DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
Members' Mausoleum => Calendar Events / Announcements Archive => Calendar Events / Announcements '24 I => Calendar Events / Announcements '14 I => Topic started by: Mysterious Benefactor on July 18, 2011, 09:08:22 PM
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I was wondering what had happened to this:
"Dark Shadows" Returns in October (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=33352)
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Interesting. In the first book cover, Collinwood looks kind of like the Addams Family house, while on the second, it's clearly Lyndhurst.
I am very curious to see this! Congrats to Stuart Manning for getting the contract for this.
G.
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This is pretty exciting. Hopefully my local comic shop will carry it so I can at least check it out and see whether or not I like it.
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Awesome!!! [ghost_grin] I remember first hearing about this awhile back, on this forum, but didn't know if the project was really gonna happen or fall apart.
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I want to check it out. I remember the Dark Shadows comic book from Innovation back in the early 90's. It was a good book until Innovation went out of business.
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Yes, that was pretty good - and infinitely better than the Gold Key series. I was really disappointed when it ended prematurely. [ghost_sad]
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Really psyched for this!
Will be waiting for the trade collection anxiously!
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As much as I love the Gold Key comics -- and I do, unapologetically -- I am looking forward to seeing the original series represented in a first-class comic book, with what I assume will be artwork that flatters the characters. Is it too much to ask that Julia be depicted as a stylish woman and not a crone or drag queen?
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I also hope Julia is depicted as a stylish absolutely fabulous lady, glowing like no other can...
Grayson nut from W. PA,
Heather H.
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DARK SHADOWS #2 Cover (http://pulpsunday.blogspot.com/2011/08/dark-shadows-2-cover.html)
"Barnabas Collins fears that another vampire is loose at Collinwood, while his friend Dr. Julia Hoffman finds herself in the thrall of a sinister force. As a seance is held to contact a restless spirit, Quentin Collins finds himself drawn into a dangerous mission to restore an ancient force to life."
Sounds promising. [ghost_smiley]
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I simply cannot wait. I will be buying these for the covers, and if the stories turn out great, that is a bonus!
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Soap Vampire Barnabas Collins Returns in DARK SHADOWS Comic (http://www.newsarama.com/comics/Dark-Shadows-return-dynamite-110822.html)
(Very interesting article/interview with Stuart Manning.)
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Apparently not everyone is impressed:
Sunshineyness Sunshineyness
Gag, there's some truly awful looking Dark Shadows hitting this Halloween. Dynamite scooped up the rights.
1 hour ago
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I wonder if Dynamite plans to do a crossover with Vampirella.
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God I hope there's no Vampirella/DS crossover. Vampirella with a costume that would embaress the most jaded streetwalker woulldn't mesh well with DS.
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If they think it will sell books, it could well happen
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God I hope there's no Vampirella/DS crossover. Vampirella with a costume that would embaress the most jaded streetwalker woulldn't mesh well with DS.
My goodness, does that bring back memories! I remember when Vampirella hit the scene while Dark Shadows was popular. They even had "action figures" you could purchase (four of them: Vampirella, in her skimpy costume; the "Evil Scientist;" "the "Monster," and "the Victim." The last one looked remarkably like Roxeanne. You could also purchase "play kits" that consisted primarily of torture chambers for the "Evil Scientist," the "Monster," and Vampirella to put the "Victim" into. It was all very sexist when you thought about it. It was marketed in magazines and in stores (I remember seeing all the action figures and play sets in a Montgomery Wards) as: "Rated X: For X-citement!"
Of course, a DS-Vampirella cross-over would be difficult. I use to purchase Vampirella comic books (just as I did DS comic books), and she's actually a space alien, from the planet "Draculan," where the "rivers of blood ran dry" so she and a few survivors migrated to Earth.
Gerard
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Well, that used to be her origin. In recent years, Vampirella has reimagined/rebooted/reinvented as the white sheep daughter of one of hell's resident demons. Seems mommie dearest has had some second thoughts about all this evil stuff and sends Vampirella out to undo the whole mess. As before, Vampirella, like Barnabas, suffers enormous vampire angst when she feeds. Unless it's a real nasty s.o.b., of course. Draculon still sort of exists, except it's no longer a planet. It's more like one of hell's suburbs
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I popped into the local comic shop and asked them to put this aside for me every month. I'm glad Stuart is working on it since he's well-versed in the DS mythos. I just hope the interior artwork is decent. It's about time we have a DS comic that continues the original series.
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f_francavilla FrancescoFrancavilla
Cover Week on @PulpSunday continues today with exclusive look at my cover for Dark Shadows #3 http://www.francescofrancavilla.com/sequentials/dark_shadows_03_cover.html Hope you guys dig it :)
2 hours ago
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Anyone know where to buy these online that's not ebay? I am currently in the middle of buttf**k Nowhere, New Mexico, and there isn't a comic book shop (or anything much else for that matter) within 100 miles of me. :(
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Anyone know where to buy these online that's not ebay?
You can buy them directly from the publisher.
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Thanks! I'll check that out.
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Midtown comics from NYC would be another good source. Check their website.
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I found the shipping price from the publisher too much (I think it was $6.00 per order or something) & couldn't find the first issue for sale at Midtown, although they DID have the details up for issue #3:
"Covers: Francesco Francavilla (50% - 00311), Aaron Campbell (50 - 00321) Writer: Stuart Manning Artist: Aaron Campbell There's trouble ahead for vampire Barnabas Collins as the vengeful spirit of his eternal nemesis Angelique continues to make her presence felt. What links the mysterious statue in the woods to the Collins family, and who among them can Barnabas trust?"
http://www.midtowncomics.com/store/dp.asp?PRID=DARK+SHADOWS+%233_1163902
So I ended up going with 'Things From Another World' shop:
http://www.tfaw.com/Search?_results_use_stopwords=true&quick_sstring=dark+shadows&_results_sstype_search=
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Thanks for the heads up Sara Monster! [ghost_cool]
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Artwork and Synopses of Dark Shadows Issues 1-3 from Dynamite Entertainment (http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/47747/artwork-and-synopses-dark-shadows-issues-1-3-dynamite-entertainment?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_content=Movie+News)
This article features the alternate cover for issue #3.
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Looks quite promising. Can't wait for it to hit the store!
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Thanks Sara Monster!
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My comic shop guy who is going to save them for me when they come in said they bumped the release date of the first issue back to November 2nd.
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Dark Shadows interview with Stuart Manning (http://www.comicmonsters.com/features-1211-Dark_Shadows_interview_with_Stuart_Manning.html)
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This has examples of actual pages from the comics (be sure to click on them to see larger versions): Stuart Manning and Aaron Campbell Bring Dark Shadows Back to Life (http://www.tfaw.com/blog/2011/10/24/stuart-manning-and-aaron-campbell-bring-dark-shadows-back-to-life/?qt=tw_interview_DE_Dark)
Love the artwork! If I wasn't already looking forward to getting my hands on an issue, these examples of pages would have certainly gotten me there. Now I'm absolutely dying to get my hands on an issue! [hall2_wink]
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i'm not a comic person at all but these look great. i might have to pick them up...
interesting that they pick up in 1971 after the series ended. with maggie gone i guess david will not have a governess in these stories(unless daphne shows up)?
fashionwise i see julia is continuing with the growing out of her hair that started in 1970. the hemlines look longer as would be fitting as the 1970's progressed. nice to see that, in the name on continuity and character habit, liz is wearing her jacket over the shoulders as she so frequently did on the series. and the needlepoint is a nice touch.
looks great. [hall_smiley]
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Julia's hair looks a lot like where it began in 1967... This is exciting! I'm glad I reserved a copy at my local comics shop!
G.
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interesting that they pick up in 1971 after the series ended. with maggie gone i guess david will not have a governess in these stories(unless daphne shows up)?
[spoiler]
How do we know Maggie's gone? She didn't die. Since the events of the past were all changed, she probably never went to Windcliff, and she could still be governess. [/spoiler] And who believes that whole epilogue written by Sam Hall? [hall_grin] [spoiler] She and Sebastian are worse than Vicki and Jeff Clark. [hall_rolleyes][/spoiler]
I don't think the comics have to stick to the lives of the original actors or Sam Hall's write-up, which is a plus! So, we could even have Vicki return!
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Kate Jackson's Tracy character was supposed to arrive at Collinwood sometime during this period. Presumably she would be a tutor for David rather than a governess.
G.
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CB...
if you look at the panels from the comics liz is telling julia that david has been disturbed "since maggie and hallie" have gone.
so obviously it's a part of the comic book plot. to say nothing of the character's departure several months before the series itself ended.
but you're right in that in this series of stories she certainly could come back to collinwood. perhaps that's even part of the story. or even vicki could come crawling out of the woodwork as you say. in the DS universe no one stays dead and anything is possible as we all know.
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See, that is what I get for not waiting to read any of it until I get my books in hand! [hall_embarrassed] I just looked at the art, but didn't read the text, in case there was some big spoiler in there. I take it that there isn't. [baticon]
I have pre-ordered all of them from a local comic store, and am anxious to start reading. I do hope that a governess makes her way to Collinwood, whether she be Maggie or Vicki or Daphne (Tracy). Heck, I'd love to see all three, as I have a fond appreciation for each.
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Thanks abunch for the picture links! Loving the artwork, hope the story will be just as good.
I guess it's about a week until the official release date. Hopefully the ones being mailed out will arrive soon afterwards.
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Strangely, I didn't receive a Google Alert for this until tonight even though it's been posted since the 21st. But better late than never. [hall2_wink]
First Look: Dark Shadows #4 (http://geek-news.mtv.com/2011/10/21/first-look-dark-shadows-4/)
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COMICS: Dark Shadows #1 Preview (http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/johnarturo/news/?a=49220)
Hmmm...
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I hope I get the call from the comic shop this week...
I couldn't wait any longer and decided to read the first bit online. It looks very interesting. I think I am most interested in learning about where Quentin fits into all of this... Being since he is the only one outside of the original family in this story who doesn't have a clearly defined role (a la Dr. Hoffman and Barnabas).
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Comic Review: Dark Shadows #1 (http://www.geeksofdoom.com/2011/11/01/comic-review-dark-shadows-1/)
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Not only does issue #1 of the DS comic make his most anticipated of the week, it makes his most anticipated of the year:
The GoD List: Comics For November 2, 2011 (http://www.geeksofdoom.com/2011/11/02/the-god-list-comics-for-november-2-2011/)
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Got Number 1 - Unfortunately, I didn't get the right cover. [hall2_undecided] I guess I will have to order another online.
The art is great. The story is intriguing. The whole feel of the comic takes the reader back to 1971. It's just like watching a new episode. They have really outdone themselves in terms of recreating the feel of the show. I'll be interested in seeing what happens next. I was really hoping that we would get into some of the characters more than we did. I feel that Issue 1 has set up A LOT of plots but doesn't really follow through on any of them except for two. It picks up right about where you'd expect it would with the original series... and should actually make a lot of fans of the '91 series very happy...
I have included some spoilers below with some of my thoughts and questions. (These spoilers discuss elements from the Revival series of the show as well.)
[spoiler]The Angelique plot is interesting. Wasn't really expecting a statue in the woods to encompass the spirit of Angelique nor was I expecting the throwback to the possession of Julia plot from 1991. I'm not really that big of a fan of bringing Angelique into this so soon. I feel they should have waited a few issues, and introduced the reader to the present Collins family before introducing us to this character.
I was not expecting that Barnabas and Carolyn would get back together either. It's good that they are finally finishing that story, though.
Like I said, this is going to make fans of the Revival very happy, as it picks up about where that show left off as well in terms of Carolyn and Julia...
I want to know what is going on with the characters of David and Quentin. They are only mentioned.
[/spoiler]
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i was starting to think i was the only person here who got this...
i'll start by saying i'm not a comic book person...or in this case "graphic novel" i believe is the proper name. but this is very well done.
it is like watching a new episode set in 1971. the 'feel' of the series is very much captured unlike the preposterous and juvenile 'gold key' comics. i was instantly engaged and look forward to following this story. it actually feels more DS than the audiodramas.
as CB mentions most of the character introductions and plot setups are perfunctory. especially roger, david and quentin. but since "we" already "know" them it's not a problem although a newcomer might have pause. maybe they'll actually integrate quentin into the storyline better than on the original series. in the "present" he always just stood around with little to do.
the artwork is very well done. the original actors well represented. of course several of them are deceased(bennett, edmonds, hall)but do the living actors get some sort of compensation for their likenesses being used?
speaking of the old 'gold key' comics from what i've been able to gather only barnabas, julia, liz, roger, quentin and professor stokes are featured. the rest of the characters are made up and do not correlate to the series. is this correct?
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as an aside i'll add that the comic book store where i purchased this..."forbidden planet new york"...was BUSTLING.
like everything else i assumed that comic book purchases had largely gone online so it was great to see a thriving brick and mortar business for this type of novel.
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michael--Angelique (and briefly, Cassandra--I think only in issue 1) was also featured in the Gold Key comics. Or rather, some garish shrieking thing that was called Angelique because Joe Certa couldn't draw real people to save his soul...
I got the issue too yesterday but haven't read it yet. I have been sidetracked by Gary Rhodes' brilliant analysis of the original 1931 Bela Lugosi Dracula film in the new issue of Monsters from the Vaults which I also purchased, and issue 4 of Alan Moore's fascinating Dodgem Logic project.
My local comic book store is also very busy. And what you wrote makes me jump on my current hobby horse/bete noire--supposedly print is going the way of the dinosaur, but every bookstore and mag shop I visit is always PACKED. I think in this age of nonstop inescapable glowing screens, people are craving print more than ever. Granted, I live in Mass which has a very high literacy and habit-of-reading rate. Interesting discussion here but of course way off topic for DS.
I do look forward to reading the comic.
G.
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does anyone know why key characters like carolyn, maggie and david were not included in the 'gold key' series?
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it is like watching a new episode set in 1971. the 'feel' of the series is very much captured unlike the preposterous and juvenile 'gold key' comics. i was instantly engaged and look forward to following this story. it actually feels more DS than the audiodramas.
You hit the nail on the head. I think this is the best format they could have opted to go with to continue the original series. It captures the feel of the original show exquisitely. I hope these sell well enough to continue the line for many years. Unlike the original show, we have to wait a whole month for a new "episode", but I feel that it's going to be well worth it.
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michael--you should be grateful that most of the personnel of the series were absent from the Gold Key comics... given that Certa's attempts to render Quentin, Julia, Stokes et al. resulted in some really unspeakable caricatures... Quentin always looked like a bad cross between pop star Engelbert Humperdinck (who I believe hailed from Tasmania) and the WB's Tasmanian devil... sigh.
I have just read issue 1 of the Dynamite DS comic--excellent work over all! Given Liz's terse reference to David's "pyromania," I would guess that a certain former Mrs Roger Collins may be lurking in the shadows, or should I say, the embers...
I don't see the Julia or Carolyn episodes as references to the 1991 series, personally, but I did catch two visual references that may possibly be a nod at Depp Shadows--[spoiler] in the scene of Carolyn driving out of the estate, the gateway her car drives through looks *a lot* like the gateway for Collinwood created for the new movie (we never saw the Collinwood gate in the original series)--and when Barn vamps out on Julia, not only does he bare his fangs, but he sprouts Fu Manchu fingernails, too, just as Depp does in the new feature[/spoiler]
Of course, the inclusion of these images could be coincidental, but given the delay in the book's production, the artist may well have seen these photos--or may even have been shown material from Depp Shadows before some of it was made public...
I don't see these references as attempts to somehow incorporate this story into the canon of Depp Shadows--which, by the accepted standard definition of canon, will have ITS OWN canon, not somehow an extension of the canon of the original series (which is CLOSED). These books, the Dynamite series, will also establish their own canon for the story of Collins family, the curses they suffer, Barnabas et al.
G.
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i didn't catch the "pyromania" reference the first time around. although it wouldn't properly correspond to the 100 year life cycle of the pheonix i wouldn't be surprised to see mrs.roger collins make her presence known. in fact it would be great.
i'm not catching any references to the 1991 series either. in it's tone and sensibility this story seems firmly planted in the traditions of the original series. as for any references to "depp shadows" it's impossible to say since we haven't seen it yet but i suppose they could try and tie the two together somehow. that doesn't seem likely though given the presence of quentin and the references to maggie and hallie who will have no presence in the movie.
at least via this first effort it would seem that the "canon" of the original series is the launching pad for the series much more than other recent offshoots like the audiodramas and certainly fiction by lara parker which seem to exist in their own DS universe.
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michael--I agree with what you say. What I was trying to say in my original post was that the two little visual referents I caught to Depp Shadows seemed more like playful nods to fans, certainly not in any way intended to somehow present a tie to this world and the world of the Depp/Burton feature.
I also agree that this redaction is the most firmly rooted in canon of ANY previous DS spinoff I have seen, including the excellent Ken Bald newspaper comics of the early 1970s. This comic series has the makings of a for-real sequel to the original series, which products such as the Joe Certa Gold Key books and the Marilyn Ross novels certainly were not. (I've only heard one of the Big Finish dramas to date and it felt more like "alternate universe" or Parallel Time to me than the world of "our" DS--the tone and flavor felt markedly different from that of the OS, despite a cast that included original series actors and some music cues.)
I was thinking that one difference between DS and Star Trek is that the Star Trek fans seem to treat all the different redactions of the series as part of the same canon. That's very unusual. With DS, I would go so far as to say that to me, each of the two feature films feels strongly as if it establishes its own canon, but that position might strike most as too extreme--that IS how it feels to me though.
G.
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i'm a very visual person so for me this series has the potential to feel somehow more "real" than the audiodramas do.
i've only listened to a couple of them and yes they do feel like some sort of parallel time universe despite the presence of so many OS actors. it didn't seem "real" to me if one can accurately use that word to describe a completely fictitious situation.
in fact after the initial "goosebumps" from hearing those iconic voices together again i promptly drifted away from the series. i actually couldn't tell you a single plot detail of them.
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fiction by lara parker which seem to exist in their own DS universe.
Gee, ya think. [hall2_wink] Especially when, in one blatant instance, she took a scene word for word, action for action from the original series BUT also added a few lines of her own dialogue to it - and her little addition managed to completely changed the way the scene originally played and what it was originally intended to convey to the audience. That made laughable any initial claims that her books would be faithful renditions of the original series and could easily fit into it. [hall2_rolleyes]
I would go so far as to say that to me, each of the two feature films feels strongly as if it establishes its own canon, but that position might strike most as too extreme--that IS how it feels to me though.
I can see that. For example, I've often wondered why David didn't inherit Collinwood rather than Quentin. But then, I can also see why David may not have wanted to ever inherit the house, given what happened there in the first film, and perhaps he told Liz as much, so she put Quentin in the will. Though we'll never really know because it's a subject that's never touched upon...
As for the comic, I haven't received my copy yet. It was sent out several days ago, but it still has yet to arrive...
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Its hard to believe that it took over 40 years for a DS comic book to actually use the TV series as it's background. This does have the feel of the series more then any other comic or fan fiction. I thought I was the only one who thought the audio series was someway off the track from the original series.
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Quite pleased with the first issue. I enjoyed seeing a comic book/graphic novel depiction of the original series that actually resembles it. Light years away from the Gold Key series, which I enjoy in spite of (because of?) its many flaws.
Speaking of the Gold Key books, Willie appears in the first issue, and you know it's Willie because he's wearing a vest. Also, there are mentions of Trask and Victoria Winters. And one of the characters in one of the stories (the one with the glove) appears in certain frames to have been modeled after Roger Davis.
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I liked it. I've been keen on the idea of a DS comic continuation of the classic series for some time, so I'm happy to see this is finally happening. I liked the pyromania reference and agree this is setting up some Laura-related incident. Perhaps David has inherited mommy's ways.
It's too early to tell how this new series will turn out, but I think this is a promising start.
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Well, this is certainly interesting:
CarlosAle Carlos G
#comicmarket show some love to @DynamiteComics! 3 titles sold out, going back for 2nd. Printing: Game of Thrones, Dark Shadows & Bionic Man!
46 minutes ago
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besides the "pyromania" remark we might have another clue...
[spoiler]that a visitation from laura collins might be on the horizon. on the last page liz and roger spot a bloody warning on the foyer wall..."she approaches". now that could refer to angelique(or somebody else for that matter)who at this point is already on the canvas. so that's not that suspenseful. and with the exception of the 'cassandra' moment ang concerned herself little with roger and liz. to me this seems like a possible setup for a return of laura.[/spoiler]
just a thought. i'm glad everyone is enjoying these.
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Hi Michael,
[spoiler]I think it refers to Angelique... look back at the statue scene again, and the enthralled Julia responds to the question "Whom do you serve?" with "I serve my mistress... she approaches." That to my mind is definitely the start of Angelique making Julia her latest pet slave. (I don't think this is related at all to the storyline in the 1991 DS where Angelique simply possessed Julia outright. [/spoiler]
I do hope they bring Laura into this... I would love to see her part of the new storyline... and apparently bringing her back was discussed at some point in 1970 or 1971...
cheers, G.
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Another Review:
Dark Shadows #1 (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=4103)
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Exclusive: DARK SHADOWS #1 Artist Commentary (http://www.comicvine.com/news/exclusive-dark-shadows-1-artist-commentary/143805/)
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does anyone know why key characters like carolyn, maggie and david were not included in the 'gold key' series?
I have a theory about that. The Gold Key company did not do continued issue stories. Each book was about 22 pages with a complete tale. They apparently felt the need to distill DS down to what they felt would work for a comic in this format. This included the cast, reduced down to the most essential members. Thus, while there was no Carolyn, Maggie or David, these type characters would show up in the series. Perhaps they thought a regular ingenue or child character would seem a bit crowded with others turning up in the stories. This did have a strange side effect of having four unmarried relatives all living together in a gigantic mansion, and perhaps led to the infamous Liz and Roger are married screw-up.
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michael--you should be grateful that most of the personnel of the series were absent from the Gold Key comics... given that Certa's attempts to render Quentin, Julia, Stokes et al. resulted in some really unspeakable caricatures... Quentin always looked like a bad cross between pop star Engelbert Humperdinck (who I believe hailed from Tasmania) and the WB's Tasmanian devil... sigh.
I have just read issue 1 of the Dynamite DS comic--excellent work over all! Given Liz's terse reference to David's "pyromania," I would guess that a certain former Mrs Roger Collins may be lurking in the shadows, or should I say, the embers...
I thought Liz's "rampant pyromania" line was the one false note in the comic. I was around in '71 and I don't remember anyone using a phrase like that. Maybe they did, but I just can't see Liz saying it.
Also, Joe Certa was a very good artist. I'm a professional comic artist and as Prof. Stokes says in one of the comics "Ahem, I'd stake my reputation on it!" Granted, some of his work was awful, but every version of DS has it's terrible moments and we still love it. Many of the Gold Key books are textbook lessions in excellent storytelling and dynamic, fluid, figure drawing with a great sense of drama and animation. He was also a master aat establishing locales. Collinwood and Collinsport are very vivid in his work. It's a pity no one ever interviewed Certa, because I'd love to know what he thought about what he was doing on DS. It does seem as though he sometimes woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and took it out on the characters. At various times, he seems to dispise all of them, with Julia coming under fire with some particularly brutal renditions.
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Golem, I'd guess that what Certa was thinking of as he slogged out the DS stuff was "yep, that's another paycheck in the mail." Or, as my long-suffering Dad (who hated his job) used to say upon returning home in the evening, "Another day, another dollar."
I'll take your word for it that he was a good or even exceptional artist--I really don't have the stomach to research the subject by looking at other examples of his work.
But, glad to hear you enjoy what he produced. It's nice to know that there's a fan out there for every artist.
G.
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michael--Angelique (and briefly, Cassandra--I think only in issue 1) was also featured in the Gold Key comics. Or rather, some garish shrieking thing that was called Angelique because Joe Certa couldn't draw real people to save his soul...
Aaron Campbell's rendition of Angeligue in the dream sequence in the new book is actually worse. Far uglier than anything Certa drew of Angelique. His inking style too, is a bit off putting, sometimes he seems to be using tooth picks or match heads. Overall I like the art in the new book, my favorite panel being Julia approaching the old house. Usually I don't like comics that rely heavily on photos and trying to capture actors' likenesses. It seems cheesy and a betrayal of the comics medium's strengths. In this case however, I'm going along with it because I'm such a fan of the source material.
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But, glad to hear you enjoy what he produced. It's nice to know that there's a fan out there for every artist.
LOL, well I think he has more than one fan , G. I hear the Hermes Press reprints are quite the hit!
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Really? I thought only diehard collectors of DS memorabilia would buy the reprints. Interesting... what can one say except that tastes differ.
I bought loads of them back in the day, and actually looked forward to them in the early months. So my 13 year old self enjoyed them. At some point, however, I had had enough. Revisiting them as an adult was not a happy experience.
I agree with you about Aaron's attempt to draw Angelique in the new book, and I'm not all that happy with how he draws Julia in general. There's one square or panel or whatever you call it that is decent but it's obviously copied from a well-known hoDS film still. I'm not convinced that he used photographs for all of it... his renderings of Barnabas are pretty free and easy, I think.
But then I'm not a professional artist, so ... not sure how much my opinion about any of it matters!
cheers, G.
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A lot of comic fans know the Gold Key series. People that aren't DS purists or even fans of the show. I've heard people say they don't like the tv series--consider it boring-- but love the Gold Key series. Since the reprints have been coming out, I've seen a few reviews here and there from people who even consider the writing to be in some ways superior to the tv show.
I'll say one thing about the writing on the new comic, I really appreciate Stuart's economy with words. Most comic writers nowadays are egomaniacs and write, write, write and the books are very cluttered and tedious to actually try and read. Stuart strikes exactly the right balance between words and pictures, which is what it's all about with comics.
I bought all the Gold Key books when I was a kid as well. It got worse as the years went on. For the most part, the stories never really jumped the the shark but the art surely did. I got fed up with it as well, but kept buying them. I hoped they would replace Certa at a certain point but they never did. He was about 50 when he started the series and in the last decade of his career. The two volumes of the Hermes series out now represent the book's "golden age." You should check them out. They look much, MUCH better than the old newsprint pamplets. There is still some more good stuff coming up, but it's more hit and miss.
I know which panel you refer to about Julia. I read in one of Aaron's interviews that he shoots his own photos in some cases. I'm sort of on the fence about his Barnabas so far. It's kind of an idealized Frid but doesn't have the swing and bounce and drama of Certa at his best! Oh well, these things aren't really competing with each other.
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claude i know which character you mean. his name is "cheshire collins" and yes, as far as these drawings can possibly resemble an actual human being, he does very much look like roger davis. especially in his eighteenth century garb he's evocative of peter bradford.
i can't determine who's actually living at collinwood in these stories. liz, roger, quentin and julia? and barnabas at the old house? or is there not an old house? interesting thoughts about carolyn and maggie. some other strange "ingenue" always seems to show up for each self-contained story to fill the gap.
i actually prefer the cover paintings to the art inside.
[spoiler]back to the new story. with the return of what appears to be an "evil" angelique aren't we taking a slight step backwards in terms of continuity? by 1970 wasn't angelique, for lack of a better word, sort of almost "nice". during 1897 they sort of reformed her character. so why is she such a terror again? [/spoiler]
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Zack Golem,
I would love to see an in-depth review (even a short one that comments upon specifics, not just the tired old hash of the basics about the original publications and the series, etc.) of one of the Hermes books. Please do post a link if handy. I have been curious as to just who on Earth is buying these things, and why. I enjoy reading well-reasoned statements of opinions that differ from my own, and I really appreciate the civility you demonstrate here (particularly since I'm just a cranky old fan).
michael, that scene with a cacchinating Angelique terrorizing Barnabas in his dreams actually looks and reads a LOT like similar scenes I recall from the Gold Key comics. This is one element that does seem to make a nod, if that's the right phrase, to the Sam Hall outline for how the series would have continued. Angelique's evil ghost played a part in that, and I think she even returned to fleshly existence for a time--it's been awhile since I last perused it. It was because of her persecution that [spoiler]Barnabas and Julia ultimately moved away from the Collinsport area forever after their marriage in Singapore.[/spoiler]
I do suspect that there's more to Angelique's presence in this first bit than meets the eye. I know I'm going to keep reading.
Lordee, how could I have forgotten Cheshire Collins? What a hoot!
Cheers, Steve
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http://comicattack.net/2011/01/ffgtrjan212011/
Here's one for you, Gothik. I saw a few more around the times the Hermes books came out but I don't know if they're still up. There's some reviews on Amazon. There used to be some very in-depth issue-by issue analysis somewhere on the internet that seems to have dissappeared.
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i can't determine who's actually living at collinwood in these stories. liz, roger, quentin and julia? and barnabas at the old house? or is there not an old house?
...
i actually prefer the cover paintings to the art inside.
The cover paintings were by someone named George Wilson who also painted tons of covers for other Gold Key books, Twilight Zone, Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery and others. Yes, he was very good.
Liz, Roger, Quentin and Barnabas lived at Collinwood. There was no Old House. In issue one, Willie Loomis is seen heading toward a house that COULD be the Old House. It's a house mostly obscured by a word balloon and it's a very different depiction from any of the other shots of Collinwood. He knocks on a door which is answered by Barnabas. After briefly helping Barnabas with problem he's never seen again. Perhaps the producers thought the relationship was too complicated for a kids' comic and decided to close that can of worms. Julia lived in a small wood frame house in Collinsport. Barnabas's coffin room was in a cellar at Collinwood which was often shown with an open barred window. You would think someone outside could be passing by and look down and see the coffin. In one bizarre scene, Quentin must fly off in a plane on some mission and Barnabas is seen looking out his cellar window and can actually see the jet plane flying through the sky.
