normalman and American Flagg

[jmg3637]

While on vacation the last week plus I took a big stack of comics from the independants that i have been sorting. I took almost complete runs of both of those old copper series.

 

I had all but the first,last and issue 10 of normalman. The series was a very fun read all in a week instead of the 2+ years that it came out over. I need to find the Annual to find out how it ends.

 

it was interesting how because of the separation and divorce of Dave and Deni Sim of cerebus caused this and sereral others titles to move from Aardvark-Vanaheim to Renegade Press with Deni.

 

I have read the first 20+ issues of American Flagg as well. I had read Black Kiss so new about Chaykin sexual bent, otherwise I would have been very surprised about all that went on. It was an interesting concept but it is losing steam. I will still try to read the rest of what I have

 

Anyone want to comment on either of these titles?

[Karma23]

I was a big fan of American Flagg, and I agree that after about 25 issues or so it definitely lost it's shine to me. but I still think I have the entire series. It's definitely an interesting take on life in the 80's taken to the Nth degree

[Sal]

i'm of the opinion that the first 10 issue run of American Flagg! and the first 10 issues of Dreadstar are 2 of the top 10 runs of the Copper Age.

[helionaut]

Flagg was awesome, but the general consensus among fans is that the first half of the first volume is the peak and it fell off from there, but the speed with which it did is subject to debate. When Chaykin stopped doing the art it definitely wasn't the same, and I think he got distracted by non-comics work around that time, so it all kind of adds up. I also think he just didn't have that much story to tell with those characters, rich and fun though that world might be. Going on to The Shadow, Time2, and all those other projects were the next steps, but none were as good as AF.

 

I never read normalman, even though I was a fan of A-V books. It just never made the cut, though I've always had it on my list of things to read eventually.

[SuperBird]

American Flagg! was revolutionary in it's time, in art style, design, and writing. One of the most influential comics of the 80's, up with Swamp Thing, DK, and Watchmen.

 

I think Chaykin's other non AF! work was as entertaining, but he really had nothing else to say. All his other work is like a photocopy of Flagg!

 

Normalman I thought was funny, nothing more than that. AV did have quite a good line of books before the Sim divorce:

 

Flaming carrot

Normalman

Journey (very good!)

and others

[Pirate]

i'm of the opinion that the first 10 issue run of American Flagg! and the first 10 issues of Dreadstar are 2 of the top 10 runs of the Copper Age.

 

i agree on dreadstar, rank it behind byrne's xmen and perez's titans and ahead of miller's dd. I have never read flagg, maybe i should check it out.

[Sal]

i'm of the opinion that the first 10 issue run of American Flagg! and the first 10 issues of Dreadstar are 2 of the top 10 runs of the Copper Age.

 

i agree on dreadstar, rank it behind byrne's xmen and perez's titans and ahead of miller's dd. I have never read flagg, maybe i should check it out.

 

if you like complex stories that don't dish out all the info as you go, you should get a kick out of it. as comics storylines go, it's pretty dense.

 

i don't personally consider most of Byrne's work on X-Men to be Copper age, altho 140+141 certainly are.

 

i'd add the Great Darkness Saga to my list, which would also include the two aforementioned titles, the Titans, the Byrne/Perez run on Avengers, and FF 240-250, mostly because of 249 + 250

[SuperBird]

My unmentioned faves:

Mike Baron and Steve Rude on Nexus 1-50

Mike Grell's Jon Sable, Freelance

Simonson's Thor 337-354

[Sal]

Simonson's Thor 337-354

 

[SuperBird]

Simonson's Thor 337-354

 

 

[Sal]

Simonson's Thor 337-354

 

 

 

ach no, that was me slapping my forehead for forgetting Simonson.

[SuperBird]

 

that was the one series I recall as a kid just literally not being able to wait for each month.

[matewan1990]

Actually, I liked normalman (and have the Slave Labor trade paperback of the entire series that was published somewhere around 1989, I think) and thought it was one of the better comics of the 1980s. I loved the fact that Valentino skewered everything that was popular, much like Cerebus, yet on a lighter scale.

American Flagg was alright to start out, but it quickly faded for me.

Jim Starlin's Dreadstar was great until he stopped drawing the series, but I still liked Luke McDonnell's art and Starlin's writing. It wasn't completely Starlin's baby at that time, but was still pretty good. Then, when he stopped writing, it got really bad. I thought Peter David's Dreadstar stuff was terrible. Yuck.

I really thought Dreadstar, when it was still at Epic and those first few issues at First Comics, was better than Warlock and Captain Marvel by Starlin. I liked the ending of the first major storyline and the second major storyline wasn't bad, but after Starlin completely left, it was horrible.

Mike B.

[SuperBird]

i will have to check it out. I did like the 6 issue reprint series from marvel a whole lot.

[Nexus]

My unmentioned faves:

Mike Baron and Steve Rude on Nexus 1-50

Mike Grell's Jon Sable, Freelance

Simonson's Thor 337-354

 

Right there with you!

 

Loved JON SABLE. Mike Grell's best work, hands down. I just got this cover, my favorite in the run: