I am a comic book dinosaur.

[Theron]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

I definitely agree with everyone here about the animated shows, though. Those really capture that feel you are looking for.

 

I mentioned this in another thread down in NGD, but it bears repeating here. DC recently announced that Dwayne McDuffie, the main story guy for the last few seasons of Justice League (also the main man on "Static Shock") is taking over the writing chores on JLA when Brad "SUPERFRIENDS OMG!" Meltzer steps down in a few more issues.

 

Also, Paul Dini (the original story editor on and author of many of the best episodes of Batman: the Animated Series) is currently writing Detective Comics.

[Spence]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

I don't think I can, for several reasons.

 

1- I have three interested players that I'm trying to figure out schedules with. The oldest is nineteen - thirteen years younger than I am. None of them read comics that I'm aware of, so having the idea of running a game based on a set of assumptions decades back from a medium they don't even read... this will end in tears.

 

You don't have to set the game timeline in the bronze to run the game feel in the bronze.

 

My players are keying off the feel more than the setting for who the PC's act. I chose '65 for the tech availability. Primitive computers, no cell phones, no DNA testing (as we know it) and so on. Secret ID’s are much more plausible and many things we take for granted are super-science.

[Checkmate]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

I would seriously recomend skipping the Authority. It reminds me a 5th grader walking into Mensa and trying to walk the walk. Sure they can find the building and go to the meeting, but they're clueless when they get there.

 

To make the analogy a bit more clear: The Authority tried to be cutting edge and take relevant issues intelligently like Astro City, and Watchmen, they just forgot about the intelligently part.

[GoldenAge]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

The Authority tried to be cutting edge and take relevant issues intelligently like Astro City' date=' and Watchmen, they just forgot about the intelligently part.[/quote']

Agreed

[BlackSword]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

I was unclear' date=' when I said I was looking at "titles/series" I meant TPBs in all cases... it wouldn't be economical for me to go after the monthly issues...[/quote']

I recommend the JSA TPBs by Geoff Johns. Some great writing and a long story arc that took a long time to reach fruition. He examined some lesser known DC heroes while the better known (and older) heroes helped lead the new generation of heroes higher.

As for the Justice League cartoons... well, I'm never looking for an excuse to sit in front of the television more, but I'll take it under advisement.

I will second (or third, or fourth) this suggestion. The animated DC Universe is very well done and has some fantastic storytelling.

[freakboy6117]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

current essentials at least for me

 

Planetary

one of the most epic storylines in comics nicely tracing the secret history of the world from Victorian fiction to the iron age and hopefully to a better future it ties evry genre of modern action fiction together from the pulps to giant monsters and b movies into one coherent narrative.

gorgeous art great dialogue good characters and the most awesome covers imaginable.

 

Nextwave agents of Hate its funny its awesome it has some of the most over the top fight sequences in history when you need a break from the heavy stuff then next wave is the antidote.

 

with marvel to really get there current approach you have to look at the ultimates line ultimate spider man and X men are both pretty good the current ultimate knights arc on Spiderman has been brilliant.

 

The ultimates is probably one of the better example of widescreen action that has been prevalent in comics of late.

[tgrandjean]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

I'll toss in another vote for JLU.

As far as DVDs though I'll toss in a few more.

Marvels Ultimate Avengers and Ultimate Avengers II are pretty good. (To be honest, the Ultimates line of comics are actually pretty good most notably Ultimate Spiderman... except for Ultimate X-Men which is pretty ick...) Also, the Iron Man DVD is decent and I'm looking forward to Dr. Strange.

The Hellboy: Animated series movies are also worthwhile.

 

As far as comics, the ones listed previously are excellent. For a few more suggestion I found quite a lot of DC's Vertigo lines to be excellent along with much of Dark Horse's lines- Hellboy in particular, but Ghost as well as Concrete were also fun reads.

 

To be honest, there is quite a lot of good stuff out there. Quite a lot of crap too, but that's what you'ld expect and why you browse first.

[Southern Cross]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

This is true.Another posssibility is the 2001 anime version of Cyborg 009,a classic 60's manga.I'm still trying to get the second volume,as I tend to be a completist.

(And it's become pretty clear to me that The Hidden Fortress wasn't the only major Japanese influence on Star Wars.Darth Vader is clearly a homage to Black Ghost,the major villain of the Cyborg 009 series).

[OzMike]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

Here's my 2 bits...

 

Astro City - well worth getting.

 

The Authority - rather than this, get some of Ellis' StormWatch run, particularly the Change or Die TPB. If you want to see the impact heroes make on a world in more realistic terms, StormWatch is better than the Authority. IF you want widescreen ultraviolence, The Authority is the go.

 

Identity Crisis - interesting but nasty retcon-type story. Well written and drawn, but I wouldn't say I enjoyed it.

 

Infinite Crisis - good, and probably how The Authority should read.

 

Justice - haven't read, no comment.

 

Kingdom Come - is good. Read it.

 

Powers - variable, but some really interesting stories. And I like the dynamic between the two main characters.

