RE-Reading BRONZE/MODERN Classics AGAIN years later... Better or worse?

[BronzeBruce13]

In Brian's (Foolkiller) recent Thor TPB thread I talked about recently re-reading several of the classic runs that really impacted me in my youth, as well as some others I wanted to. It's been quite a few years since I read some of those books and my impressions after recently reading them again (over 15+ years later) were quite different than I expected. I'm curious to hear from those collectors out there (that may be approaching or past 30 years of age) if they've had any similar experiences? Years later, after re-reading those classics from your youth... did they measure up?... better/worse?... how did they strike you?

 

Portions of my original post are below. I've added new text as well.

I thought this topic may be of interest to some and may deserve its own thread?

 

 

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Lately, I felt the need to re-read the classic runs that really impacted me when I was younger. (Watchmen, Dark Knight/Miller Batman, Miller Daredevil, Moore Swampthing, Simonson Thor, New X-men, etc.) It's been so long and I figured it might be interesting to see if I enjoyed them as much, or differently as a 37 (soon to be 38) year old adult... compared to a fan between 16-20.

 

First, I >re-read< the Watchmen, which I read in '85? I guess... and not since. I really did forget who the killer was and a good deal of the plot, etc. I must say I enjoyed it even more (no pun) this time. When I was younger, I had trouble looking past art I did not find exceptional and could not get into the story "as much" as a result. That was unfortunate. This time around Dave Gibbons art did not bother me and I was totally immersed in Moore's storytelling. I wish he'd do a follow up to the series. Some of the characters were cool enough to deserve a shot at their own title. Rorschach is like schitzo Batman with multiple disorders. I also think Dr. Manhattan could use a few solo treatments.

 

Next was the original Dark Knight.. which I remembered and enjoyed again very much. I did feel that the "new" Robin was less believable this time though.

 

Then the Moore Swampthing TPB with (the Woodrue storyline)... Killer Art and Story. Made me want to force Moore back to the title. I really miss that title and need to re-read the entire run asap.

 

The real surprise was Batman Year One. When I was younger and it came out, I was pissed Miller was not drawing it. I looked at Mazzuccelli's art, was underwhelmed, and apparently skimmed it. What a mistake! I read it (I guess for the first time) and this time the art hit home big time, set the dark mood and "dated" the work appropriately. I get it now! Miller's -script was great too... loved it. The effectiveness of Mazzuccelli's art stood out even more when I read "Year Two" (not Miller). I liked those artists better in general terms, but NOT when telling an older Batman story....

[aardvark88]

All Marvel zombies should read Alan Moore's Swamp Thing. It is as good or better than Byrne/Austin's UXM. Sacrilege??

[DiceX]

Bruce, I agree.

As you get seasoned by years, the stories from years ago seem to take on a whole new life.

Most of the old stories are much deeper than you remember.

[BronzeBruce13]

I loved the New X-men too... obviously! Loved Wolverine, the other characters, the writing, the art, the whole ball of wax!... BUT from a quality of writing and illustration standpoint as great as it was... the Moore Swampthing saga was better for me, and will stand the test of time as the better work IMHO

[BronzeBruce13]

Bruce, I agree.

As you get seasoned by years, the stories from years ago seem to take on a whole new life.

Most of the old stories are much deeper than you remember.

 

Well put... and for some you finally get them (like I experienced with Year One) or are open to some things you weren't back when.

[ninanina]

I have recently read Silver/Bronze Age runs of Captain America, Daredevil and Justice League. Been at it for about a year. The huge difference when I hit the Bronze Age runs, was I had more of a feel for the history of the characters and therefore enjoyed the reading more than when I read them the first time. It didn't really hit home all that much as far as Justice League is concerned, but because of the continuity of the Marvels, I really enjoyed those Bronze Age runs better.

 

I've got many titles I'll be reading again from the Silver Age on, as when these titles first came out ( like Iron Man, Fantastic Four or later on Captain Marvel) I never did buy every issue and my reading was at best very sporadic. Once I've read them, I'll go back and re-read all the Modern Age comics, the comics that I did buy each and every issue from the 80's on. I am sure there will be a better appreciation of the 80's/90's stuff simply because of being able to have experienced these titles from the beginning this time.

