Between Books - X-Men: Children of the Atom

I have liked the concept of Essential format reprint books, providing a lot of comics for a respectable pennies per page.  But I have not liked how generally these collections have lacked color and relied on black and white to lower the price point.  So when Marvel announced their Epic Collection, reprinting past Marvel comics in collections hundreds of pages in length...and in color...I had to sample one of the volumes.  And since I have never read the original X-Men stories I knew exactly where I needed to go first!

X-Men: Children of the Atom collects X-Men issues 1 through 23 in a 509 plus page collection.  The volume starts as a new student Jean Grey joins  Professor Xavier's private school.  The four other students; Scott Summers, Hank McCoy, Warren Worthington, and Bobby Drake, like Xavier and Grey are mutants.  Mutants are extraordinary humans who have been born with genetic enhancements making them more than human.  Together the five students under Xavier's command form the team the X-Men.  The students have a number of challenges to face from evil mutants like Magneto and the Blob, changing public opinion, mutant hunting robots called Sentinels, and alien entities like the Stranger.  The Mutants must learn to harness their powers and work together if they are to survive this volume!

The opening stories are written by Stan Lee with art by Jack Kirby.  I have discovered I am not always a fan of the King's art.  And I generally am not a fan of his work in this volume.  For me what stands out is Stan Lee's writing.  That is not to say that much of it is not corn, because it is corn.  But as Walt Disney would point out, corn sells.  What Lee did was construct five solid young people that teens could relate to even today.  The group has relationship problems and struggle with concerns about fitting in.  And even decades later these themes stand out.  And I found myself shocked by how X-Men standards like Magneto and the Sentinels appeared so early in Marvel history.  Lee is eventually replaced on the title by Roy Thomas, who wrote Marvel's original Star Wars comics. And one can sit back and see how Thomas was attempting to build on Lee's work, while being really really wordy.  And I think both of them really focused on giving Proffessor X very specfic time measurements.

I still am confused on whey these issues have multi-colored word balloons.  Seriously, it is not like the baloons are color coded! 

Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Ice-Man, the Angel and Professor Xavier have a long and storied comic history.  And the X-Men has always been one of my favorite super teams.  I loved this Epic Collection and found myself hungering for more.  I personally dove into every one and then washed it down with an episode of The Danger Room podcast, which I highly recommend, and was saddened when I ran out of issues in this collection to enjoy.  I look forward to future X-Men Epic Collections, and have already dove into another Epic Collection enthusiastically.

Between Books - Walt's People: Volume 10 Talking Disney with the Artists who Knew Him

I honestly cannot say enough how awesome it is as a Disney history fan to have a series like Walt’s People. There are archives and people that I will never have access to in Betweenland. And as a bonus in the series’ 10th volume I feel like I am getting annotated notes to one of my favorite books.

Walt’s People: Volume 10 Talking Disney with the Artists who Knew Him edited by Didier Ghez collects the interviews used by biographer Bob Thomas in his writing of Walt Disney: An American Original. The book opens with an essay discussing Thomas’ book written by Jim Korkis. The essay discusses the quest for an official biography of Walt Disney and the attempts by other authors to fulfill the request. It also highlights the intellectual freedoms Thomas had. The first oral history is Ghez interviewing Thomas about his experiences with Walt Disney and writing the book. The majority of the rest of the volume consists of Thomas’ interviews which include a list of Disney legends including Lillian Disney, Roy O. Disney, Ub Iwerks, Ward Kimball, Frank Thomas, Roy E. Disney, Marc Davis, and so many more. Oh, and there is an interview with Walt Disney himself. Additional information includes an essay on Walt Disney’s secretaries which is an interesting read.

I really do feel like this volume is the annotated notes of Thomas’ Walt Disney: An American Original and Building a Company: Roy O. Disney and the Creation of an Entertainment Empire. There were several moments I thought to myself; hey I have heard this before. And in many cases it is because I have read some of the stories before in Thomas’ books and in their use by other historians and biographers afterwards. However, I really like seeing the original notes and contexts of the interviews that Thomas used. And now, I and others can use them for our own writings even if we never met any of these legends, many of which have passed away.