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Oh yeah Gothick, how could I forget. There's some fairly deep essaying on Gold Key DS in the actual Hermes volumes by somebody named Dr. Jeff Thompson. I think I'd read some of it on the net before it was published in the books. That's probably where some of the other articles I read are now. They pulled 'em off the net so people will have to buy them in the future volumes!
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interesting thoughts about carolyn and maggie. some other strange "ingenue" always seems to show up for each self-contained story to fill the gap.
That Cheshire Collins story was actually a very good one. I never thought of the Roger Davis connection. Carolyn had a clone in Constance Collins. She was a dead ringer for Carolyn but Liz's cousin instead of daughter. She showed up at a dinner party Liz was throwing ( But wait!!Liz never threw dinner parties on tv! Wrong!). Trouble is, The Gold Key Collins had hardly any friends (or family) so usually nobody showed up at these parties (who didn't already live in the house) but Julia and Stokes. Barnabas tried to kill Connie, then save her when she acccidently got thrown into hell. Don't tell me that's not a great comic! Some beautiful drawings of Hell in that book.
They brought back Connie in probably the worst drawn book of the series. I don't know what the problem was, but poor old Certa did not bring his A-game!
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Zack Golem,
Thanks for that review. I guess it gives me a good sense of the audience that is buying the reprints. Since the books sell for fifty bucks a pop, they're clearly a very dedicated audience.
I do know of Jeff Thompson's work--think I'll skip it.
Interesting about Constance Collins. There was a character with that name on the series, but she lived in the seventeenth century and was only seen in one flashback episode, portrayed by Grayson Hall.
Oddly, I can sort of half remember that weird drawing of Barnabas looking at Quentin's jet streaking across the sky through the window of his basement cell.
I do like your comment that the "relationship" between Barnabas and Willie was deemed "too complicated" for kids to comprehend. Of course, the kids who watched the series regularly knew all about Barnabas and Willie... and we were all very innocent back then...
G.
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G-
Comic fans in general are a pretty dedicated bunch. Like I was saying a lot of people who likes the comics aren't really into the tv series. Gold Key, the company who did DS, actually has it's own fandom. There's been various reprint volumes of their stuff coming out for years that have a fairly dedicated following.
What's wrong with Jeff Thompson's work? His articles in the Hermes volumes aren't bad.
I don't know for a fact that was the reason Gold Key axed the Willie character after 5 panels. Just a guess. Gold Key had a sterling reputation as a kid friendly publisher. They didn't have to display the comics code authority seal like the rest of the industry. It's kind of odd they took on DS--it was a fairly subversive book. Like the early episodes of the tv show,
Barnabas in the first couple of Gold Key books was a rather ruthless character, willing to murder innocent people to protect his secret. Julia too, was willing to ingage in morally questional behavior. Strange stuff to be presenting to kid comic book readers!
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zack your knowledge of and enthusiasm for the 'gold key' books is quite impressive...
that said i know and care very little for comic books so i guess i'm not really qualified to comment on them except to say that for me they don't do it. they're too silly and juvenile and i'm interested in them only as a piece of kitsch memorabilia. they're written from a completely adolescent sensibility. for me they don't remotely capture the mood and atmosphere of the series and it's the series i'm fond of. a few of the names are the same and the town is called collinsport but otherwise they could be another random comic series. nothing about them says DS to me. if you take the romance out of DS, which this series does, then it's just goofy. and IMHO the drawings are too wierd.
but like i said i'm not a comic enthusiast so other people's enjoyment of these is great. they're fun if nothing else and like the ross novels they're kind of a kick in their own right.
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Michael--I'd be hard pressed to really disagree with anything you say. I'd just add it's a perception thing. You could say the same about the tv series, and people do, it's silly and juvenile, the acting is bad, the writing is worse, ect, ect. Well sure, sometimes, but if you stop there you miss a lot.
I have little interest in the romantic aspects of DS. I don't care if I ever hear Josette's name again. My favorite plots would probably be 1897 and the first half of Leviathans. Different strokes!
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No offense to anyone posting in this topic, but, if the author of that article about the Gold Key comics thinks they're sometimes written better than the actual series, remind me if I should ever decide to become an addict to try to track down whatever he was smoking or whatever drug(s) he was on at the time he wrote that. [hall2_wink]
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MB- The writing in those books wasn't as shabby as one might assume. Most of the writers were anonymous but a couple of them were very big names, and wrote comics for other publishers that are now considered classics. People have pointed out that that some of the stories in the DS books are like blueprints for what could have been very interesting tv plots or DS movies. The early stories were very sincere and straightlaced but later in the series an element of parody creeped in and some of it reads almost like SNL skits. There was one book where Barnabas was being pursued by enemies and he riggged his coffin to spew deadly gas in case anyone opened it. Big larfs!
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A side note about romance in the DS comics, quite a few of them feature romantic elements. There's one book in the not yet released Hermes volume three that I'm looking forward to seeing digitally remastered. It concerns Barnabas trapped in an other worldly dimension where he falls in love with a dead ringer for Josette/ Victoria.
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Granted, I haven't read the Gold Key comics in years and years. Probably not since I first bought the issues back when they were originally released. But I remember being quite disappointed in them - in both the artwork and the storytelling.
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I think I actually tried to write Gold Key a letter when I was 8 or 9, pleading with them to make the series better. I used to look at the books about once every 4 or 5 years and mainly got disgusted with the bad ones. When the reprints starting coming out I was surprised at how many of them really hold up as little gems of great comic book storytelling. I just read that Hermes is also planning a 'Best Of' edition with 12 books included. I think their 12 best will differ from mine because my list would be comprised mainly of issues in the first 3 or 4 years and theirs will span the entire series. (You gotta encourage folks to buy 'em all!)
I also tried to read a couple of the Marilyn Ross books a few years ago and didn't think they were too bad. I liked them more as a kid but the Gothic romance novel is not really my area. But I do regard these things as more than kitsch memorabilia, Dark Shadows Ice Cream or bubblegum stickers. I look at Dark Shadows and specifically Barnabas as a literary figure along the lines of Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, or Dracula. Their stories have been told in lots of different formats and each one can have validity. I think the movie is going to be a very deviant version. I wish I knew Tim Burton so I could campaign to draw the graphic novelization!
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back to the new comic series has anyone picked up volume two yet?
i'm actually quite invested in this story. [hall2_shocked]
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Have you seen Volume 2? I didn't think it came out until the 23rd.
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no i haven't seen it yet.
i just can't wait to see what happens next...
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Another review: Dark Shadows #1 (http://www.comicsbulletin.com/main/reviews/dark-shadows-1)
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This is a minor gripe, but I thought I'd mention it.
In one panel of issue 1, Julia tells Barnabas, "I cured you once. I can do it again."
Um... no she didn't She never TRULY cured Barnabas. The closest her injections came to success was in 1897 when Angelique was administering them. The treatments HELPED, but I wouldn't say they ever fully cured Barnabas. Heck, when Barnabas reverts to vampire mode courtesy of Jeb in 1970, the injections don't really even work anymore.
I would have slightly rephrased Julia's line - "I nearly cured you once."
Just a nitpick.
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I watched 1897 again recently and unless I missed some key point, Barnabas was presented as being cured towards the end of the storyline. He could walk by day, was unafraid of crucifixes, etc. And Angelique may have administered the injections, but it was Julia's formula. Therefore, I think Julia would be well within her rights to say that she did indeed cure Barnabas once.
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Hmm, I could see that argument. It's just that I always figured Julia's "cures" were never permanent. I suspect, at some point, the injections would have worn off and Barnabas would have started to revert. Of course, that's merely conjecture on my part, but the nature of his curse is such that it always seems to reestablish itself somehow.
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This is getting very technical but here are my thoughts:
[spoiler](1) We may presume Julia's original 1967 formula would have worked, had Barnabas not forced her to accelerate the treatment.
(2) Lang's 1968 formula did work for a time, but it seems that the "destructive" cell in Barnabas' blood that kept him a vampire (according to Julia's original 1967 analysis) gradually developed immunity to that formula, hence Barn's fixed looks at Vicki's neck (one of my favorite scenes) and the howling of the dogs again.
(3) In 1897, Barnabas is still under Angelique's original curse. Julia is able to cure him with a "new, improved" formula (I still find it difficult to imagine how she was able to synthesize it given 1890s medical technology, especially the very low grade that would have been available in Collinsport). The final injections are administered by Angelique.
(4) In 1970, Barnabas becomes a vampire again, this time because of Jeb's Leviathan curse. That curse seems to have induced an even more virulent state of vampirism; Julia's attempt to cure Barnabas failed, and her formula actually intensified his cravings for blood.[/spoiler]
Beyond that it gets pretty confusing, but I do feel that Julia was in her rights to claim that she had cured Barnabas. It's unclear at the end of the 1840/1971 storyline whether Barn would have reverted to being a vampire again. That was what Sam Hall's notes stated, and I presume that a vampire Barnabas made a more attractive subject for the current comic book project than a cured Barnabas would have done.
G.
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i could be wrong but i believe that it was doctor lang, and NOT julia, who must be duly credited for barnabas' "cure" along with julia's help and a seven foot tall pile of dead weight storyline named adam.
the scene with barnabas' eyeing vicki's neck lustfully was before adam was extant i recall. it was shortly after barnabas began working with lang. early 68. and for the rest of the 68-69 "present day" episodes barnabas functioned almost as a normal man. even cassandra's "dream curse" didn't put the "bite" so to speak back in him. heck by the time of the quentin storyline, with vicki gone and liz and roger away much of the time, b almost acted as the show's default "moral compass".
b didn't "revert" until he i-chinged himself back into a time where...a.) adam was not extant and b). it was back in the timeline before barnabas' 1967 release so no treatment or cure had taken place.
when he returned from 1897 the "cure" is restored until jeb puts the curse back on him. so in effect it was a permanent cure in "the present" except when some outside force causes it to return. but julia didn't cure him.
actually i think that one of the reasons cassandra was 86'ed and brought back as "vampirelique" and tom jennings showing up was that for a very lengthy period of time what had become known and successful as a "vampire show" actively had no vampire. so the created a few out of the woodwork...and then we got the howling of the dogs going again.
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Barnabas bouncing back and forth between vampire and man was all fairly confusing (just try to explain it to someone...lol), but I would even credit Julia with the Lang cure since she was the one who actually performed the experiment that brought Adam to life. And it didn't go exactly as outlined by Dr. Lang, since only Adam with Barnabas' personality and, I guess, soul was supposed to survive. I suppose it's all in the way you look at it.
The 1897 cure was interesting because Barnabas was the one who insisted that Julia give him the treatments again. Obviously, he must have known that the 1967 cure would have worked if he hadn't thrown a monkey wrench into the proceedings with his impatience. You were the bungler that time, Barnabas. [hall2_grin]
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I watched the new DVD of Gargoyles (1972) tonight and couldn't help thinking it was too bad the artist for the comics didn't have access to some screen shots of Grayson in this as a model for Julia in the Fall of 1971. I thought the curly shag do Grayson had as Mrs. Parks took years off her face, and her figure hugging stylish white top with the silver belt made her look great.
There was an old thread with some screen captures but I guess it is no longer available since a search for "Gargoyles" on the site search engine turned up "no pages." Check the movie out if you haven't seen it and are a Grayson Hall fan.
G.
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The screen capture in this post is definitely still available:
...
For those of you who might not have the DVD, here's a capture from the closing credits:
If there are others featuring captures from the Gargoyles DVD, I don't honestly remember them. But if you remember some other than that one, I'll do my best to track them down. [hall2_smiley] Unfortunately, though, when it comes to older posts there's no guarantee that the original poster still has the captures stored in the Web space they'd originally uploaded them to. [hall2_sad] But rarely is anything that's ever been uploaded completely gone. There still may be a way to track it down in some online archive...
But getting back on topic, has anyone received their copy of issue #2? I haven't even received an e-mail to tell me that my copy has been sent out...
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Thanks for that link, MB. I wonder why the post didn't come up when I ran the search?
Heather had posted some captures a few years back, including ones from the scene where Mrs. Parks (Grayson's character) dashes terrified into the sheriff's office and makes a beeline for the drawer with the bottle of whiskey (or scotch or whatever it is)... this movie really illustrates how brilliantly Grayson could have done comedy. But you're right, the captures may no longer be in that post if the hosting space is no longer available.
I thought issue 2 was supposed to come out last Wed. but I called my local shop and it had not come in. Since issue 1 was delayed by several weeks I wonder if the same may not happen with issue 2? I just checked the page for the mag on Dynamite's site and it now shows as "available soon!" At this rate, no way is issue #4 going to be made available in "January 2012" as stated on the site...
G.
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apparently new comics come out on wednesdays. you learn something new every day...
but the comic shops in new york don't have it yet either. maybe next wednesday. [hall2_wink]
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Midtown comics had it; that's where I bought mine. They have a couple of locations. If they happen to be out of it, they will track it down for you. They also have a pretty good web site if you would prefer to order online. And they open at 8am on Wednesday on new comic day
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I'm honestly very glad for you, Uncle Roger - but it's certainly interesting that you've already purchased your copy of issue #2 when I still haven't even gotten an e-mail that mine has shipped. [hall2_undecided] Though I'm sure the e-mail and the issue will arrive eventually...
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I still haven't even gotten an e-mail that mine has shipped. [hall2_undecided]
I wouldn't worry about that, MB. My local comic store just told me that they haven't received any yet, but as you said, it will happen eventually.
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Coverart & story synopsis for issue #5!:
http://www.tfaw.com/Comics/Profile/Dark-Shadows-5___398221
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But on the issue #2, at TFAW.com under my pending preorders, it lists it as arrving December 28th, while #3 comes in December 14! [confused2] Don't know if that's a typo & they meant November 28th or their shipment is being delayed.. But I guess I'll get it, when I get it.
On the bright side, about a week ago, I received an email saying that because I had preordered issue #1, I had become one of 10 people chosen to win a three-issue set of Dark Shadows #1, that included each different cover! Weird, I never win anything! Nor did I know I was entered into anything.
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It would be odd, indeed, if issue #2 comes out two weeks after issue #3. Though who knows? And who knows if issue #3 is even still on schedule for December 14th? But I'm quite pleased with what I've seen so far, so whatever happens, the wait will probably be worth it.
I love the cover for #5. I wonder who the woman and the people from Barnabas' past will turn out to be? Though at the rate issues are coming out, we might not find out until sometime in the summer. [hall2_wink]
Thanks for all the info, Sara. [hall2_smiley]
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Sara Monster, congrats on your win! Free stuff is always good.
What comprises a 3-issue set of DS #1?
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Oh, thank you Midnite! [hall2_smiley]
It's suppose to be the standard and two variant covers of the issue.
But I'll won't believe I actually won anything until I see it.
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OMG, Sara - I just read the image in your SIG! I love it! [lghy]
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Ah, thanks! [hall2_grin]
Have you ever seen any of my other 'Bingee Shadows'?
http://www.collinsport.sarawebsite.com/misc/blingeeshadows.html
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My local comic store's e-newsletter does not have DS listed in this week's (meaning today's) expected shipment. So I won't bother to cruise in until someone can say when DS #2 comes out.
