| Posted: 29 November 2017 at 4:44am | IP Logged | 1
|
post reply
|
|
It's almost legendary around these parts that Stern & Byrne on CAPTAIN AMERICA and JB's solo run on INCREDIBLE HULK both went a lot less than most of us would have liked. What other creative teams' runs were too short for your liking? (And I realize that this is a subjective topic, but try to refrain from including entries like "JB's 60+ issues of FANTASTIC FOUR was too short!" or "Lee and Kirby should have done 100 MORE issues of FANTASTIC FOUR!")
1. My first thought (inspiring this topic) was Steve Englehart on JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, with Dick Dillin. Englehart's nine issues between issues 140 and 150 (others wrote the JLA/JSA 2-part team-up) were really exceptional and I think they're still the best the JLA has ever seen. (OK, they're all double-sized, so it was more like 18 issues, but still.) "Carnival of Souls" was one "spooky" comic that was actually scary and moody. In his short time on the book, he gave us a great new origin "Minus One" (which surely must have inspired Darwyn Cooke's NEW FRONTIER), a continuation of his decade (and dimension and company) spanning "Celestial Madonna" epic, and shockers with Snapper Carr, the Privateer, and the Manhunters (stuff DC is still playing off of 40 years later). (It still offends me hearing that DC told him that they don't want to reprint these because "Nobody wants to see Dick Dillin's artwork these days"! Really?!?)
2. That reminds me of my second choice: Englehart and Marshall Rogers on Batman in DETECTIVE COMICS #471-476. Do people even realize that these two only worked on six issues together in this iconic, Batman-defining initial run? (Yes, they reteamed years later, but it just wasn't the same.) Englehart started his run with Simonson inked by Al Milgrom (sorry, not the best pairing) and Rogers continued with Len Wein for a couple of issues at the end, but only six issues of Englehart and Rogers together. But their versions of Batman, the Joker, Silver St. Cloud, and the revamped Deadshot (as well as distinct story elements) continue to inform and inspire the movies and TV shows.
Likewise, I wonder if people realize that Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams only did twelve BATMAN stories together? But they both did so much Bat-work with others--and 12 together is not TOO bad!--that I will refrain from adding them here.
I'm sure I can think of more later, but I just wanted to get the ball rolling with these.
Edited by Eric Jansen on 29 November 2017 at 4:48am
|