 

Other recommendations:

Planetary (Wildstorm title) - although the climax seems a little too rushed, it's full of ideas.

 

Top Ten - fun. A world chock fulll of people with powers.

 

Planet Hulk (Marvel title) - ties loosely to Civil War, but don't hold that against it. I think it's in TPB. Very much a redemption story.

 

Alias (Marvel title) - low powered hero as PI. Worth a look.

 

Sleeper (Wildstorm title) - sort of like Wiseguy (the old Ken Wahl character and TV series) with superpowers. The struggle of an undercover hero to stay a hero.

 

Wildcats 3.0 on (Wildstorm title) - it hardly ever seems to appear on peoples recommended list, but I really like this title.

 

Shazam (DC title) - anything featuring this character always seems to feature old-school heroics. It's great.

 

Invincible (might be Image) - A great comic series - young hero, great power, great responsibility.

 

San Angelo: City of Heroes (Gold Rush Games) - ok, not a comic book, but an excellent RPG resource for HERO featuring a self contained world that explores realistic implications of a world with people who have powers. Its out of print, but you can easily find second hand copies on the net.

[Trebuchet]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

Yeah' date=' movies are pretty much the reference points for the players. I've seen all the movies mentioned except The Incredibles.[/quote']Well, there's your problem.

 

By practically unanimous consensus on these boards, The Incredibles is the single best superhero film yet made. Buy it! Watch it! Watch it again!

[Sketchpad]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

Well, there's your problem.

 

By practically unanimous consensus on these boards, The Incredibles is the single best superhero film yet made. Buy it! Watch it! Watch it again!

Yeah ... what Treb said

[ScrewySquirrel]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

I'll agree with the animated Justice League (the whole DCAU from 1992-2006 in fact:

 

Batman: The Animated Series, Superman, New Batman Adventures, Static Shock, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Batman Beyond, and the animated Batman Movies: Mask of the Phantasm, Sub-Zero, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker). these form a single continuity, where Batman was the first superhero (the Origin Episode of Superman has Martha Kent telling Clark to beware of that crazy guy in Gotham City) -- probably starting around 1987 or 88 (Mask of the Phantasm), Supes gets startted in 1995, Staic in 1996, the Justice League is founded in 2000, and so on, and going forward into the 2040s (Batman Beyond).

 

 

Of course, I like the cosmic joke on the Marvel Universe that is Squirrel Girl, and her statement about the dark, angsty world of comics since the late 1980s: "I prefered when comic book worlds were places you wanted to escape to, not escape from!"

[ScrewySquirrel]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

 

San Angelo: City of Heroes (Gold Rush Games) - ok, not a comic book, but an excellent RPG resource for HERO featuring a self contained world that explores realistic implications of a world with people who have powers. Its out of print, but you can easily find second hand copies on the net.

 

 

Speaking of this, the MMO City of Heroes comic (the first, 12-issue series, made 2004-2005) is a good read of two heros fighting villainy in a city so full of supers they seem to be 10% of the population. The MMO itself has a silver age sheen over some VERY dark storylines.

[input.jack]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

Speaking of this' date=' the MMO City of Heroes comic (the first, 12-issue series, made 2004-2005) is a good read of two heros fighting villainy in a city so full of supers they seem to be 10% of the population. The MMO itself has a silver age sheen over some VERY dark storylines.[/quote']

 

I dont know. I got the COH comic along with my subscription to the MMO, and I had to stop reading it because it was so "Iron Agey" it made me sick. Seems like every third panel theres a hero getting killed.

 

Permanently.

 

Which CANT happen in the game.

 

It bugged me.

 

 

 

(PS: Watch Incredibles. Itll make you laugh and cry and cheer!)

[Southern Cross]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

This is true.I much preferred the Freedom Force mini-series to the COH comic book.It was a real tribute to Kirby.

[Dr. Propaganda]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

I would like to recommend Invincible to as you well. As a fellow dinosaur, I can say I appreciate your concerns. I grew up reading Teen Titans back in the Wolfman / Perez days, and look at what has happened to both Marvel and DC these days with increasing indifference and outright disdain. However, I picked up Invincible when it first came out, and have never looked back. Robert Kirkman, the author, grew up reading what we read and loving what we loved and you can see this reflected in his writing.

 

Invincible is also one that seems relevant to your situation, in that you described your group of players as teens, the oldest nineteen. The main character, Invincible is nineteen, and deals with a lot of modern comic topics and scenarios, but does so with a very Silver Age mindset. He is not goofy (or at least no more goofy than an average nineteen year old boy), but does have a refreshing innocence around him. He is the son of an iconic Silver Age style hero, and interacts with the government and other heroes in a modern world, but seldom in any dark or gritty fashion. There is danger, there is intrigue, there is even some gore. But on the whole, Invincible is a comic that would be a great game for teen players to aspire to and for a GM to present as a Silver Age revisit to younger players.

[teh bunneh]

Re: I am a comic book dinosaur.

 

I second Dr. Propaganda's recommendation. Invincible (though it does have a few darker moments) is well-worth looking at.