And Sara, your Blingee creations are fantastic!
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I really enjoyed the first issue and anxiously await the other new one. I love the storyline. I love that they are using a bit of storylines that may have been presented on the show. :) It is so great to see all this DS stuff coming to fruition!
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Midnite, me foine lassy -- my comic shop provider informed me that #2 is expected on December 21st!
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Wow. I wonder whether we can expect each issue to be spaced 7 to 8 weeks apart?
Thanks, Nicky!
G.
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@Saramonster - I LOVED the one you did of Barnabas with the Muppets. That was great!
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my comic shop provider informed me that #2 is expected on December 21st!
Thank you, baby!
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I wonder whether we can expect each issue to be spaced 7 to 8 weeks apart?
If so, as I joked the other day, that would take the release of issue #5 into summer. And here I thought I was only joking at the time. [santa_undecided]
Thanks also, Nicky!
And, Sara, I did finally get the chance to check out the first 5 pages of your other Bingee Shadows, and I'm still laughing over Stokes in a sombrero, Julia thinking about her relationship with Barn as that of Twilight's Edward and Bella (as if), Josette as played by Farrah Fawcett, Willie's warning to Quentin, and Julia as Catwoman! [santa_grin] I'll definitely have to check out the rest when I get a chance. [santa_wink]
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I finally got a copy of issue #1 today, and definitely found it interesting. [spoiler] The way Angelique was presented (as the floating banshee), in my opinion is absolutely 1991; I heard Lysette Anthony's French accent reading those lines, not Lara Parker at all. Actually, I hated that part of the 1991 series, primarily because her lips didn't move, she was just floating there with her voice in the background. Anyway I also felt that her apparent control of Julia at the end was very reminicent of the 1991 plot. I know many fans always imagined this sort of Angelique coming back, but after they spent so much time in 1897, leviathins, and then 1840 humanizing her, it just feels strange to me. And so different, for example, to the dream Angelique made Barnabas have to warn him about the dream curse, which created horror through dialogue.
I like Michael's idea about Laura making a return. Maybe she was the one who attacked Carolyn, ala 1897 when she needed to absorb people's energy to stay alive. Then again, the idea of another vampire sort of reminds me of in 1968 when Nicholas cast a spell to make Barnabas (and Julia) think that he was the one attacking people when in fact it was Tom Jennings. [/spoiler]
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Interesting points, bat.
[spoiler]The "floating Angelique" motif actually reminded *me* of Joe Certa and Gold Key comics... this floating, cachinnating apparition of Angelique featured in several of those mags. When I finally got to see the 1991 episodes in which use was made of this motif, it seemed more like an echo of the Gold Key books even though a hovering, gloating phantasm of Angelique was seen a couple of times in 1795.[/spoiler]
It's odd to think of the Gold Key books having such persistent influence... but then again, until we heard from a fan of those comics earlier on here, I was completely unaware that the Gold Key comics had their own very loyal and dedicated fandom. Perhaps some of those fans wrote letters to Dan Curtis and he turned to some of the comics when preparing the 1991 series...
G.
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You may be right, Gothick. We know Dan Curtis did make a concious effort to recreate a lot of imagery from past incarnations of DS for 1991, so he may have used the gold key series as an inspiration for that motif. I guess the ghost of Angelique in NODS did a bit of flying around too, but not the same as we see here.
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So, is anyone taking bets that issue #2 will actually come out tomorrow? As of yet I haven't received an e-mail to say that my issue shipped - and last time around I had heard by this time. And my credit card hasn't been charged yet. But there is still time for both of those things to happen...
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TFAW hasn't sent mine out yet either. Charmed has shipped but no DS....we will see. I wonder if they are going to use different artists. Some of the paintings are great and look just like looks the actors.
I love the storyline so far. I wonder if they will address things such a Roxanne Drew, etc.
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Charmed has shipped but no DS....we will see.
That's interesting. One would think they would have shipped both in the same envelope to save themselves postage. But who knows? And as you say, we will see...
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I stopped by my local shop this afternoon to ask them to hold a copy of issue 2 for me. The guy said that according to the list they have received, they are getting three copies of that issue.
I may or may not be able to swing by and collect it tomorrow or Thurs. I leave town for a few days on Friday--flying down to Fla. to visit my elderly parents in their retirement community.
If I do get it I will report here.
G.
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My comic store lists DS #2 in tomorrow's shipment, yay!
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Thanks for the kind words, Midnite, VictoriaWinters & Mysterious Benefactor! [santa_smiley]
Got a notice that the TFAW shop will be sending a shipment 'soon' (which I believe is a few days, in their view), which will consist of issue #2. Oddly enough, they still have #3 as 'arriving' December 14th, but as long as I get it eventually, I'll be happy. I sorta wanted to read 2 before 3 anyway!
For those looking for it elsewhere, there are abunch of them listed on eBay for sale:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Comics-/63/i.html?_nkw=dark+shadows+2&_catref=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m1538
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Also, just found this:
http://dynamite.net/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?PRO=C725130181879#previewImages
Some preview pages of #2.
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Thanks so much for the link to the preview pages, Sara! [santa_smiley] Quentin fans should be happy because most of the panels do indeed resemble Selby - some quite well.
I haven't heard a peep about my issue yet - but there's still plenty of day left for it to ship and for them to e-mail me. Though one thing I do find fascinating is that supposedly those sellers on eBay have copies of issue #2 (or at least claim to have copies), yet Dynamite's own Web site says that issue #2 "is not currently in-stock and we are waiting to receive that item." What's wrong with that picture? Or perhaps it's simply a case that they've already mailed out all the issues they had. Though the friend I mentioned back in November who couldn't order through TFAW because were already out of stock ordered through Dynamite - and he hasn't heard a peep out of them. Has anyone here ordered through Dynamite's site? And if so, have you heard from them?
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Wow. You mean Quentin isn't played by Engelbert Humperdinck in this version? ? Guess I will have to look elsewhere for my Tasmanian Devil this Yule *wink*.
Apologies to people under 40 who haven't a clue what I'm nattering on about...
G.
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Wow. You mean Quentin isn't played by Engelbert Humperdinck in this version? ? Guess I will have to look elsewhere for my Tasmanian Devil this Yule *wink*.
Well, eBay is selling all sorts of Gold Key DS comics - perhaps you can find Tasmanian Quentin there. [santa_cheesy]
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So, has anyone gotten their hands on a copy of issue #2?
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i just got mine home. other than a quick skim on the subway i haven't really dove in.
i will say i'm glad i called 'forbidden planet' early this morning and had them put one aside for me. when i went into the store to pick it up there was only ONE copy left on the rack. i suppose there could have been more in the stockroom but still it seems to be doing quite well.
more deets later...
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Picked up mine -- the only one at the comic shop! I've read it through twice ... a LOT happened. I feel like I missed an issue, story-wise. I actually checked, just to make sure, but -- nope! It's only #2.
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Well, imagine my shock when I just discovered issue #2 in my mail - without any e-mail to say it had even shipped, which it did on the 20th. Apparently I must have checked my credit card too early. And what's really interesting is that the shipment was even more protected than the first one - it came in a plastic bag with a cardboard, in a stiff envelope with a cardboard, in another stiff envelope with a cardboard. Obviously they wanted to stress that it should not be bent. But I'm not about to complain about the overkill. [santa_wink]
The only complaint I might have is that I didn't get the cover I was hoping for. I received Francesco Francavilla's cover A (Barnabas inside the hand) rather than Aaron Campbell's cover B (Barnabas standing next to his portrait). But hey - I'm not about to complain - I can live with it. [santa_smiley]
Now to read the issue...
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Turns out my copy WAS shipped yesterday. Crossing my fingers I'll get it to read for Christmas. [8_2_73]
Also, Dynamite has the cover & description up for #6! :
http://dynamite.net/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?CAT=DF-Dark_Shadows
The art for the covers continue to be just awesome, imo. I especially like the alternate one for #4, shown on the left side of http://dynamite.net/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?PRO=C72513018398900411
& for anyone hoping to pick up the first few issues cheaply, the first trade paperback is due out in March! http://dynamite.net/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?PRO=C160690275X
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I picked it up and just finished my first read-through of the mag. I have to say I am not all that thrilled with the direction the story is taking. The art also had definite dodgy moments in this installment.
I'm guessing we won't see issue 3 till sometime in Feb.
cheers, G.
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yeah it's not exactly what i was expecting storywise either however...
[spoiler]never has a piece of needlepoint looked quite so forboding![/spoiler]
i still have high hopes for the series.
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It's definitely kind of off...
[spoiler]I mean, is it really that exciting that Angelique returns for the 13th time? I really hope in the next issue that the more normal Angelique returns and that the Collins family remembers her for what they knew her to be--like the wealthy housewife of Sky Rumson or Roger's wife (polygamy...) I'd expect Quentin in particular not to be hysterical but, holding a drink in his hand, to take the view that so what if Angelique wanted to come back again (certainly the first time he summoned her in 1897 it began with horror and ended with wit.) I'm still not sure if he turned into the werewolf spectrally inside his own mind or in physical form. If it was inside his mind, that is interesting. [/spoiler]
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I too am slightly disappointed with this issue.
Though the art of Frid improved dramatically, and Selby is very well done throughout, neither the art nor the story were as compelling as in the first issue.
[spoiler]The problem begins on the second page with the text, more specifically Roger's dialogue:
"Don't act innocent with me, boy. You've played your last prank."
The first thing that struck me with this dialogue was the fact that I could never recall Roger calling David "boy" when addressing him. Perhaps he did, but it didn't sound very much like something Louis Edmonds would say as Roger. The dialogue gets weaker from that point on, with Elizabeth doing a lot of worrying and whining. While she did do a little of this on the original show, it was nowhere near the extent that we get in these pages. The weak dialogue continues on the third page with Barnabas proclaiming to Julia, "Good God... I think you may be right." It just doesn't sound like Barnabas. These are just a few examples where the dialogue and characters are compromised to move the story along. After all, this is a comic book, and this is how comic characters speak. But it's not how these characters speak, at least not in the first issue or in the series. I really would have liked to have seen the more realistic dialogue from Issue 1 continue - even if its meant delaying the progression of the story.
Fortunately, we get a lot more Quentin in this issue. And his dialogue is believable. You can hear Selby saying these things, though I don't think we'd ever get such diverse extremes from the Quentin character on a traditional episode of the show. This Quentin seems to be a materialization of all of the previous incarnations of the character (to the extreme). But that is okay, as Quentin is really enjoyable when he is very angry or very sardonic. I am just not used to both extremes happening within a few moments of each other.
The highlight of the comic comes when we have the werewolf transformation. It is just beautifully done, and the image of werewolf is really amazing. Like tragic bat points out, we don't know if this transformation actually happened, and that makes it all the more amazing in my mind.
Over all, there was a little too much going on for the amount of pages we had - and the fact that the whole family was in on this seemed to be a bit of a sellout. Why did they all have to share the same dark secret? Why couldn't they each have had their own, secrets that would be revealed over time? It almost read like a Leviathan story sent into overdrive. It seemed rushed, and the final payoff really wasn't all that rewarding. I just hope that now that Angelique is back, it will return to the style of storytelling we saw in Issue 1, the much stronger, more consistent, character-driven narration. And that this series does not give into the traditional comic format and continues to try and mimic, as much as possible, the feel of the original series through well-paced storytelling and strong dialogue for the characters.
Don't get me wrong, I still very much enjoyed this issue, and am definitely devoted to this series. I just felt a little let down after an amazing first issue. I am going to continue to invest in this continuation of the original series, as I feel it has the potential to be the closest thing we'll ever get to a direct sequel - plus the artwork of Collinwood alone is worth the 3.99 price tag!
[/spoiler]
Final thoughts:
In this issue, the bartender resembles Don Briscoe, doesn't he?
I may have missed this earlier, but the first four issues are being collected in this: http://dynamite.net/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?PRO=C160690275X
And it's touting the fact that the comic book source is now a major motion picture! Exciting, no? [8_2_59]
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I am still waiting for mine. I am glad I am not the only one who is a little disappointed by the art. Again though, I am spoiled by the amazing art from Charmed. The likeness of the girls are dead on. In DS case they didn't have to get permission, but before the comic of Charmed came out it was announced that they had to ask the girls for permission to use their likeness. I found that interesting considering Charmed was already owned by Paramount and it seemed they would own their likeness from Charmed. There must have been a likeness clause or something. Charmed could never use Shannen Doherty's likeness or show her in flashbacks (after she left) because she had some kind of image clause in her contract.
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I'm sure that in this present age of pop culture being immortal, most actors' contracts provide for as much control and compensation over images as their lawyers are able to get from the producers. Back in the day of the original DS, nobody in their wildest dreams thought there would be the kind of continued (and spin-off) life that we witness today.
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Received both of mine today, "The Hand" and "The Portrait" covers, woo-hoo!!!! [8_2_59]
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I can't wait to get mine and thanks for the explanation about likenesses. Side note about Charmed: Shannen Doherty once again has denied her fans the right to her likeness in her comics. She did the same thing with the show and they couldn't even show a picture of her in the final montage that showed all the family photos hanging on the walls of the staircase. I really think she is still bitter bitter; however she is alienating a lot of her fans. They would have been so happy to see her again in the comics. I do the like the storyline they are doing though to work around it. Sorry for getting off topic....
I hope I do like the new comic. I am hearing some people say they are not liking the way the story is going. Maybe if this story wasn't they could the next one would be better. Getting back to Charmed, it took them a couple eps to get the into the groove and now it's so so good. It's like having to wait for new ep and almost drives you crazy!
I have been reading some old DS material that claims that the DS actors get residuals, and then KLS said at DC memorial they still got them. I was surprised that they even got residuals and that anyone would have thought to have that in a contract. I guess as you said though in those days images were not anything someone would have thought about.
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[spoiler]I mean, is it really that exciting that Angelique returns for the 13th time? I really hope in the next issue that the more normal Angelique returns and that the Collins family remembers her for what they knew her to be--like the wealthy housewife of Sky Rumson or Roger's wife (polygamy...)[/spoiler]
interesting observation about angelique here...
[spoiler]she does turn up like a bad penny every three or four months when the storyline/time period changes. i'm surprised they're not like "oh, it's you again. what do you want this time?".[/spoiler]
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TFAW.com finally updated their release date of issue #3 to January 25, so maybe we might be seeing it next week.
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1/25 is the date my comic shop guy gave me, and he's been right the past two times ...
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Glad to hear it, Nicky and Sara Monster!
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Excellent news. Thanks for the heads up. [snow_smiley]
And, SaraMonster, I love the new Blingee in your sig. [snow_laugh] And I really love your new avatar! [thumb]
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Thank you, Mysterious Benefactor! [snow_smiley]
& I'm rather thrilled that we can have animated avatars again!
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So, has anyone gotten their hands on #3 yet?