 

Great Thread!

 

 

 

 

[BronzeBruce13]

Did you re-read the Miller DD run? I'm dying to put that together to read again.

 

a great companion to that is Miller/Romita jr's DD MWF 5-part mini which tells more of what happened between Elektra and DD... most of which was during the same timeline as the original Miller DD run.

[ninanina]

Yeah, I read them for the 1st time.

 

I started buying DD regularly around issue # 200, so wasn't able to read them until I bought them all as back-issues. Really enjoyed them. Thanks for the tip on the mini-series, I'll get around to buying them one day...but I've got so much to get caught up on.

 

DD had some pretty lame villains until Elektra, Bullseye and Kingpin started to come along. Some of the best issues I remember had Marvel guest stars in them, like Nick Fury, Ghost Rider or Spider-man.

 

I noticed that an amazingly high number of villains died accidentally while fighting DD. Almost like they were "disposable ideas".

[PovertyRow]

I've been having a blast with some of the BA weird/strange books. Finised the full Spectre Adventure run and am mighty please (praise Greggy for these). Been reading dsome of the Marvel horror stuff like Tower Of Shadows - more fun there! Just closed a Gregsoranian deal for some BA Doc Strange nd Brother Power Strange Tales.

 

Life is good when you can look back like this nd enjoy.

[ninanina]

Yeah, being able to read a 20 year run of a comic from start to finish is kinda neat. No waiting a month for what happens next. When I did, sometimes I'd have to read 1/2 to comic before I remembered where I left of 30 days ago. Real nice flow when you don't have to wait. Like reading a graphic novel that never ends.

[PovertyRow]

Yeah, being able to read a 20 year run of a comic from start to finish is kinda neat.

 

Yeah - it really is!

[Darthdiesel]

Yeah, being able to read a 20 year run of a comic from start to finish is kinda neat.

 

Yeah - it really is!

 

 

I have my Marvel essentials but I still wait a month between each issue to get as close to the real live reading experience

[underthebigw]

Great thread.

 

I've been actually surprised at how little my tastes have changed since I was 15. A great read is a great read, no matter how old you are (at least after you get over just wanting action, action, and more action). Things that have held up as I've aged that I've recently re-read.

 

Amazing Spiderman from 100-180 or so--just plain fun

Spectre Adventures

Wein Wrightson Swamp Thing

Starlin Capt Marvel & Warlock runs

Byrne Marvel Team up issues

Detectives Inc graphic novel

Starlin's The Price Graphic novel

Most Brave and Bold 100-150

All Rogers issues of Bats (in Det. and Batman Family)

So many Eclipse issues- a real surprise

Nathaniel Dusk mini-series

Ragamuffins (a real forgotten gem from the 80's, Colan at his best)

Byrne Capt America run

 

Things that haven't held up:

 

Hulk--man, how I loved this title from the 150's - about 300. I re-read them, and ugghh. Don't know if a monthly publication schedule made the storylines seem less redundant, but I couldn't handle it all at once as an adult.

 

Legion--all issues. I enjoyed this as a kid, but I have not found a single issue I've enjoyed re-reading as an adult. Don't know why, and I know I'll get some criticism for this one.

 

[BronzeBruce13]

I've been having a blast with some of the BA weird/strange books. Finised the full Spectre Adventure run and am mighty please (praise Greggy for these). Been reading dsome of the Marvel horror stuff like Tower Of Shadows - more fun there! Just closed a Gregsoranian deal for some BA Doc Strange nd Brother Power Strange Tales.

 

Life is good when you can look back like this nd enjoy.

 

 

agreed...

was the experience any differnt though on stuff you re-read from a long ways back?

[BronzeBruce13]

Yeah, being able to read a 20 year run of a comic from start to finish is kinda neat. No waiting a month for what happens next. When I did, sometimes I'd have to read 1/2 to comic before I remembered where I left of 30 days ago. Real nice flow when you don't have to wait. Like reading a graphic novel that never ends.

 

Great Point! That made the experience different from the get go... as everything was fresh in your mind from one issue to the next. The lack of the 1 month (or more) gap made the storires easier and more enjoyable to follow. The Watchmen in particular which required some detailed recall of the prior issues to grasp what was happening.

