MY FAVORITE COMICS - "Godhood's End!" in The Avengers #97

 I loved this comic to death when I came across it and I still do now. This was the first Avengers comic I ever read and I honestly didn't have a clue as to what was going on - it was the end of a saga known as the Kree/Skrull war - but that didn't matter because the artwork and the imagination depicted were so overwhelming that their overload totally compensanted for my disorientation... in fact, I suspect it might have contributed even more to its overall effect on me. This comic was like an explosion, literally and figuratively! There were so many superheros running around and fighting evil aliens - this was like comic book heaven for a kid looking for some fun entertainment. And the ending, for one still discovering the marvel universe and wasn't consciously aware about the superhero genre many clichés,  it was like a punch in the guts.

Lançamento do albúm de BD THE MIGHTY ENLIL

Publicada originalmente como um webcomic, a minha BD THE MIGHTY ENLIL é agora editada no formato de livro pelas edições El Pep.

O lançamento oficial do livro decorre no Festival Internacional de BD de Beja, é já no dia 1 de Junho, domingo, às 16h15 na Casa da Cultura de Beja e vai contar com a minha presença.

Também haverá uma sessão de autógrafos no mesmo local, no dia 31 de Maio, sábado, entre as 18h30 e as 19h30.

Conto com a vossa presença!

MY FAVORITE COMICS - "Tales of Asgard" from The Mighty Thor # 97-145

Since I've been on a sort of Jack Kirby's Thor high lately here on the blog, I might as well save the best for last : the Tales of Asgard back-up. I loved how these regular five page short-stories expanded the world of Thor and tied up the current incarnation of the norse god of thunder to its original mythic roots with inventive abandon and creativity. My all-time favorite of the bunch? Why, the "The meaning of..Ragnarok"/"Aftermath!" two-part conclusion to the epic quest through the Sea of Fear. Grandeur unleashed!

MY FAVORITE COMICS - "The Scourge of the Super Skrull" from The Mighty Thor #142

This one gets a place on this pantheon merely on the virtue of the splash page and the following couple of pages. Thor on a race against a biker!? This is what made marvel so famous way back when: the surreal contrast between the mundane and the majestic... and Jack Kirby, of course :-)  

MY FAVORITE COMICS - "The Wrath of Replicus" from The Mighty Thor #141

Unforgettable! Everything falls so perfectly in place on the mere sixteen pages within which this comic takes place... Slugger Sykes... Mrs. Garden... Dr. Donald Blake. Don't let yourself be deceived by the violent splash page - this is one of the best examples of a morality tale played out within the superhero genre confines without subverting its conventions.

Dick Ayers R.I.P.

Dick Ayers, one of the main comic book inkers from the dawn of marvel comics died this past May, 4th just a few days after his 90th birthday. I particularly like how his inks over Jack Kirby's pencils emphasize the rough, primitive quality of the artwork. Sky Masters of the Space Force, the Atlas-era Monster stories, the Fantastic Four and, most especially, The Incredible Hulk will always remain among my personal favorites of his work.
Rest in Peace!

MY FAVORITE COMICS - "Spider-Man tackles the Torch!" from The Amazing Spider-Man #8

Remember when superhero comics were FUN? I do and this here comic is one of the finest examples I can think of. I wasn't entirely sure what to make of it when I first read it many years ago, but like fine wine it only got better with time. Highly recommended reading for all the ultra-serious people that seem to dominate the current superhero (and not only) comics scene!