Some very nice collections

Some very sweet additions to my bookshelves.

The Dark Knight Returns deluxe slipcase edition is a straightforward reprinting of the original issues but oversized and each issue is hardcover. And all contained in a nice slipcase. Lovely.

The Doctor Strange epic collection reprints lots more issues than the trade collection I read in 2013 and in a better format with proper cover reproductions etc. I didn't have to wait until 2019 as I thought back then.

Finally, another oversized collection by Moebius. I didn't have anything my this comics master and I was keen to try him out as what I've seen of this art I've always loved. Can't wait to see what this is like.

Doctor Strange: A Separate Reality

Some Doctor Strange at last! I've been reading comics for around 35 years and I don't think I've ever read a story JUST featuring Doc Strange.

This collection reprinting Englehart's and Brunner's 9 issue run is supposed to be one of the best. I bought it a few years ago and just this week I got the urge/ inspiration to read it. I guess it was brought on when I spotted the Marvel Masterworks reprinting the same issues. I would prefer to have the Masterworks reprint not only because it fits on my shelves better but the covers are reproduced at the start of each chapter.

The story finishes with Doc Strange (Vol. 2) issue 5, which I've actually had the original of for a fair number of years  (I am patient when it comes to reading my back-issues). I absolutely love this cover!

Anyway, considering this was a 1970s comic, focusing on magic etc. it was a good read. Brunner's art was stonking though. No doubt about it.

Now I've read it, I can bide my time for the softcover Masterworks which I calculate will come out some time around Nov 2019!!

It's not Turkey for Xmas it's duck...Howard the Duck

 Only getting time to read an issue of HTD per day during the Christmas period. Too many other distractions (i.e. LEGO building) but I'm continuing to enjoy the title.

Great cover and art by John Buscema for issue 3 but Gene Colan comes on board with issue 4 and he's a good fit to the title too. Still wish Brunner had done more though.

 

The general theme is Howard travels around with his companion (girlfriend??) Bev meeting various crazy people and getting into ridiculous situations. I'm happy with stories of that nature and it's got the same light-hearted tone as my own comic (of twhich the next issue will be finished very, very soon)

Howard the Duck

When I think of Marvel  titles from the 70s I think of Ms Marvel, Nova, Marvel Team-Up and Howard the Duck. I know there's lots more but those are the sort of titles which were distributed to newsagents in those days before Comic Shops.

Over the last couple of years I've completed my runs of Nova and Ms. Marvel and eventually got to read the entire run in order. Unfortunately both series were not as good as I remembered.

Howard was slightly different. I only had one Howard the Duck comic from my childhood (issue 27) but Howard was so popular for a few years (1975-1978) that my curiousity was peaked. I've now managed to get the whole of the run (with my latest purchase) except for the very first appearance in two Man-Thing strips and the last issue of his own title.

The 10 page back-up feature in Giant-Size Man-Thing No. 4 was actually Howard's first appearance on Earth and was a good place to start reading (and a cheaper place too!). I've also read another back-up from GSMT#5 and those stories directly lead into Howard the Duck #1

After just finishing No.2 I can say that I am enjoying this so far and I'm looking forward to more. These two issues were drawn by Howard's co-creater Frank Brunner and the art is fantastic. Really, really good.

Steve Gerber's script is also enjoyable and it's a good thing I'm reading these as a 45 year-old because my 11 year-old self wouldn't have understood what was really going on at all.

I wonder how many I can read before Christmas?