Yesterday I received an e-mail from TFAW that they would be shipping my issue, but so far nothing to confirm that it has shipped. But then, last time I didn't receive any e-mail at all, so for all I know it could show up in my mailbox tomorrow...
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It really did come out today, my comic shop guy swears it ... he just lost the one issue he got in. Sigh. He's reordered it, so he thinks it should be in by next Wednesday ... or the Wednesday after that ...
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Got mine! I have only read the first three pages. And I have to say, the art is phenomenal. Lara Parker and Jonathan Frid look great in these early pages! We will see how they look throughout the rest of the book.
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amazingly the store where i purchased the first two issues(forbidden planet new york)sold out of volume three...and they just received it this morning! the clerk said that since the movie has been picking up steam in terms of publicity interest in the comic has skyrocketed.
luckily midtown comic still had it. i haven't really read it yet. more thoughts tomorrow.
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It seems to be taking A LOT from the new movie if we are to believe some of the spoilers...
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really?
i'm not getting that from it at all. [snow_undecided]
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Well first there was the long-fingered Barnabas and now we have a... (Purported movie spoiler ahead: )
[spoiler]Flying Angelique![/spoiler]
Having now finished this comic, though, I must say it is going in an interesting direction.
The art of Parker changes throughout the book. After the first few pages, the artist adopts a new look for her, and it's strangely modern, as in 2000s modern. It seems out of place for the 1970s. The art reminds me of Michelle Pfeiffer in a couple of the panels. Too much 2012 invading my mind! [snow_silly]
The art of Hall, Frid, and everyone else, though, is very strong.
Now for my thoughts on the story...
It is written better than the second installment. The plot isn't groundbreaking. Didn't Angelique do this (Comic and PT spolier: )[spoiler]sucking life out of people[/spoiler] thing in PT? All in all, I had no issues with this issue. (Punny!) I would have liked to have seen the story go in another direction, but it is what it is. There are lots of elements taken from the OS, and that is good.
[spoiler]I am frankly tired of the main family being seen as a collective, though. They are not a singular unit. They are what make up the whole of Dark Shadows. I hope they get their own stories as this series continues.
It is nice to see Carolyn get a big piece of the action. It's refreshing to see her in a large capacity. In fact, she is the only character I really care about at this point. I am intrigued by Angelique, but Barnabas just isn't doing it for me nor is anyone else. So, as long as the story focuses on Carolyn and Angelique, I think we'll be in good hands. Maybe I will start to care about the other characters when they have more plot.
I am upset that Jack was killed off. Even though, in this issue he looked like Craig Slocum more than Don Briscoe or Roger Davis, I still got attached to him as a character. It seems that a lot of throw-away characters are being introduced. It would be nice to see some familiar faces, like Kate Jackson or KLS or Alexandra Moltke, make a return, so we aren't just getting people who come and go with each issue. [/spoiler]
In the end, I am still dedicated to this series. I think it's a great effort. I am glad it is going well... I just don't want the rise in popularity to thwart the OS-feeling that was really captured in the first issue.
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I picked it up at New England Comics on my lunch break. The fact that I looked at a few pages and then set it aside and still haven't picked it up again tells you just how intrigued I am by it all. Nonetheless, this number thus far seems a huge improvement upon the previous one--the art seems sharper, and there is a little less of that "Superwitch" nonsense with Angelique (though it's still there as a plot device). I could rant about how much the whole Superwitch bugs me in various DS spinoffs, but does anyone really care what I think?
It's an odd little book. You almost think they've got it, and then there's some really dumb blunder in the writing or artwork. I think new, younger fans will enjoy it more than us old Collinwood hands.
g.
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Well for those (like me) who haven't gotten it yet, there are some preview pages up for issue 3:
http://dynamite.net/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?PRO=C118398#previewImages
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TFAW has the plot outline (but not the image, yet) for issue 7 up:
http://www.tfaw.com/Profile/Dark-Shadows-7___401447
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You'd think Dynamite would have adjusted their release schedule by now. Unless the issues are going to start coming out sooner than a month apart, there's no way #7 is going be out on April 25th.
Thanks for the links, Sara. [snow_smiley]
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A mythological note for the curious:
[spoiler] When Angelique is toying with her victims in the Blue Whale, the jukebox is playing a song whose lyrics are from an ancient Sumerian hymn describing the Descent of Inanna (aka Ishtar), ancient Goddess of Love and War, to the Netherworld (that's Hell, to you Christians out there). The Netherworld was ruled by Her Sister Ereshkigal. I wonder whether this is meant to be a hint that this "Angelique" isn't really the Angelique we know at all, but some other being taking the form of Angelique.
It seems really un-DS, but is still what I regard as the coolest thing that happens in the book.[/spoiler]
G.
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A mythological note for the curious:
I looked this up, G. I was really curious about it. And you are right. It seemed very out of place in the DS-universe we all know. But, like you, I found it enjoyable.
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one thing about this series that is starting to disappoint me is that...
[spoiler]like many variations on the series it's looking increasingly like elizabeth,roger and david are just part of an establishing presence. they're not involved in the plot. it's starting to very much resemble "the adventures of barnabas and quentin". a popular pairing which nonetheless bores me to tears. in that it's reminding me of the gold key comics or the later ross novels. and really, so angelique shows up again for the twentieth time. so what.[/spoiler]
also i really dislike the drawings of angelique in a pink sleeveless dress. visually it doesn't coordinate well with the darker, more 70's look of the rest of the book.
this is only a 4 dollar investment so i don't mind shelling out but unfortunately my interest is starting to drift. this happened with the audiodramas as well. i'm thinking that stuart manning and i have very different sensibilities and wants from DS.
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the plot outline for volume 7 sounds really creepy and gross. [snow_sick2] [snow_sick2]
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I'm only buying them for sh&ts and giggles at this point. I doubt whether I will continue past the end of the current arc.
If I hear about a Laura Collins story with different artists and writers, I might check that out. Somewhere down the line.
cheers, G.
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indeed.
at first it felt like the feeling of the OS had been captured. now it's drifting into standard adolescent, comic book fare.
kind of a let down. [snow_undecided]
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Looks like we all share the same complaints. That is telling...
But Laura has to figure in somewhere. The [spoiler]rampant pyromania [/spoiler] thing was probably the best teaser in the whole series. And it hasn't come to anything yet. Like I said before and michael c said, there are three characters here in search of a story. If they have one, this could be terrific.
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i'm not sure but there might be issues of royalties and legalities in using a living person's likeness.
obviously joan, louis and grayson are deceased. jonathan, lara, nancy and david selby are all actively involved in continued DS related activity so they might have granted their permission to use their likenesses and might be receiving some compensation for that.
in terms of someone like kate or alexandra being depicted, who are not really involved in current DS related projects, who knows if they'd grant the publishers permission to use their likenesses. still it would be nice to see them as well as laura in future issues.
even though maggie had been sent off to windcliff at the end of the series i'm rather surprised, given KLS's shall we say "enthusiasm" for maximizing her association with the series, that the character has not turned up. we'll see. [snow_wink]
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I hadn't recognized that from the Sumerian text, so I'm glad for the tipoff. Unfortunately, that is about the only interesting thing in this issue. They seem to have really captured the character of Carolyn well, but everything else is typical comic book fare and not really very beleivable as a continuation of the series.
[spoiler] If Angelique has to depend on putting most of the Collins family into a trance and running around as a PT-esque sucubus then obviously she shouldn't have bothered because she won't last very long. But I resented hearing the cartoonish "hero/villian" banter between Barnabas and Angelique. An obvious and predictable outcome doesn't really compel me to keep reading. [/spoiler]
While I share the interest in a Laura story, I definitely don't want it told in the bombastic, adolescent style that the return of Angelique is being couched in. But anyway, from what I've read they have a bent towards the characters that are in the Depp film, so it would seem that Viki would be the most likely to be brought in, though she might look like Bella Heathcote if Alexandra says no.
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Hi Tragic Bat, I totally agree. For me, the most disappointing episode in the latest installment was the scene between Angelique and Julia. There were only a few of those in the original series and they were always exceptionally sharp and well-written. This one was a really deflating non-event.
G.
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Yes, their scene together was really flat and empty, despite all they could have said given their past experiences. It occured to me today that this is exactly the type of storyline that Lara Parker and Jonathan Frid averted when they demanded new characters, and thus the 1841 PT story came about which forced the show into a different direction.
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Possibly, tragic bat. But, after Angelique's life changed, I always envisioned the two of them becoming allies and helping each other in their missions. Yes, there would still be tension, but with KLS gone, I'd imagine that they would have less to quibble about. Sure there will always be another Roxanne or something, but I think the writers would have been wise to realize that the Angelique/Barnabas battle needed a rest, at least for a year... Then again, you are probably right, and they wouldn't have come to that realization at all. [snowball]
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I was also disappointed in the latest issue. Angelique's dialogue and interactions struck me as particularly out of character.
The first issue was promising so I'll try to keep an open mind and see how the next few issues pan out.
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Time for Classic Vampires! Dark Shadows #7 Cover (http://pulpsunday.blogspot.com/2012/01/time-for-classic-vampires-dark-shadows.html)
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Time for Classic Vampires! Dark Shadows #7 Cover (http://pulpsunday.blogspot.com/2012/01/time-for-classic-vampires-dark-shadows.html)
Beautiful.
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i guess barnabas is the very official "face" of this series.
is no one else to get a cover?
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If you mean will anyone ever get a cover without Barnabas somehow also represented on it, probably not considering the way the covers for this series seem to be going. Though the cover for #6 seems to simply feature his eyes with another, presumably new character primarily featured. But I suppose that featuring a new character rather than one that's already well established, like Julia, Quentin, Carolyn, etc., could seem like a slap in the face to any fans hoping to see them get their due on a cover.
Interestingly, the covers for the comics based on the '91 Series didn't always feature Barnabas. But of course that's a totally different comic series with totally different artists, writers and stories, and from a totally different company...
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I may be in the minority here but I quite enjoyed this issue. This Angelique is not the same as Mrs. Rumson or the Angelique that we saw in 1840. She's changed. A century or so in hell may have done that. Perhaps that will be explained later on. Loved the depiction of Carolyn. Earlier it seemed that she was the victim. Neat twist that she--not Julia--was the only one who attempted to resist Angelique.
There is a large cast of characters right now but I hope that future story arcs show what happened to the Jennings family, Vicki, Hallie and Maggie. I would especially welcome a Maggie story. Even though Nicholas didn't complete the black mass that he was performing, what, if any, were the consequences for Maggie?
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Loved the depiction of Carolyn. Earlier it seemed that she was the victim. Neat twist that she--not Julia--was the only one who attempted to resist Angelique.
You're definitely not alone in enjoying Carolyn's part in the plot because I've been finding it quite engaging. It's too bad, though, that[spoiler]the bartender guy got killed off. But then Carolyn doesn't have a good track record with men who seem to like her. Then again, she doesn't have a good track record with any men. [snow_wink][/spoiler]
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I enjoyed it too -- hey, it's Angelique! I'm always glad to see her! -- I just feel like it's moving SUPER quickly. How about we get to know [spoiler]the bartender guy a bit before they kill him off?[/spoiler]
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True. And I would have liked that because I was enjoying[spoiler]his interaction with Carolyn. But I suppose he was only conceived as a slightly more glorified character than characters like Nelle Gunston, Aldon Wicks, Fred, Hortense, and Stella of the original series whose sole purpose seems to have been to be introduced and then killed off quickly without ever really learning much about them.[/spoiler]
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That's fair.
Who's for the ghost of Nelle Gunston coming back?
...anyone?
Anyone?
(For the record, I always thought she was pretty cool ...)
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I enjoyed her character, too. But then I enjoyed all of Elizabeth Eis' characters. [snow_smiley]
Speaking of the comics, does anyone think issue #4 might come out February 22nd? That's when issue #5 was originally slated for release, though we certainly know it won't be out then. But the odd thing is that I just checked Things From Another World to see when they say #4 should come out, and they're listing June 27th now! Can that be right? I know the issues have been being delayed - but that long?!
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Smaller comic book companies sometimes have extremely erratic shipping schedules. I remember having two birthdays between the first and second issues of Ms. Mystic which supposed to be a monthly comic. Still no word on #3.
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Not that I thought issue #4 had come out today, but I know that it definitely didn't come out today because tonight I received an e-mail from Dynamite Entertainment that contained a list of their comics that did come out today and DS isn't on it. Though issue #4 is mentioned in the e-mail - but only as a title that's "coming soon." So for the fun of it I checked their Web site, but all it says is that issue #4 is "available soon" - but then it also says the exact same thing for issue #5 - so saying "available soon" is really no indication whatsoever...
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Cover & description of issue #8:
http://geek-news.mtv.com/2012/02/23/first-look-dark-shadows-8/
..hitting stores in May 2012
Yeah, right. [bored]
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Thanks for the the link to the cover art for issue #8, Sara. Intriguing.
And, yeah, there's no way it will be out in May. If issue #4 really doesn't come out until June, heavens knows when we'll see issue #8...
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Theoretically (note: theoretically), there is a compilation from Dynamite of the first four issues of the comic due in time for the movie.
Publication Date: April 3, 2012 | Series: Dark Shadows
Television''s original reluctant vampire is back! Barnabas Collins is re-adjusting to life under his vampiric curse. Haunted by terrifying dreams of his age-old lover and nemesis, Angelique, and fighting his bloodlust, Barnabas fears that danger lies ahead for all who live at Collinwood. Meanwhile, Barnabas'' ally and trusted friend Dr. Julia Hoffman is harboring secrets of her own... Collecting the first four issues of Dynamite''s Dark Shadows series, along with a complete cover gallery!
The cover says, "Now a major motion picture!"
If the fourth issue isn't out by April, seems a bit preemptive to me ...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/160690275X/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d11_g14_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=1T9PCSBEZ0HCW1SHMTT7&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/160690275X/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d11_g14_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=1T9PCSBEZ0HCW1SHMTT7&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846)
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Wait a minute. The first arc is supposed to run from issues one to six. Why on Earth would they do a collection of just the first four?
If they do, presumably it will be a limited-run tie-in collectible related to the movie release.
G.
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I think the first arc is only 1-4 ....
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My comic shop guy, who has been reliable thus far, says that Dark Shadows #4 will be released in two weeks ... I'm assuming that means Wednesday, March 7th.
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We can only hope it's then and not in June, which seems totally ridiculous. And the fact that he's been spot on with everything else he's said actually gives me more than hope. [snow_wink]
Thanks so much for the update, Nicky. [snow_smiley]
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So, did anyone get their hands on a copy of issue #4 today? I haven't heard a peep out of Things From Another World - but then I didn't hear a peep out of them when it came to issue #2, so that may mean nothing. But their Web site is still listing June 27th. And Dynamite's own Web site is still only saying "available soon," just as it does for issue #5 and now also issue #6.
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I should have waited a few minutes because I just received an e-mail from Dynamite. Issue #4 did not come out today, and it's still listed in the "Coming Soon" section - so who knows...
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Comic Shop Guy claims next Wednesday.
