Get Marwood & I

I don't think it was there. You know old FF, he has to disagree with everything for the sake of it. The Raimi approach was perfect. That one clip above is more akin to Spidey than anything in that fast evolving horror that was Homecoming.

Maybe I missed them when I was yawning....?

I agree. And did I miss it, or was there not one single reference to Spidey senses tingling? Then again, why would you need it if the suit is doing everything. The more I dwell on it, the less I like it.

Oh dear, it is. And it looks like the poor chap will have a cigarette in his left eye too. Awfully compelling covers. More please!

Oh dear. That cover is beautifully horrific. You can feel that guys sense of his own impending doom. Would I sound like a complete wuss if I said it has unnerved me? Powerful stuff....

That's a beauty with what looks like a lovely, perfect shiny spine. Is it the scan, or is there a slight colour loss in the red behind the 'R' in the Marvel banner? Hope you get a great result if it goes in

Looks like a 4.5 to me, from what I can see. Nice book

Release the Kraken! I did, about half way through @piper. That's the last time I have a full English before a film

Good. I like it when people write all in caps. Makes it LOOK LIKE THEIR SHOUTING It also makes it LOOK LIKE THEY'RE SHOUTING

Good. I like it when people write all in caps. Makes it LOOK LIKE THEIR SHOUTING

We're in! Chin-chin!

Nor, as it turns out, did the mod liz....

Thanks @nesqrick2 - glad you're enjoying it. Cool pics by the way. I do like a beat up pence western

Me too. Does anyone remember the one a few years back about categorising different types of variant? It was a worthy attempt on a topic close to my heart but, alas, fell down on its impenetrable recommended terminolgy. Hey, this is a rare type 1A variant, etc. Shame, as I think there was a cracking article in there somewhere. I like to look at the pictures as well, and the market reports were fun, if only to see how out of date they were. Still a good read with a nice cup of tea, and I do miss asking my LCS every year to order me a 'big hard one'.

At least I could change seats easily when the smell got too bad.

The action scenes in the second Raimi were really well crafted. The train fight, Doc Ock waking up in hospital, the reactor presentation scene - all were great examples of story telling. What was clever, new or impressive about the actions scenes in the new film? They were all crash bang wallop blurry add ons.

Release the hounds!

Evening All! Just back from a spell in solitary, courtesy of our very own Warden Norton Further to the tip from @quicksilver (see previous posts), I ordered two copies of The Flash #208 to see if there were any other differences aside from the price. Here they are, one 7 ½ pence copy and one 25c copy: It turns out that the 7 ½ p copy of the Flash is significant for reasons other than being missed during my extensive investigations (I’m still trying to work out how ‘I’ missed it, but Marwood says it might be something to do with me being a cretin with no life who needs to get out more. Charming. But true. Alas.) Apart from appearing to be the only book cover dated August 1971 with a pence printed price, The Flash #208 also contradicts a number of the observation conclusions that I made in my opening post in this thread (quick, go back and check). Firstly, the book is a ‘double sized’ issue (48 pages from the 32 in issue 207). This is the only one that I am aware of. Of the other 838 DC pence comics no double sized issue has been found with a pence printed price. Indeed, whenever a title with sequential pence copies has a double sized issue in its run, that pence copy is always absent (unlike Marvel who would just up the price). Secondly, this is the only comic sized book with a cover price of 7 ½ pence. All other DC pence issues are either 5p (July 1971), 12p (February 1978 to August 1979) or 15p (September 1979 to September 1981). Thirdly Flash #208 is the only DC pence book I have found with a cover change other than the price box. If you look at the two scans below, you’ll see that the two 25c prices on the spine are (rightly) absent from the pence priced copy: So the book is unique for 4 reasons: 1. It’s the only pence printed price book cover dated August 1971 2. It’s the only pence priced ‘double sized’ issue 3. It’s the only pence book priced at 7 ½ pence 4. It’s the only pence book with a cover change other than the price box price All the internal contents and indicia details are identical. Another oddity about the book is that most of the US cents copies on Ebay UK have 7 ½ pence Thorpe & Porter import stamps on them. There are no copies with a 7 ½ pence printed price at present. This is odd for Ebay UK, and implies that the number of copies produced with a printed pence price may be uncommonly low. Why do we (in Englandville) need T&P stamped cents copies if a pence printed version was produced for us specifically? So all in all, a very odd book indeed. Even from a visual perspective, the books in my two scans looks like a squarebound issues with miswrapped spines showing. But they are normal saddle stitched books and the white title bars to the far left of the covers is part of the cover, not a misplaced spine. OK, Marwood says I’ve scrapped through the bottom of the tedium barrel now, so it’s time to go. He says no one is interested in this pedantry, and that I should accept that fact and move on. Even the Flash himself seems to be giving me a hint in his rather telling cover thought bubble. As I go, pondering my recent spell in the hole, I’m reminded of the following words from that bloke that time: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Chin-chin!

