though the very similar stretchy Incredible Hulk toy which was popular during the TV series lifetime could be. Though the hulk has never shown any stretching powers, with the exception of his stretchy purple pants.

By: Martin Skidmore

Martin Skidmore — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:20:15 +0000

I almost called this ‘Stretching Superheroes’ then it occurred to me that someone might think that I had decided that Plastic Man, Mr Fantastic and the Elongated Man deserved their own special entry.

By: Martin Skidmore

Martin Skidmore — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:58:58 +0000

I bet Scott doesn’t remember that we met - I interviewed him at some length in 1990 or so, at San Diego. I must check whether my Zot collection is complete - if it isn’t I will go for that, and I thoroughly recommend it to everyone else.

Okay, I’ve just reevaluated the HtD movie. It’s still terrible. As for having to be there, yes, it does help (especially with the parodies of current trends/fads), but I did recently buy the Essential volume for someone around Tom’s age who wasn’t even a comic fan, and she really enjoyed it, so it still stands up for some people.

By: Alan

Alan — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:59:56 +0000

Seems to be available in the UK from December (non import). Sadly for me, no copies here at HarperCollins UK :-/

LOOK! Scott McCloud! (or his website publicist!) Plz Martin, can we have Larry Marder leaving comments too. PLLLLZ. :-D

By: Scott McCloud

Scott McCloud — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:36:27 +0000

Actually, HarperCollins is releasing all the B & W Zot!’s in a single book this month! Check out my site. ^__^

By: Pete

Pete — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:28:06 +0000

I am waiting for the next time we do the Top 100 films, for the Howard The Duck movie to be re-evaluated.

Other laterly lauded writers who also started on Swamp Thing, Brian K.Vaughan (of Runaways / Ex Machina / Y: The Last Man fame). Though his run was pretty unsuccessful, trying to redeem the daughter of Swamp Thing from a psychotic plant girl into an interesting character.

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 23:03:59 +0000

It had never really occurred to me before how both Gerber AND Moore got their leg-up by doing something interesting with a rubbish swamp beast character. Clearly if the industry is to uncover the talents of the future it needs more muck-encrusted C-Listers for revitalisation!

I read Defenders a decade ago and thought yeah, this is pretty good. Started re-reading it last week, coincidentally, and probably because I knew what to expect re. Marvel’s 70s prose style I’m enjoying it LOTS more. Though also I think being a suburban homeowner makes it easier to appreciate Gerber’s love/hate fixation on their travails, which comes from somewhere that isn’t quite satire.

Howard The Duck I have always filed under “You had to be there”. :)