In between “work”, I’ve
been revisiting old issues of Marvel’s Avengers, covers and reading the
storyline synopsis.
Somewhere in my memory
banks, there are off on recollections of plotlines and intermittent appearances
(cameo?) of non-traditional characters including Starfox and Thanos (to name
but two).
I know I can easily Google
the keywords for possible hits, but, heck, the (online) flipping through of
each issue is way more fun.
(Of course, it would be
even better if I actually had the physical copies in mint / near mint condition
TQVM!)
Anyway, re-reading the old
issues reminded me again why I fell in love with the (old days) Japanese Manga,
especially Kazuo Koike’s Lone Wolf and Cub and Kasuhiro Otomo’s Akira &
Domu.
Typical of Americans
(apologies for the crude generalization, but it is true’s isn’t it?), their
comics are talky.
They yak and yak.
The villains, for example,
will often explain at great lengths whatever nefarious scheme to conquer the
world / destroy the Avengers / carry of Mantis / rule the universe etc etc.
Or they’ll try to wear
down each other with words before fights: “I will pummel thee with my
bone-crushing, boulder smashing, steel bending fists of death!!!” against
“Bah!! I have withstood the death dealing / worlds’ destroying / armada
wrecking rays of XXXXX that you puny fists will be less than nothing!!!”
Something like that.
Like I said, great fun.
Corny but fun.
The aforementioned
Japanese works though worked differently as the story flows almost seamless
with the words complementing instead of telling the tale.
I was literally dumbstruck
when I picked up my first ever copy of Koure Okami (Lone Wolf & Cub),
reveling in the simplicity of its storytelling.
Before that (remember I
was still quite teen then, ya), I didn’t
realized that you could actually gets the pictures to tell the story.
Of course, the modern day
Avengers have curbed (not totally, though) most of these, urm, flair.
And, yes, they are still
great fun.