Evening. I saw the film yesterday and unfortunately it was exactly as I expected it to be, i.e. a country mile away from the Spidey story that I know and appreciated the portrayal of in the first film in 2002. History repeated itself in one sense though - I was the only person at the screening: Sorry about the hairy knee there. Most unattractive. This happened to me in 2002 when I saw the first Spidey film in Ireland. Being the only one at the screening has many benefits, not least the ability to say whatever you like at whatever level without upsetting anyone. The ability to break wind with alarming ferocity, safe in the knowledge no one can be troubled by it but yourself and, perhaps, the projector man, is another benefit of sole screening occupancy. That’s me I guess. Always being where others are not. Having seen and hated all the Iron Man, sorry, Spider-Man trailers, I did not expect to see a traditional Spidey film and was quite prepared for a cast lacking all the key personnel and settings. No Gwen, no JJJ, no Bugle, no Harry, no frail Aunt May etc. The film was nearer in spirit to the Superior Spider-Man with all its gadgetry than the Spidey story I grew up with reading issues 1-185. What I did hope to see was some strong characterisation, stunning fight scenes, emotion and a sense of rooting for the little guy. I got none of that. The only character I felt any empathy with was the Vulture, firstly due to Michael Keaton’s performance – the highlight of the film – but also for the spirit of his ‘fighting against the people at the top’ existence. They indeed do not care about us. I have no idea why I was supposed to care about Peter and Liz’s relationship, or indeed care why either of them were interested in each other in the first place. Compared to the Dunst and the Stone, this Liz character left me cold. I was heartily tired of seeing and hearing ‘Stark’ every 5 minutes. Stark is great in Iron Man films. This is supposed to be a Spider-Man film. The suit gadgetry felt so wrong to me. The Spider-Man I know does not need this stuff. Nor would he want it. There was no stand out action scene. Today’s producers and directors have all the tricks of the CGI trade at their disposal but do not seem to know what to do with it. Where was the scene to rival or – God forbid – better the complexity and flair of the Spider-Man 2 train fight with Doc Ock? The scene where Spidey was hanging on to the curiously unguarded Avengers aircraft at the end went on forever but gave us nothing. No flair, no cleverness, no innate understanding of visually stunning sequential action scenes. There was not one musical piece that struck me throughout. No character themes of any note (The Red Capes are coming floored me on first hearing, as did Beautiful Lie). The dialogue was snappy and smart in places and I chuckled a few times at the teen antics. But there was no real story to speak of, no emotional direction or grit. No one to root for or care about. No relationship to savour (much as I disliked the ASM reboot, the Peter and Gwen relationship was beautifully realised and acted and I cared when Gwen bit the dust). I walked home after the Captain America bit at the end of the credits (Avengers! Avengers! Avengers!) trying to work out why a man who has adored Spidey for 40 years can dislike a Spidey film. I say again – the world moves on, and the Spidey of the 60’s and 70’s struggles to fit in to it if it does not evolve. Maybe I would love this film if I was 16 having read Superior Spider-Man as a twelve year old. But the truth of the matter is that I’m unlikely to like any Spider-Man film from this point. We were lucky to get the first two Raimi films when we did. They weren’t perfect, but they did invoke the story, spirit, setting and charm of the original books. This new realisation of Spidey will garner a new set of young fans for sure. But I don’t think it will inspire them to still be fans in 40 years from now. It was just another piece of gimmicky, soulless throwaway spectacle. I’ve forgotten it already. Without sounding doom-laden, and I’m reconciled to it, ‘my’ comic world appears to have gone. For me, Modern Life is Rubbish. Now, those of you who agree please form an orderly queue to post your likes Everyone else, just one second while I arrange to release the hounds!

I'm just annoyed it wasn't me Ken

Also, if you click on 'Edit Profile' in your profile you can add the link to the 'Kudos Thread' section so that it will show permanently under your board avatar - example below: Good luck!

Here it is @CycleGirl ?

"decidedly old-school and non-functional when it comes to record keeping" I expected nothing less liz! ? And you have great handwriting, for a lizard ?

Mine haven't!