It was Cosplay Day at expatNERD. We’ve been running this for a while now and I am always surprised that more stores don’t do something like this. I mean why wait for a convention or a movie to come out to show us what you can do? Plus, there is something special and unifying about the experience of dressing up as your favorite characters, especially ones that you identify with.
Unfortunately, it can be triggering for some people, currently for unknown reasons.
But back to Asterix and Obelix. It was shocking when I realized that they did not make it over the pond. I mean, these two characters are not only beloved, but are globally recognized…outside of the United States I guess. Asterix and Obelix do share that same sacred space as Robbie Williams, Take That, and the metric system.
We do have some interesting strips coming up. Franka told me this will be the start of a Curt-focused storyline, bringing us closer to his secret ‘origin’ story.
Can you believe it? This week is Superman week! On Friday I will see James Gunn’s Superman and I really cannot wait. Thus, I continue my Superman recommendations and give you, what I think, are some of the best Superman comic book stories out there.
I started with the Death of Superman, continued to Superman: Exile, and now I present you three issues within the DC Comics Presents line, featuring the first appearance of Mongul, created by none other than Jim Starlin.
DC Comics Presents #’s 27, 28, 29, is a trilogy of sorts. For those that do not know, DC Comics Presents was, more or less, DC Comics’ answer to Marvel Comics’ Team-Up, which featured Spider-Man teaming up with another character in the Marvel Universe. Alternatively, DC Comics Presents had Superman teaming up with a character or characters within the DC Universe. This series was created to capitalize on the popularity of Superman after the successful movie adaptations, Superman The Movie and Superman II.
And what a beautiful three issue series this was. Jim Starlin provided his beautiful art and gave us what he has always been best at: grand stories on a cosmic scale. Len Wein supplied the scripts and this was a true inspired team-up. #27 introduced Mongul and Warworld and we have a heart-wrenching battle between Supes and Martian the Manhunter. Issue #28 was an epic battle between Warworld, an entire weaponized planet, and Superboy and Supergirl. #29 wrapped it up, as Superman tested the limits of his powers as he chased Supergirl who was knocked on unconscious. He went up against the Spectre who told him he was breaking forbidden barriers and the entire issue summed up who Superman is and also gave us an insight into how powerful Sueprman was at the time. With Starlin’s art, these three issues are not only beautiful, but everything seems to explode off the page.
Because of the significance of this being Mongul’s first appearance, these issues can be quite pricey if found on their own. #27 is usually the hard one to hunt down and I think it will run you at least 30 bucks, depending on the comic grade. But again, it’s worth it, especially if you are not familiar with any of the pre-Crisis Superman stuff.
I hope you enjoyed these Superman recommendations! With the movie coming out this week, next week I will start giving you some Fantastic Four recs.
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