Ken Aldred

He was scarier still in Rogue One, in his Uncanny Valley, CGI form.

I wouldn't turn down a free Hulk 181, but, I can imagine someone really jaded saying 'No, I'll pass. It's such a mediocre story.'

The last game was extremely dated, including the humour. Even if that was improved, maybe he’d still sound a lot like a Deadpool clone?

Napalm Death and Extreme Noise Terror were interesting bands to watch live. An unexpected bonus one evening at the University of London's Student Union bar, late 80s. Very entertaining and memorable, Jimmers. Easily the two most relentlessly aggressive I've ever seen.

I’ve found myself happiest over the last couple of years by being comfortably distanced from situations involving ‘thrill of the hunt’ scenarios and their inevitable, emotional comedown at the post-acquisition stage, by focusing solely on reading digital comics. I’ve often seen details in the remastered art that were hidden or obliterated by the original, poor-quality newsprint, and have enjoyed reading the stories again from a perspective very different to my teen or twenty-something years, and have discovered new details or subtext in the writing. The complete opposite to the extreme, predatory, speculation frenzy we’re seeing around us at present. I already have enough of the keys that are most significant to me and, at current prices, I can leave the rest to the more affluent or feral.

US comic book annuals never got distributed to the UK during the period when I started reading comics in the mid 70s, and so the first time I had the opportunity to buy them as imports by mail order, never having seen one, I was totally confused when I received an ordinary, slightly thicker, floppy comic book rather than a large hardcover. Definitely a classic moment on the learning curve.

I've never seen those before, but they're absolutely brilliant. I'd rather have bound, original copies, rather than the poor reprint quality you often got in typical UK hardcover annuals.

The Spider-Man album reminded me of a band called Shrapnel, which I recall appearing in a Spider-Man Annual illustrated by Frank Miller. Given the name, I always assumed they were heavy metal, but, on reading up about them, I've just discovered they were a punk band. I also recall this ad in Marvels at the time... That's all taken from an article about the band, but, for me, great nostalgia reading it. I'd assumed they'd simply faded into total obscurity, but apparently one of the band members went on to form a rock band which I remember from the early to mid 90s, called Monster Magnet. Again, an interesting surprise, especially as amongst comic book fans, and especially Deadpool fans, they're now best-known for a song called Negasonic Teenage Warhead.

I only recently read that Arthur Adams actually did base Longshot's mullet on Limahl's haircut. I didn't realise the band was that well-known over in the States. At least he didn't use the guy from Flock of Seagulls as a reference.

Okay, I've looked at this car crash of a cover many times over the last few days, and I just keep thinking that Storm must sound like this...

+1 The first season, although from an alternative, more English POV, had too much of what had already been covered in Vikings, and I think that fatigue set in and I lost interest. I still watch Vikings.

Top quality indie material.

It's just a learning process. Now you're aware of a new source of info if you're ever stuck again in future.

I would probably go as far as saying classic thrash metal; Megadeth, Metallica at moderate volume, would be my limit too, but I agree, I'd leave if some extreme Norwegian satanic death metal was on. Too skull-crushing, bleak and aggressive. Although, it would fit in with the general atmosphere in my local Forbidden Planet, as mentioned before.

https://www.comics.org/issue/239945/

Yup. Forced perspective. Kirby made it look deceptively easy.

I like the cover. Steranko draws a Hulk that looks very feral and threatening.

I can understand your anxiety. I remember buying some comics from the bus station newsstand I mentioned, and then soon afterwards going into church with a brown bag containing this one...

That's one of his best covers, by far.

I have posted before about a very tiny and claustrophobic LCS where the owners' dog was extremely flatulent. I only went there twice. Enough was enough.

The three most influential, which turned me into a diehard comics fan, and collector... The first comic I ever saw. Given to me by my parents when I was 3 years old. Lifetime X-Men fan as a result. Not an original US copy, but a British reprint from the 60s, handed to me by a relative. Classic SA story. Lifelong Legion fan. Found a copy on holiday in 1973. First time I really understood that comic art could look quite stunning, and my introduction to the genius of Neal Adams. Honourable mentions... As a kid I absolutely couldn't get enough of these 100 pagers to read. The best-considered selection of reprints, and new stories, for me, were in Archie Goodwin's Detective Comics. His Batman / Manhunter team-up is a Bronze Age masterpiece. The first comic I ever bought, and paid a premium for, via mail order, summer 1977. A somewhat overgraded VG copy, but still exciting to see an original US copy 'that old'. Molecule Man's one of my all-time favourite characters.

The first three that I remember buying from the local bus station news stand... As 6p UK copies...

Flatulence. I'm always on the alert for this. Very off-putting. At the local Forbidden Planet, also the sound of the staff's bleak despair.

Well spotted !

Jae Lee's first, after a number of great issues with John Byrne art. Incredible to believe that this was a hot comic, just a short time after being published, by a then largely unknown artist.