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And he may not have been wrong with what he first said because his list may have indeed shown issue #4 for today. But if it did, apparently the release date was changed again.
I guess we'll see what develops next week...
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Just checked my 'Pending Pre-Orders' from TFAW.com, they FINALLY updated the 'Arrives' date of #4 to 3/14/12.
Anyone keeping track of when each issue has actually come out? Seems like it's atleast 5-6 weeks between each issue, so I guess we should just ignore the dates they give & just expect them to be released about that often.
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My comic shop guy said that, since Dynamite is a small press, they can basically do whatever they want. Which I guess means not having hard and fast release dates ...
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Checking back through this topic, the release dates have been:
Issue #1 - November 2nd
Issue #2 - December 21st (7 weeks later)
Issue #3 - January 25th (5 weeks later)
Issue #4 - Apparently March 14th (7 weeks later)
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Thanks for that info, Mysterious Benefactor!
There hasn't been too much mentioned about the trade paperback still set to be released on April 4th, but I just noticed it's on sale at Amazon for $11.55 (free shipping if you spent over $25).
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I just read the issue, and wow what a bunch of immature cheap horror cheese, and totally out of continuity with the original series.
[spoiler]I thought the Angelique plot would have gone on longer; what the hell was the point in the first place? I thought both the writing and the drawing declined significantly in quality this issue; from the first page when they actually described Angelique as a "magical, time-lost woman." Everyone's faces looked horrible. And I hated the ludicrous and stupid fights between Quentin and Barnabas, and the fact that they don't even bother to explain why now Quentin changes into the werewolf and can even speak and conciously control himself while he does so. None of the characters held themselves up in a dignified manner in this issue, they were all reduced to a bunch of exaggerated, hysterical, vulgar people with no wit. Just a bunch of ugly monsters fist-fighting down by the docks. I think I'll stop buying this series now. [/spoiler]
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Hmmm.... it all sounds reminiscent of the glory days of Joe Certa and Gold Key comics.
I have the current issue on hold at my comics shop, and would like to read to the end of the current arc--I thought it was supposed to continue through to issue 6, but maybe not?
The whole [spoiler]Quentin becoming a wolf thing in the last issue was just DUMB. I hope it gets explained at some point. I'm not all that optimistic though. [/spoiler]
Anyhow, Bat, thanks for the review.
Best, Gothick
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I was very disappointed in this past issue: the art was a significant let down, the dialogue didn't feel natural, and the plot twists strange and out of place. I enjoyed the first three issues, though, so I'll hold out hope ...
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[spoiler]they don't even bother to explain why now Quentin changes into the werewolf and can even speak and conciously control himself while he does so.[/spoiler]
That one is quite the head-scratcher.
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Hmmm.... it all sounds reminiscent of the glory days of Joe Certa and Gold Key comics.
I have the current issue on hold at my comics shop, and would like to read to the end of the current arc--I thought it was supposed to continue through to issue 6, but maybe not?
Yes, issue #4 perfectly captures the experience of reading the Gold Key comics. The Angelique arc may have originally been slated to go on for six issues (and they certainly could have done more, you'll see) but it definitely ends here, with the preview blurb for issue 5 describing a different story.
The issue with Quentin...
[spoiler]Really just throws reality out the window, as apparently Quentin even went all the way into Collinsport, into a public place in werewolf mode as if it was just perfectly normal and natural. Apparently it's not a curse in the comic, just a fun 'superpower' that Quentin has. [/spoiler]
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The issue with Quentin...
[spoiler]Apparently it's not a curse in the comic, just a fun 'superpower' that Quentin has. [/spoiler]
God, I think they may have been reading Anne Rice's new novel. (Which I liked, but found largely GOOFY AS ALL GET OUT.) I haven't read the comics yet, I was waiting for the graphic novel to be published, but it's frustrating when authors bend the "reality" of an established series to fit the story they wanted to tell. There was a problem, I thought, with this very issue in the second season of the Big Finish dramas.
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Jeez Louise! I grabbed the new issue today and opened it to see
[spoiler]Quentin in werewolf form talking to Barnabas [/spoiler]
I haven't read the rest yet, but based on the comments here the rest of the issue isn't much better.
Stuart? If you're reading this...um...why?? LOL. ;) I can only assume this was some sort of directive by Dynamite to evoke Gold Key nostalgia? I know you know the characters and feel of the show better than this, so I have to ask you what the deal was there.
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Wow, I finally sat down to look at issue four and it's ... wall-to-wall schlock is the best phrase I can come up with for it.
If the original issues 4 through 6 were combined into this one final issue that explains at least some of the ways in which the story fails. I don't know why they hired such a poor artist, and the colorist didn't even bother to check hair colors from earlier issues.
I wonder how long this mag will last. Fans of the new movie will be puzzled when they check it out and don't find any jokes...
G.
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with all the recent hoo-ha over the movie these little rags have fallen off the radar to some extent...
against my better judgement i picked up issue 4 today. these started out with a modicum of promise but have gotten stupider and stupider and stupider by the issue. this one's really hit the nadir.
i won't even attempt to get into the "plot" if that is what one can actually call the action that takes place between these pages. to call this adolescent would be too complimentary. a 10 year old would find them ridiculous.
what i'd like to ask the illustrator is why julia and carolyn and roger and quentin are all wearing the same green pantsuit?
really just pretty worthless junk. [snow_sick2]
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Yep. I tossed mine in the recycling bin 30 seconds after finishing with it.
I wouldn't put it under the catbox. I have more respect for my kitty than to subject her to that.
G.
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i tend to line the cat box the pages torn out of "the salem branch"...
maybe i'll use this next. [snow_sick2]
at least the old 'gold key' had a certain naive charm as stupid as they were. these have a pretentiousness and cynicism to them that makes them even more loathsome.
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Mine has been sitting at the comic shop for a week! I haven't been able to bring myself to go down and get it. I will pick it up tomorrow. Since all of you guys hate it, I hope that the one they got in for me has the Francavilla cover... If not, I'm going to be disappointed that I have to shell out the four bucks. I'd pay four bucks for the Francavilla cover alone. So let's hope. And let's hope that the next few issues improve!
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Interesting comparison, michael. I think you may have a point.
I am lol at your use of the Salem Branch. hee hee!
G.
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not that i actually care about these enough to try and square them with series continuity but...
[spoiler]after 1897 wasn't quentin no longer in the werewolf state?[/spoiler] [snow_sick2]
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[spoiler]Technically he was still a werewolf, but the portrait took the change instead of him. That's why (in the Leviathan episodes) Julia was in such a panic when she went to his hotel room the morning after a full moon and found it trashed and he was missing. If something were to happen to the portrait he'd be at the mercy of the curse again.[/spoiler]
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[spoiler] Yes, Quentin's 'Dorian Gray' portrait drained his werewolf curse from him, and also gave him eternal youth and immortality, allowing him to show up in 1970. Yet in the comic he is a talking werewolf who is still youthful and described as immortal, so it is completely inconsistent with how things worked on the show. [/spoiler]
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Just read the new issue.
How... did... this... happen?
[snow_strange]
There was no evidence in 1, 2, or 3 that the last issue would have such a sharp decline in quality. Did they just jump the shark? The art... The writing...
When Barnabas actually looks good (which is rare), he looks like Peter Falk... And, for the majority of the time, when he looks terrible, he is like some ugly caricature of some very ugly person.
And then we have the art of Quentin and Barnabas during their battles... How did this happen?
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sigh.
G.
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I was warned by someone in the comics biz that Dynamite cares more about cashing in on vintage brand names than about top quality product. Not sure how true that is, but based on the latest issue I don't doubt it. The art is rancid, and I have to imagine (since he knows better) that Stuart is being given these questionable plot points by the powers that be at Dynamite.
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I was warned by someone in the comics biz that Dynamite cares more about cashing in on vintage brand names than about top quality product. Not sure how true that is, but based on the latest issue I don't doubt it. The art is rancid, and I have to imagine (since he knows better) that Stuart is being given these questionable plot points by the powers that be at Dynamite.
I agree. Stuart's work on the first was exceptional. And nothing about the second or third gave any indication that the whole thing would end up like it did. Although I didn't like the second issue in comparison to the first, it is phenomenal when pitted against this latest addition. Like I said, I have no idea what happened, but if the rest of the series is going to be anything like this last issue, I'll probably throw in the towel on these - unless I really like the cover of a particular issue.
Number 5 has Stuart writing it, but there is a new artist. Then number 6 has a new author... Then the next issue maintains the new author but gets a new artist? I am so confused...
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My reaction to the latest issue has been a mix of WTF & So that's it?!, but I still have the next 4 issues preordered, so I guess I'll see how it goes.
And... the cover art & description for issue 9 is now up at TFAW:
http://www.tfaw.com/Profile/Dark-Shadows-9___404652
Covers: Francesco Francavilla Writer: Mike Raicht Artist: Guiu Vilanova The Children arc ends here! Who is the man known as Lockwood and what does he mean to Barnabas Collins? What about this mysterious man is forcing Barnabas to come face to face with the sins of his vampire nature? Will Barnabas be able to bury those sins for all eternity or will he, and his family, be consumed by his past once again?
So, this new story arc lasts 6 issues.
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So, this new story arc lasts 6 issues.
#5 through #9, 5 issues. [snow_wink]
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Know what's bad? I remember counting the issues (likely using my fingers, no doubt), getting the total, noting it was one more than the previous story arc, and then I type 6.
[snow_huh]
My brain & my typing fingers never seem to be working together.
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Totally understandable, Sara Monster (no pun intended). Thanks for the link!
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Just saw the reprint of the first four issues as part of a DS promotion at Barnes and Noble. I am somewhat surprised that it came out so promptly, given the erratic scheduling of the regular book. It's reasonably priced, $16.99. There are reproductions of the bonus covers and some extras from Aaron Campbell. Nothing from Stuart though.
Seeing all four issues together is quite interesting. #4 is nowhere near as good as the others. The art is off, way, way off. My guess is that Dynamite wanted the story finished so this collection could be out to benefit from buzz about the movie. It just seems like editorial interference to me.
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Well Dynamite made a huge mistake, because that issue turned me off so much that I don't want to buy anymore. In fact, I am waiting to hear other people's ideas on the next one before I even consider picking it up. Issue 4 was nothing short of a slap in the face to the people dedicated enough to have bought 1 through 3, which varied from decent to terrific.
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I personally thought it jumped the shark in issue 3. Always willing to agree to disagree, of course.
Uncle Roger, I am also guessing editorial interference came into play with the disastrous issue 4, and I personally suspect that another individual (oh, how hard I struggle not to type the word "hack") rewrote Stuart's original story.
YMMV.
G.
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I can see your point, G. But Issue 4 is really what did it for me. I couldn't believe how far removed this thing had become from the first issue. I guess it was the final nail in the coffin.
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Cover/info for issue 10:
http://www.tfaw.com/Profile/Dark-Shadows-10___406272
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July 25th? Yeah, sure. [sure]
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No. 5 will be in stores tomorrow, May 9!
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Oh really. I was just going to post that I received an e-mail from Things From Another World to tell me they would be shipping issue #5 soon, so from that I thought that perhaps it was coming out next week. But today is good. [ghost_wink]
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I picked mine up today -- weird. Interesting appearances by some unexpected characters, but pay attention to the conversation between Jack, the now deceased bartender, and Barnabas about Julie, who was traumatized by the events of last issue. You know, Julie? The blonde heiress of Collinwood? "Oh," you're saying, "you mean CAROLYN, not Julie." Yeah. That's what I said.
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You know, Julie? The blonde heiress of Collinwood?
Oh my. Makes the "Barnaby" error(s?) in the Gold Key comics seem like nothing.
Does the story show any promise? (Although that doesn't necessarily mean anything, since the first arc showed some promise...)
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Okaaay. [hdscrt]
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Does the story show any promise? (Although that doesn't necessarily mean anything, since the first arc showed some promise...)
Yeah, I guess. The art didn't pain me as much as the last issue, though I think it's the same artist. And the dialogue wasn't necessarily DREADFUL (I enjoyed the cameos from some Collinwood residents of the dim, dead past), or at least not as dreadful as last time (that voiceover ... yowch!). Barnabas fleeing with his cane reminded me of Gold Key.
I also picked up the new issue of Buffy, which was MUCH more exciting for me. Strange, since I was leaping around and singing to the hills when I found out about the comic book last summer. Sad face.
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I'm going to see the film and pick up the book tomorrow.
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Got to see the film but the comic book store didn't have #5. I'll have to hit Midtown comics next time I'm in NYC.
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http://www.comicvine.com/news/vampirella-meets-dark-shadows-barnabas-collins-in-august/144707/
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[pointing-up] Hmmm...
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Wow. that cover is so ... understated.
Another masterpiece in intricate storytelling and deft characterization from Dynamite!
cheers, G.
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speechless. [ghost_blink]
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Oh my...who knew what lengths Dynamite would go to capitalize on Dark Shadows revived fame.
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I am not going to comment on Vampirella for the time being... But I will say that that Barnabas (Barnadepp methinks) is ten million times better looking than the Barnabas in the film or the Barnabas in Issue 5, who looks like a prune. (I honestly can't get through it. The prunes! The ruins!)
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A new title coming from Dynamite Comics.
Not sure what I think of this, but I've been asked to do a story on it for Fangoria Mag.
Stay tuned.....
[see link in Reply #237 for cover image --admin]
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Stuart had mentioned this was a possibility last year. This kind of crossover happens a lot in comics. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. If Marvel was putting out the book, chances are that Barnabas would be meeting up with the X-men or, even more perversely, Howard the Duck.
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I picked mine up today -- weird. Interesting appearances by some unexpected characters, but pay attention to the conversation between Jack, the now deceased bartender, and Barnabas about Julie, who was traumatized by the events of last issue. You know, Julie? The blonde heiress of Collinwood? "Oh," you're saying, "you mean CAROLYN, not Julie." Yeah. That's what I said.
Scan of that panel:
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4howvEIj71rpbqpfo1_1280.jpg
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Blech. I see what Cousin B means about the prunes. ugh.
I lost all interest in this title after the debacle that was issue 4. For those who continue, I wish you all the best.
G.
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Finally got #5 and almost wish I hadn't. The art manages to be even uglier than #4. I realize that Dynamite isn't going to get George Perez or Jim Lee but this is horrendous.
It seems very much like a fill-in issue. Not a bad story but somewhat disjointed. Who are most of these people at the dead party? Aside from the two victims from the last issue, the only ones I can recognize are Carl and Josette. And someone standing by Josette who appears to be Hugh Hefner.
Julie? Julie! There's really no excuse for that. A mistake like that should have been caught by the editor. But the credits on the inside cover do not list one.
Hire one, Dynamite, pronto.
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It seems very much like a fill-in issue. Not a bad story but somewhat disjointed. Who are most of these people at the dead party? Aside from the two victims from the last issue, the only ones I can recognize are Carl and Josette. And someone standing by Josette who appears to be Hugh Hefner.