Walt’s People: Volume 10 Talking Disney with the Artists who Knew Him is likely my favorite volume of the series to date due to the connecting theme. I bought my copy as a Kindle book for under $5. And that may have been the best value of the year based simply on the number of notes in my copy.

Between Books - Star Wars Omnibus: A Long Time Ago....Volume 1

Star Wars

Marvel

Combined!

Yeah decades before Disney acquired both companies, this happened.  From 1977 to 1986 for 107 issues and three annuals Marvel Comics published Star Wars the licensed and official comic.  As a kid I read some of these issues and I still have some in my personal collection.  But with Disney now filming Star Wars Episode VII I really wanted to reconnect with these stories.  This was reinforced by the fact that I have been enjoying Brian Wood’s Star Wars published by Dark Horse.  And in 2015 Marvel will get this title back as it all comes back into the family.  In talking with friends I decided the way to jump back in was through collections which led to me picking up Star Wars Omnibus: A Long Time Ago…Volume 1 reprinting issues one through 27.  

The first six issues written by Marvel legend Roy Thomas and drawn by Howard Chaykin adapts Star Wars or what we now call Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope.  With issue seven stories begin to follow our heroes after the Battle of Yavin.  The volume includes creative staff changes with most prominently Archie Goodwin taking on much of the writing duties and Carmine Infantino providing art.  These stories separate Luke, Han and Leia into their own adventures.  Han takes on a space pirate named Crimson Jack, becomes a hired gun for farmers with a posse including the talking giant Rabbit named Jaxx, and eventually works his way back to the rebellion.  Meanwhile, Luke searches for a post-Yavin home for the rebels, is hunted by a self-hating cyborg and fights water dragons.  And Leia seeks out the lost Luke who has lost contact with the alliance.  The heroes all reunite on a water world which features the water dragons, giant floating wood cities, and a society divided.  And throughout the stories the shadow of Darth Vader hangs over our heroes.  

These issues are a fantastic adventure for the Star Wars fan.  The fun all starts in the first six issues and their very different take on the original Star Wars film.  The reader knows something is different as the art on page 14 shows Darth Vader using the Force to levitate a cup of what we assume is coffee over to his gloved hand.  And then he begins to drink his beverage, as the reader struggles with the question of how the liquid is getting through the mask.  Hardcore Star Wars fans would likely complain that Darth Vader would never use the Force for something so minor.  But everyone else will still be stuck with the question of how is Vader drinking without a straw?  Another change is Luke flies against the Death Star with Blue Squadron, not Red.  And while we are at it Wedge is in a Y-Wing not a X-Wing.  There are also concepts brought forward that we would not question until other movies were developed.  For example, Blue Leader makes it appear that he knew Luke Skywalker’s father as a good pilot from the Outer Rim, a place we now know Anakin Skywalker never flew through or lived in as an adult.  So yes there is plenty in this story that does not add up with what we know today as canon.  For me, my favorite new moment is Chewbacca getting his medal after the Battle of Yavin.  But of course he has to put it on himself as Princess Leia is not tall enough to present it properly. 

Speaking of Chewbacca the Wookie, Carmine Infantino is a comics legend.  But he really had no idea how to draw a Wookie.  There is way way to much skin in Chewy’s face! 

With the movie in the rearview mirror, Marvel’s staff was able to expand on the Star Wars universe.  We find out, for now, why Han Solo did not pay off Jabba the Hutt.  And I had heard about Jaxx, but I was shocked how easily this rabbit fell into this universe.  And I did search future volumes for more of the big-eared one.  Valance the bounty hunter gives Marvel the opportunity to explore the complexity and illogical basis of racism as he hates all droids!  And he despises the droid-loving Luke Skywalker.  Marvel legend Chris Claremont gets an opportunity to craft a Luke Skywalker/Cinderella story!  And we get to see fantastic environments, I really did enjoy the water world story that finishes the volume.

I can report it is awkward anytime Luke and Leia kiss!  But let us be fair, they did not know!

Star Wars Omnibus: A Long Time Ago…Volume 1 is a fun trip.  Star Wars fans really should pick-up this collection to explore Han, Luke and Leia’s past.  And I am only looking forward to more adventures in future trips in a Comic Book Time Machine.