[BronzeBruce13]

I have my Marvel essentials but I still wait a month between each issue to get as close to the real live reading experience

 

 

... then you should run up to the comic shop and hand the (confused) owner some change each month too so it will really approximate the original expereince.

[THE_BEYONDER]

I'm about to start reading my run of FF from 89-200. The Fantastic Four was my favourite book when I was a kid, and I can't wait to enjoy those books again....

 

I'm going to reread the Wolverine mini-series as well. When that series came out, I thought it was truly amazing. Claremont and Miller really outdid themselves on those books.....

 

 

[seank]

I've been rereading some stuff that I haven't read in 15 or so years also:

 

Miller Daredevils: Great, great, great. I appreciate them more now than I did in the 80s.

 

Watchmen: Just as good as I remembered it.

 

Dark Knight Returns: I liked it the second time around, but most of it's punch came from Miller's reinvention which is now old hat.

 

Bronze DDs: Uh... the Marvel formula really hindered these books. Liked them as a kid, but now I know there's better stuff out there.

 

Bronze Batmans: Specifically the David Reed era. Great stuff then and great stuff now.

[Foolkiller]

I'm not sure that I'm truly qualified to reply to this thread because most of the stories we're talking about I read maybe 10 years ago or even more recently. I can't say I remember them when they originally came out, but many times when I read the Marvel Masterworks or the original silver/some bronze books I just cringe at the goofiness. Others have a truly cool factor still attached to them.

 

Here are the books that I would list as standing the test of time:

 

The Clarement/Cockrum/Byrne X-Men run, alongside with the Dark Phoenix Saga, this remains the penultimate X-Men story ever told.

 

The Watchmen is probably Alan Moore's greatest work, and an incredible commentary on super heroes and, at the time, a novel way of approaching the storytelling.

 

The Dark Knight Returns (I read this one in trade in 1988, so I guess close to the release date): This book still is a great read to me, but I enjoyed it less because the grim n' gritty Batman has become the standard. Although it is an awesome story, it wasn't quite the same.

 

Crisis on Infinite Earths is probably not in the same calibur story wise as the other stories on the list, but the storyline's impact is still felt in the DCU today. If you go back and reread it, I think it's a more entertaining read than it was originally when I read it.

 

Daredevil 168-181 This is an incredible piece of storytelling and the story is just as good today as it was when released. Elektra's death is sudden and moving, just as it was when I first saw it on the page when I bought one of my first back issues and knew nothing of the history of DD or Elektra. Although I own all the originals, the trades collecting Frank Miller's DD work are WELL worth the money.

 

Thor 337-357 represents the best of Simonson's Thor run and the Surtur Saga is without question my favorite Thor storyline. It is the best Thor ever was. I loved it more when I read it originally, but that's only because I think I was just even more wowed by the great fantasy aspect included in the story, and I was more easily impressed then.

 

Green Lantern/Green Arrow 76-85 The stories are somewhat more difficult to read now, as they seem dated and a little hokey... but the issues are enormous fun to read and to look at and deal with issues still relevant in today's culture and society.

 

 

[buena_vista]

There is no doubt, in my mind, that all of the Lee/Kirby/Ditko creations went downhill in the bronze age as the second generation of Marvel writers came into doing the "Marvel" formula (eg. Conway, Wein, Wolfman, Engelhart et all). With Dr. Strange being the exception to the rule. The true innovation came on the lesser known titles where there was less scrutiny and more experementation. Each of these books had some real great runs -- Warlock, Conan, Capt. Marvel and of course, X-men.

 

Having said that, these books do not read as well as Moore's Swamp Thing, Watchmen, Killing Joke, MM, V for Vendetta etc. His writing really transends the genre. The artist almost doesn't matter here because I think many could tell Moore's story very well. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy Totleben, Gibbons, Leach etc all worked on those books. But it really is Moore's ideas, intricate scripts & dialogue that keep these books fresh. They hold up very well to today's standards and will still be great reads 50 years from now. Same goes for Miller's stuff. Full credit has to go to Karen Berger & Jim Shooter for letting these two guys break the mold and not just allowing two mediocre books (Swampy & Daredevil) to continue floundering.