I thought I spotted some more,
Paul Stoddard: (2nd to right)
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4ho5bpIbD1rpbqpfo1_1280.jpg
Dave Woodard & Jason McGuire:
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4ho5bpIbD1rpbqpfo2_1280.jpg
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Caught the Paul Stoddard but the other two eluded me. Thanks for pointing them out.
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Looking at these panels people have posted, all the "dark shadows" do seem to be located in the cavernous wrinkles on Barnabas' face. Ugly as hell...
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It looks as if the artist (I use the term loosely) used photos of the octogenarian Jonathan Frid as the basis for his drawings of Barnabas in this one.
Hope they get a better artist for the Vampi book but I'm not holding my breath.
G.
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i'm on the fence with paul stoddard but that's definitely woodard and mcquire...
i guess because gerringer and patrick are deceased they could use their likenesses without paying a royalty? [ghost_huh]
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The one just to the left of Woodard reminds me of Clarice Blackburn, perhaps as Abigail.
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Dark Shadows Number 6 is being released in comic shops tomorrow, July 25.
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Wow--their website is promoting
#11, so they are way behind schedule.
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Just read #6. Am I seeing things, or are Quentin and Willie dressed in period clothing? And, if so, why?
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I couldn't bring myself to go and buy #5, I was so disgusted with the concluding issue of the first story arc.
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It sounds as if the "artists" are randomly grabbing photo references off the internet without bothering to check whether they are from DS roles or not. Somebody told me that Julia appeared in a pantsuit in one panel. Now, GH wore pantsuits *in other roles, NON DS* and the "artist" may have found this on the internet and decided to use the costume...
I am too sickened to continue reading the book--even the concept of browsing it at the shop feels potentially nauseating.
G. the delicate flower
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yes in one jewel of an issue julia, carolyn, roger and quentin were ALL wearing the same green pantsuit.
carolyn and julia never wore pants on the series(minus carolyn's "buzz" moment). in some panels julia appears to be channeling linda hamilton bodywise...broad and busty in kick-ass pants and tight tops. i mean how hard is it to draw a proper skirtsuit?
i dropped these after the abysmal volume four...any improvement? what's the storyline now?
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Maybe that's the latest curse of Angelique upon the Collins family... "you will ALL wear hideous lime-green leisure suits... for ALL ETERNITY!!!" Now that's a horror show.
G.
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Guess it's the Ohrbach's curse!
I found issue #5 to be an incoherent mess, so #6 came as a pleasant surprise. It was nice to see David getting some story. He is presented as a social misfit/nerd/pariah. After so many years of home schooling, it cannot have been easy to go back to public school. And the one girl who genuinely likes him pays a price for it. Elizabeth gets a decent scene and Willie makes his first appearance.
Not entirely sure about the Julia/Barnabas scene. She's obviously quite angry with him for snacking on Bambi.
It's certainly better than the last two issues. There's still room for improvement. As a comic book story, it's okay. As a Dark Shadows story, it misses the Dark Brigadoon flavor that Jonathan Frid often spoke of.
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it's interesting that julia always gets "angry", and sort of takes it personally, when barnabas needs to and does "feed"...
i mean she knows what he is, and since her "experiment" did not work out entirely, while i can understand her being upset her scolding attitude is rather uncalled for.
he needs blood to survive and she knows it.
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I found issue #6 in my mail today - but I've been so busy lately that I haven't even gotten around to reading issue #5. So, given some of the comments here about both issues, it will interesting to read them both back-to-back once I get the chance.
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Just read #6. Am I seeing things, or are Quentin and Willie dressed in period clothing? And, if so, why?
Actually, it looks like Willie is wearing Carl's clothes:
Carl:
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4hp63D5PI1rpbqpfo1_500.jpg
Willie: (warning: Spoilers)
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8069ejFpz1rpbqpfo4_1280.jpg
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I hadn't noticed that before, Sara Monster. At least it wasn't another green pantsuit! [ghost_rolleyes]
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I have not been able to bring myself to go down to the comic shop to get it yet, but I am glad that some are saying there is an improvement. I imagine that there is, considering it couldn't get much worse than what was in the previous two issues.
As long as "Julie" doesn't make another appearance, I think I'll survive.
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The Dynamite website has some preview pages of the DS/Vampirella crossover and it looks pretty good. The artwork is vastly superior and the pacing of the story is as well. I wanted to read more after I finished the preview pages. Quite the opposite to my reaction to issues 4 and 5.
No artwork of Barnabas appears in the preview, other than the cover shot of him and Vampirella. No idea when this might actually come on; Dynamite's schedule is creative, to say the least.
But I am cautiously optimistic.
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Both DS #7 and DS/Vampirella #2 go on sale tomorrow. Will definitely be heading to my comic store for both.
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Thanks for the heads up, Midnite. I'll hit my store tomorrow or Thursday.
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I picked up the last copies that my store had of both issues. Guess that's a sellout. Of course they may have only ordered one copy of each.
After the highly erratic publishing schedule of the early issues, it was a pleasant surprise to have them come out reasonably on time. And on the same day.
The author of the regular book is still feeling his way. The plot relating to David's girlfriend hasn't advanced much, except there's a police officer who is suspicious of Barnabas who is equally suspicious of him. Willie has a scene with a predatory vampire in Ireland of all places. I can't tell if this will tie into the main story or if it is setting up a future storyline.
The artwork remains subpar. Barnabas does resemble Frid to an extent and Roger could pass as Louis Edmonds. The rest, not so much. David has enough "big hair" to qualify for the B-52's and Carolyn is just ugly.
It's an okay book. Just okay.
The Vampirella crossover, however, is unexpectedly good. She and Barnabas have a somewhat typical comic book slugfest. Until they find out they're basically on the same side. They banter, kind of like an undead version of Moonlighting, while they search for the villainess. Barnabas and Vampirella are two extremely different characters, which makes for a good read.
Their investigation leads them to a strip club, where Vampirella's friend Pantha works. Quentin shows up at the club also and is much more comfortable there than Barnabas.
The villains get some page time and a future showdown between them and our four heroes is on the horizon.
Good characterizations, good dialogue, decent artwork. One of the better DS projects that I've run across.
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My store didn't have the Vampirella crossover. Possibly just as well.
I LOVED the cover of the DS issue; unfortunately, the story inside didn't feel very much like Dark Shadows to me at all. I thought the Innovation take on the revival in the 90s was more successful.
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In a way, I'm somewhat surprised that no one has published a collection of the Innovation comics. Inwonder if the final arc was ever completed.
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If it was, it was never published. I have the last issue, and it was beautiful -- completely different in tone, both in the writing and the art work. I was especially intrigued by the way they were weaving Laura Collins through the narrative, as it was obvious that her likeness was based on Lysette Anthony.
I suppose we'll never know. Sigh.
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Never say never. Billy Mumy finished his Lost in Space story and self published it. Perhaps KLS would so it.
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I'd buy it.
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DS Vampirella #3 is in stores today. My comic store sold out of #2 on the first day (sigh), so many thanks to Uncle Roger for his synopsis.
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Ours never had #2. :(
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Thank you, Midnite. I probably would have been shut out as well, if not for your timely announcement. If you are still unable to find #2 from a comic book store, Amazon has had it for sale. The shipping is high, so I would check elsewhere first. Nothing has been announced yet but I would not be surprised if the Vampi/DS series was collected in a paperback.
Picked up #3 and the latest issue of the regular series. Will post after I've read them.
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Picked up #2 *and* #3 yesterday (as well as the new mainstream issue of DS). Wow. Wow, wow, wow. At least in #2 the DS characters looked more or less like their TV counterparts (including the werewolf; um, can anyone answer why Quentin is a werewolf in BOTH series, and one who can change at will to boot?). #3 ... not so much. (Who the hell decided that "youngling" was an acceptable term for Barnabas to use ... a lot?) Terrible dialogue, and I'm sorry, I just don't see why these two properties were mingled. Cross-overed. Whatever. Not a good match. Barnabas and Quentin at a bathhouse? Seriously?
I refer you to The Collinsport Historical Society, which perfectly sums up my own feelings for this misbegottenosity: http://www.collinsporthistoricalsociety.com/2012/10/review-dark-shadowsvampirella-2.html (http://www.collinsporthistoricalsociety.com/2012/10/review-dark-shadowsvampirella-2.html).
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DARK SHADOWS #9 out tomorrow (Halloween), according to my comic store. But wait, when did #8 come out?
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My apologies for an off-topic announcement in this thread; I think there are some fans here of the old "The Avengers" TV series from England in the Sixties, the one co-starring Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg. I just heard through the grapevine that the "Steed and Mrs. Peel" comic book series has been revived. There are a couple of 2012 entries on Amazon and one for next May (maybe the latter is meant to be the first few issues collected in graphic novel format).
Just giving the heads-up here for any fans who might be interested. I had heard nothing about it, but would like to check it. The 1991 redaction, though written by Grant Morrison, had inferior artwork and I couldn't get past that.
G.
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DS / Vampirella #4 came out today. Don't wait, cuz it flies off the shelf. [disgust]
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Here's a preview of #4 with the cover and a few page examples:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=14189
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Pantha? Oh dear. I had forgotten there was a character named "Pantha."
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I finally caught sight of one of these yesterday, on a visit to the massive Back Bay Newbury Comics store. The cover portrays Barnabas and Vampi sharing an intimate moment. Barnabas looks a little like Frank Langella and a little like Ben Cross--the result could almost make one think of ... Bert Convy. That was unexpected.
I had a quick flip through it and it really did not seem like my cup of tea. Did the label abandon the original DS book altogether now?
G.
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No, Gothick, they are publishing two DS books, the regular monthly book as well as this mini-series. Most of the shops sell out of them fairly quickly.
While I've enjoyed both, I do have an issue with them. The DS book is set back in the '70's and Vampirella's regular book is set in the present. What time period is the crossover supposed to be set in?
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DS #10 will be in stores tomorrow... only 3 weeks after the last issue!
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Finally got around to reading #10. It's a mixed bag. A very mixed bag.
Most of the vampire contingent has been disposed of. But the main villain and Emma are still at large. The David/Emma story nicely parallels the Barnabas/Julia one.
The Willie subplot picks up steam and merges with whatever is happening with the Roger/Carolyn story. Something very nasty that pertains to the Collins bloodlines is happening in the basement of the Blue Whale. This appears to be the start of the next story arc.
No Quentin this issue, no dialogue for Carolyn or Roger and just some hand wringing for Elizabeth. Barnabas gives Julia a peck on the cheek. Hopefully, that will lead to something more.
The art is certainly better than it was but it's still off. The characters at least look like human beings, which is a step up from previous artists. But no attempt seems to be made at actor likenesses. Barnabas suffers the most from this. At times, he resembles Dick Sargent. At other times, he seems to be green. Whether that is a coloring snafu or a hint of a future plot remains to be seen.
Overall, the book is okay. Just okay. Let's see where #11 goes.
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DS #11 will be in stores tomorrow, Dec. 19!
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Thanks for tip, Midnite. I went to the store and picked up #11 today and got the last copy.
I was pleasantly surprised. This was the best issue in recent memory.
The author, Mike Raicht, seems to have settled in. The subplots are more balanced and all the major characters get some panel time. Elizabeth is more involved in the story than she was in the later years of the TV show. And she and Julia may be called upon to save the day next issue. There are also some brief references to Laura that may foreshadow a future story.
We finally learn what has happened to Roger and Carolyn and it's not very nice. And what seems to be on the horizon for Willie and Barnabas is even worse.
The art is rather pedestrian but I suppose I can live with it.
One more thing: great cliffhanger. I'm really looking forward to the next issue.
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I was pleasantly surprised as well. It's nice to see the characters resembling the actors (and it's also fun to play "spot the scene/photo" the artist used for reference. Laura in David's framed photo is obviously 1897 Laura, which I actually enjoyed a bit). Although I hope someone is going to explain a) why Quentin can turn into a werewolf and b) why Quentin can turn into a werewolf whenever he chooses.
(And is anyone else getting Let the Right One in vibes from David and his "little girlfriend" storyline?)
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I didn't pick up on it initially, Nicky, but I think you're right. I'm just glad it's not Twilight. [santa_cheesy] [a_xmas]
I also missed the special thanks, not just to Jim Pierson but also to longtime fan Jeff Thompson.
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DS #12 out tomorrow!
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I hope it's okay to do this ...
I posted the covers/summaries of the next batch of comics on my DS blog ... all the way up to issue 16 or so!
http://www.shadowsonthewallzine.blogspot.com/ (http://www.shadowsonthewallzine.blogspot.com/)
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Two good issues in a row! Issue #12 is a real page turner, as the various story threads move forward. The big bad vampire from the earlier story has surfaced in another town and pretty much depopulated it. No doubt he will turn up in Collinsport again. We are also introduced to the town's sheriff and his feisty daughter Jackie. These characters will figure prominently in this issue's cliffhanger.
Emma the apprentice vampire surprises everyone--especially herself--by being able to command the werewolf.
The cult that has enslaved Roger and Carolyn actually seems to succeed with their plans. One of the characters in danger at the end of last issue is rescued but one is definitely not. Good use of Julia and Elizabeth in this sequence. This sets in motion a cliffhanger that I definitely did NOT see coming. Mike Raicht is on a roll here and I am quite looking forward to issue #13.
I still don't care much for the artwork. The vampires are extremely sloppy eaters and a little too clown like for me. The depiction of the new "big bad" is silly and unimaginative.
This issue's cover is drawn well enough but it has absolutely nothing to do with what happens in the issue. It also makes Barnabas look like the illustration of the flip side of an old buffalo nickel.
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Dark Shadows: Year One. Man, I was just kidding when I wrote about this yesterday. Still, looks interesting, and the cover is rad.
http://www.shadowsonthewallzine.blogspot.com/2013/01/dark-shadows-year-one.html (http://www.shadowsonthewallzine.blogspot.com/2013/01/dark-shadows-year-one.html)
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Thanks, Nicky, that certain does look intriguing. The good news is that it's being written by Marc Andreyko, whose work on the Vampirella crossover I quite enjoyed. The interior art is being done by the artist whose work on the regular book I thoroughly disliked. But I'll still buy it.
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Odd that they call it "Year One" and feature Angelique on the cover, when the show was well into Year Two by that point. (In fact, it was the last quarter of Year One in which Barnabas was introduced...) Of course, for the general population, there was no such thing as DS without Barnabas...
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"Year One", in a comic book context, refers to the origin of the characters. Frank Miller popularized the term in 1986 with "Batman: Year One"; since then, there have been a whole host of "Year One" titles. Dynamite is referring to "Barnabas' Year One" as the time when he became a vampire.
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Perhaps they'll even go back to Martinique and show how the triangle got started.
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Thanks, Nicky. Love the cover art. (But no Quentin, sigh.)
As for the other two DS series:
DS Comic #13 will be out tomorrow, 1/30, and...
The paperback of the 5-issue Vampirella/DS crossover will be in stores in April and can be pre-ordered on
various sites such as Cheap Graphic Novels (http://www.cheapgraphicnovels.com/dark-shadows-vampirella-tp-pre-order.html). Will have to pick it up because I only managed to grab the 1st
issue of this one before it sold out.
