The Power Fantasy

If you have been following this popular Aspen series now in its second volume, then you may be familiar with the series' cast of characters. I admit, however, that I'm not--I have previously posted a complete set in the early stages of Volume 1, but I have never really read any issue in its entirety, what with so many others from Marvel and DC clamoring for my attention. What I do look forward to, however, are the covers. They are handsomely painted and drawn. That's why when several Minutemen scans with multiple variant covers come along, I grab them. That said, here are 3 consecutive earlier issues (the title currently now is waiting for issue #9 volume 2, I believe) that are just what I mentioned.

To millions he was the ; one of the world’s most cherished entertainers and a celebrated international icon. With his untimely passing, Michael Jackson left an extraordinary and tragic legacy. Bluewater Productions paid tribute last October to his memory and legacy with a special collectors edition biography comic. The newest addition to the publisher’s critically acclaimed biography library will trace Jackson’s rise as a musical prodigy with the “Jackson 5” through his sad end. The comic book features highlights from his storied career and cover his enigmatic private life. The first printing was sold out even before its official release. Sorry for the rather poor quality; it's the only scan I could find.

The issue solicitation promises a revamp of many of ol' webhead's classic foes and starting with Electro, it does exactly that. Writer Mark Waid not only manages to craft a strong detailed tale of how Max Dilon became Electro but convincingly portrays Peter Parker's persona and all his baggage and angst as well. One other great thing going is the artwork of Paul Azaceta, which is strikingly reminiscent of vintage Jack Kirby with a dash of Steve Ditko going through a dark, moody phase. As all true believers know, Steve Ditko co-plotted with Stan Lee the very first issues of Spider-Man and also drew it. It's like the Amazing Spider-Man back to its roots. Three thumbs up.

Thorgal is a critically acclaimed Belgian comic book series by the Belgian writer Jean Van Hamme and the Polish graphic artist Grzegorz Rosiński. It first appeared in serial form in the "Tintin" magazine in 1977, and has been published in hardcover volumes by Le Lombard from 1980 on. Translations exist in English, Dutch, German, Italian, Polish, Czech, Danish, Finnish (in the Finnish "The Phantom" comic), Swedish (in the Swedish "The Phantom" comic), Norwegian (in the Norwegian "The Phantom" comic), Turkish, Greek and other languages. In 2002, a new story was invented for a point-and-click adventure game, titled Thorgal: Curse of Atlantis, that was released for Windows by Cryo Interactive Entertainment.