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Sorry, I still don't buy the "Year One" business. If it were "Barnabas: Year One" then it would make sense. But this is "Dark Shadows: Year One" and as I pointed out, DS is more than just Barnabas, and in fact Barnabas had nothing to do with the majority of the first year of DS.
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KMR, you know it and I know it, but the comic company doesn't know it. [snow_wink] [snow_sad] But, I am still excited to see what comes of it.
I am surprised that DS has done so well that they are actually making spin-offs! Wow!
I stopped buying these back when I thought they jumped the shark. I may actually have to rethink that now.
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It's still pretty silly (I bought #13 this evening) and while the dialogue doesn't feel particularly DS-y, the appearance of a certain familiar face, combined with some time travel jazz, gave me a bit (a bit, mind you) of that old black magic. Though hearing Liz and Julia discuss LSD and pot still makes me feel as awkward as it did when it showed up in Lara Parker's last book ...
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Agreed on all points. Comic books are basically silly, some more so than others. To an extent, the same could be said for DS. Issue #13 advances the story, bringing the evil female vampire that Willie encountered into the scene at the Blue Whale. Quite enjoyed the appearance of a certain "familiar face". His appearance leads me to believe that there will be more from him even after this particular story is resolved.
Yes, the drug references are a bit jarring but less so than they were in The Salem Branch.
1984 Collinsport looks like 'Salem's Lot. Very interested to see what's in store for next issue.
Got the last copy of #13 that my store had so someone else besides me is buying it.
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#14 is out.
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Just posted some info about #17 and Year One #2 on my blog. A potentially interesting twist with Vicki Winters:
http://shadowsonthewallzine.blogspot.com/2013/03/upcoming-dark-shadows-comics-from.html (http://shadowsonthewallzine.blogspot.com/2013/03/upcoming-dark-shadows-comics-from.html)
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vicki!
i stopped buying these with issue 4. but if she's back i'm going to have to give them another look.
is she drawn in the likeness of alexandra or is she a reinterpretation of some sort?
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Thanks, Nicky. That looks quite interesting.
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Michael: not sure yet. They've done varying degrees of specific with the likenesses -- sometimes I can immediately recognize the photo (or screen grab, in some instances) the artist was clearly referencing. Other times ... ay yi yi. Grayson Hall is the actress who usually suffers the most in translation.
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unless i'm wrong don't they need permission to use the likeness of a living actor? doesn't that actor receive some sort of royalty for that use?
for that reason i thought they could use the likenesses of joan, louis, grayson and other deceased actors in these. they did not need permission and didn't have to pay out royalties.
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From the blurbs Nicky posted on his site, Vicki is a character in the "Year One" series which is as one would expect, although it sounds as if they're playing fast and loose with the original storyline.
I've totally lost interest in any of these, but for those of you who enjoy them, have fun.
G.
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Just posted some more DS Year One previews I uncovered -- I'm growing increasingly excited for this miniseries ... from what I'm gathering in the teasers, the characters look very much like the original actors.
http://shadowsonthewallzine.blogspot.com/2013/04/dark-shadows-year-one-preview.html (http://shadowsonthewallzine.blogspot.com/2013/04/dark-shadows-year-one-preview.html)
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That's a huge improvement over his work in the monthly book. I will definitely pick this up.
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And it seems, storywise, more "classic" DS than what's appearing in the regular book -- as much as I love the appearance of fan faves like Nicholas Blair, a lot of the plot twist make my eyes roll.
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Nicky, those images make me super excited for the series!
And speaking of the other, DS #15 comes out tomorrow.
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Amazon has the DS/Vampirella trade paperback available for preorder at $ 10.98. That's cheaper than buying the original comics at cover price.
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Amazon has the DS/Vampirella trade paperback available for preorder at $ 10.98.
Ah, a small price drop since I pre-ordered from them. Though the release date also moved to May since then: The paperback of the 5-issue Vampirella/DS crossover will be in stores in April...
Thanks!
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Here are a few more preview pages from Dark Shadows: Year One. Getting more excited every day; LOVE LOVE LOVE how Angelique's hair floats as she hovers outside the Collins family mausoleum. Looks like she's on fire (and reminds me of another Phoenix; Jean Gray from X-Men, speaking of comic books).
http://shadowsonthewallzine.blogspot.com/2013/04/more-previews-of-dark-shadows-year-one.html (http://shadowsonthewallzine.blogspot.com/2013/04/more-previews-of-dark-shadows-year-one.html)
(Also, despite the not-being-completely-on-board-ness of me regarding the current series, it was pretty cool to see Nicholas Blair emerge at the House by the Sea ((even though Angelique's coffin and the shattered magic mirror were somewhere else, weren't they? still, cool OS continuity reference)) ... AND there was a Cassandra shout-out! What what!)
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Angelique's coffin was originally in a secluded basement room of the House by the Sea. Towards the end of her time in that particular storyline, she moved her coffin AND stole the magic mirror to another location. I was never sure exactly where it was, but Barnabas took Julia there after Nicholas's disappearance and that was when they found the shattered mirror.
G.
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That's what I thought. Ah, well ... an attempt at continuity, then. Still, appreciating the Blair likeness (and a PORTRAIT), and the Cassandra reference.
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A portrait of Nicholas Blair? What a totally cool idea.
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Had to wait an extra week to get my copy of #15. My store received its copies damaged, so they had to get another batch from the distributor. It was worth the wait. The subplots are coming together nicely and Nicholas Blair's arrival is most welcome.
The Roger/Carolyn captions occur twice for some reason. They're on both pages 7 and 8. Is this on everyone else's copy? Guess comic books can have bloopers too.
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Year #1 is out today, woo hoo, plus incentive covers including a subscription photo variant.
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Just got back from the comic shop -- the temporary girl couldn't find my copy, and the owner won't be back 'til tomorrow. But I found a few preview pages and posted 'em on my blog. Not sold on the dialogue just yet, but those characters are recognizably Angelique, Barnabas, Jeremiah, and Sarah, so ... call it an upside(?) ...
http://shadowsonthewallzine.blogspot.com/2013/04/dark-shadows-year-one-1-released-today.html (http://shadowsonthewallzine.blogspot.com/2013/04/dark-shadows-year-one-1-released-today.html)
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Totally agree, Nicky, that the likenesses can be quite good, and I enjoyed it though it can be a tad too talky with dialogue that doesn't fit the year... 1795? (Have to admit that Barnabas' boxers threw me [seen on the 4th comic page on Nicky's blog].) The events are comfortably familiar but with some interesting tweaks, for example: [spoiler]Barnabas is already engaged to Josette when he sleeps with Angelique-- a worse transgression than on the original series, though I suppose that's offset by his extreme guilt.[/spoiler] Angelique's dialogue is the most disappointing; her spells are ghastly! Fortunately, Miss Winters drops into the century in issue #2.
Welcome to Collinswood?? Why doesn't somebody catch these things?!
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The release of the DS/Vampirella graphic novel was moved to June 6. [easter_undecided]
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DS #16 is out today!
And the new release date for the DS/Vampirella collection is August 8. Wonder why it's taking so long?
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Perhaps they are operating on a similar release schedule to Lara Parker's Tor books. [easter_evil] [easter_evil]
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I'm dying with all the delays to Lara Parker's book, been waiting for YEARS! I'm psyched from what I've heard about book 4 in progress.
The Vampirella cross over date keeps getting moved back and forth. I'm also waiting on the second volume of the regular comic series. I originally got the tpb of the first collection as it's a nicer format and I figured surely the next volume would be out in six months or so, a reasonable wait. I didn't allow for such excructiating delays.
Oh well, it's still nice to have new DS stories to look forward to (and now Year One too!) and the Big Finish audios begin releasing their new series of linked dramatic readings this month too. It's a good time to be a DS fan with so many new stories upcoming.
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DS Year One #2 is out tomorrow!
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My patience has finally worn out on waiting for the DS series to get released in tpb. I have the Vampirella crossover pre ordered already in tpb, but have gone ahead and ordered DS 5-19 and Year One 1-4, which includes the next couple of upcoming months pre ordered, from Dynamite.
I am really psyched about getting to read these, especially since I'll be getting so many of them at once! Between this, the return of the DS audios starting this month and Lara Parker's new DS novel coming out in August there's a lot of new DS coming up to look forward to!
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The Vampirella cross over date keeps getting moved back and forth.
No kidding! But the latest estimated arrival date is June 5; fingers crossed.
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My copy of the Vampirella crossover is supposed to shipping from Amazon soon.
I got the first of two packages of the comics yesterday. Of course, the next issue I haven't read, is in the second package which should arrive Monday, so I still have to wait. I did read the first two issues of Year One. While I understand the need to compress some details for space, a whole lot of important things - like the marriage between Josette and Jeremiah - are completely left out. Angelique's spell affects Jeremiah and he challenges Barnabas to a duel without Josette ever being shown to be under the spell, so that it's even more jarring when Barnabas marries someone else.
Also, there is a scene where Barnabas sleeps with Angelique the first time. Barnabas is drunk and has one night of debauchery at Jeremiah's mischievous prompting. They barely even do more than introduce themselves before they go to bed, and the next morning Barnabas flees as soon as he wakes up. It's fairly puzzling where Angelique got her undying love for Barnabas from. There's certainly no sense that he betrayed her. It's a fairly weak scene, since so much story springs from that one night. Love it or hate it, but Lara Parker's Angelique's Descent did a fair job of showing why Angelique fell in love with Barnabas and why she felt betrayed, while also making Barnabas's actions understandable too.
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DS #18 comes out tomorrow, according to my local Comic store. Which means I completely missed the release of #17, sigh.
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I'm really quite intrigued by "Year One." Even though the writing remains shaky, the way the story is playing out is interesting -- particularly freaky was the scene where Josette leaped to her death and Barnabas, moments later, strangled Angelique as she came to taunt him. I know I've said this before, but I'm in love with Guiu Vilanova's representations of the familiar characters. The moment where we see Angelique's face, post-strangulation, is even more disturbing and grotesque than its television counterpart.
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Year One #4 comes out tomorrow!
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I guess it is really old at this point but yesterday, in a massive comics shop in Salem (Mass.--yes, Virginia, the one with the Witches) I had the chance to browse issue 10 of the main DS book. I nearly bought it because I saw what looked to my rather critical eye like a fairly decent drawing of Grayson in her 1967 Hoffman mode. She was having a colloquy with Nicholas Blair where they were back to their old game of trying to out-bitch one another. I found the writing just enough off-key to be grating. So I did not take it home with me. There was also an issue of the "Year One" thing that showed Barnabas rising as a vampire for the first time in 1795. I found the art in that one really ugly--it looked as if someone had thrown up all over the pages. Ugh. There was, too, an issue of the Vampirella thing but I just couldn't be bovvered (as Catherine Tate's snotty schoolgirl would say).
cheers, G.
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I've overall really been enjoying the main series. There's a lot of great scenes for Julia in that series, and the writing subtly reflects a pro-Barnabas and Julia subtext - althought it's less subtext and more blatant really, but in a tasteful way.
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That's good to know, Quentin.
G.
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Those who hate the DS comics from Dynamite can rejoice: issue 23 will be the last.
I'm really disgusted with certain portions of fandom. They campaigned against the comics, the Burton film, and the audio dramas, and even the NBC series 20 years ago.
If they don't want DS to continue, why can't they shut the F**k up and let the rest of us enjoy it.
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I can't say I've loved everything about the Dynamite DS comics - but then I don't love everything about any version of DS (though NoDS does come close [ghost_wink]). But I was enjoying the comics for what they are. It's really too bad they're coming to an end. Oh, well...
I wasn't even aware that there was a segment of fandom that was campaigning against the comics. But then, it doesn't surprise me...
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more than actively "campaigning against" the comic series I think a lot of fans gradually became disillusioned with it...
I enjoyed the first volume and had high hopes for the series. but over the next few issues lost interest as it drifted into a direction I found silly and juvenile. by volume four, which if I recall featured a bunch of monsters fighting on a dock, I knew I was finished.
I voted with my wallet but didn't "campaign against" it. and perhaps the publishers simply felt it had run it's course.
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From a DS fan standpoint, this comic series was more interesting in the beginning. But there is no way a series can survive with only DS fans alone buying it with stories that would only appeal to them - it had to eventually try to appeal to the broader comic audience. And because of that there were a lot of things that, shall we say, went far afield of what we would normally expect in the DS universe. But then, the same can be said of the Marilyn Ross novels, so. And in the cases of both this comic series and those novels, things didn't always work. But still, if nothing else, this comic series was an interesting experiment.
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I have mixed feelings -- I kept hoping it would get better. Alas.
I have really been enjoying their version of Year One, especially Villanova's art. I follow his blog, and he posted recently, thanking DS websites for providing him with lots of examples of the characters to work with, and it shows in his work. I was hoping they would do another "year one," this time focusing on Quentin or Angelique. Again, I say, alas.
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I don't "campaign against" anything. But if I think material with the DS logo has crap content, you can bet your dollars to doughnuts I'm going to say so.
I don't see why being a fan means we have to be yes men to everything produced with the logo.
Back in the early Seventies I kept buying the Gold Key comics as long as they were available in my area--same with the Marilyn Ross "novels"--despite the awful artwork and scripts that had at best only a peripheral relationship with ANYTHING in the original series. (At least the Ross "books" had great photo covers.) I was starved for DS stuff at the time. In 2013, that's no longer the case and I don't see why I should bother buying material so poorly written, the last issue of the comic I purchased went straight into the recycling bin five minutes after I finished reading it.
cheers, G.
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DS #21 out tomorrow!
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DS #22 out today--the penultimate issue (for now)?
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Mike Raicht Talks Dark Shadows And The End Of The Stuff Of Legend (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/11/08/mike-raicht-talks-dark-shadows-and-the-end-of-the-stuff-of-legend/)
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I kept hoping this comic series would improve, but it never went anywhere. While I appreciate that it wasn't in the vein of Depp Shadows, the Dynamite series was seriously flawed. The storyline seemed interminable and the series failed to capture the otherworldly gothic feel of the TV show. Instead, Raicht and the Dynamite editors opted for something much more visceral in nature (the writer cites 'Salem's Lot' as an influence). I wish they had just handed the writing duties over to a hardcore fan. It would have been nice if someone like, say, S. Mark Rainey, had a shot at it. Alas, the final issue has come and gone. I bought it and read it all the way to the end and kept hoping they'd change gears, but it was not meant to be. Here's hoping that someone else picks up the comic rights. It'd be great if someone gave classic DS the great comic book series it deserves.
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Is the trend now to give restarts or new versions of an old show specifically to people who don't know the show well and don't even necessarily like it? ("Re-imaginings", to use a ridiculously over-dignified word, a la JJ Abrams Star Trek movies.) They may be running away from any possibility of the remaker being so much of an obsessive fan that he can't make it for the masses, but if so, they go way too far when they do this.