J.L. Switzer

J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 10, 2024 at 02:16 UTC

Yep, that was all I watched. I remember it because it was the same holiday season as the Doctor Who Xmas special Voyage of the Damned, which my pal Levi LOATHED and I went "eh, it wasn't THAT bad," & our positions were flipped for the Frontier preview/premiere (but neither mounted a STRONG defense).

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 21:48 UTC

I was prolly in a bad state of mind when I watched the premiere back 'round Xmas of '07 & had REALLY internalized just how much 7 & Plus & even 0 to an extent were allowed to be their own things and not "Macross again w/ a change of wallpaper," so when Frontier ep 1 kinda was that it made me SO MAD.

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 21:17 UTC

Yeah, I mean I bounced off that first episode of Frontier so hard I should be sailing past Jupiter at this point, but I'd be a complete fool to say that show failed. It clearly gave a lot of people exactly what they wanted ...

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 21:13 UTC

Oh sure, I just mean folks doing fan theorizing about "thing in this show means something Megaroad, something something Minmay" narrows the world instead of expands. Also thinking about the episode where the shady merchant basically goes over Every Important Thing & it's an all-Macross-series recap.

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 21:01 UTC

Ah, so boneheaded fan theorizing both outside & in-universe. Frickin' people, man. And like, I enjoy a good callback as much as the next person, but I did think there was enough of that in Delta that it made the Macross universe seem small & insular. Not sure why you'd want MORE of that.

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 19:00 UTC

Oh dear, what flavor of wrong are they on Delta? (Pretty sure Macross World is largely responsible for the notion, preserved in amber in my creaky brain full of holes, that "Macross people" are largely completely insufferable -- as opposed to "Robotech people" who are miserable, nuts, or both.)

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 03:26 UTC

And finally -- yeah, I was on a real X-kick here -- three issues of Guggenheim's X-Men Gold (wanted the whole Mojo crossover, but they didn't have the rest) and a random issue of the Schism pre-crossover mini. Remember hearing "meh" things about Gold generally, but I'm sure I've read worse.

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 03:21 UTC

Speaking of books featuring the original 5 X-Men, four 2007-2008 issues of the book the largely solid (except for the Darwin bit) '60s X-Men flick stole its name from, Jeff Parker and (usually) Roger Cruz's X-Men First Class. It's Parker, dude's a reliably fun writer.

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 03:16 UTC

How did I never notice Art Adams was the regular cover artist for X-Men Blue? I suppose I must've just missed that incredibly f'ing obvious Emma Frost cover, though I've considered the Mojo crossover with X-Men Gold several times & that Dark Phoenix is so Art Adams it hurts.

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 03:07 UTC

And then, that run of adjective-free X-Men starts with mediocre talent & creep Brian Wood writing for about a year and a bit; guess it's the last nine I'm getting, since that's 1st Marc Guggenheim, who's fine I guess, then G. Willow Wilson. Alas the art, from what I've seen, is only so-so.

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 02:57 UTC

2 more X-titles I buy specific issues of and treat the others as landmines: I will never have a full run or full understanding of the Kieron Gillen years of Uncanny X-Men because I refuse to buy or read any of the Greg Land-penciled issues. Insane to go from Carlos Pacheco to that porn-traced dreck.

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 02:52 UTC

As for the others, fiddly li'l mini-series & one-shots I'd've never bought new are easy buys during a sale, or even just "one more thing" during a regular back issue hunt. So sure, a Jason Aaron Wolverine I don't have & Brian Stelfreeze undoubtedly drawing the hell out of a Domino story, sign me up!

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 02:48 UTC

The other day I was thinking, would it be so bad if I re-bought the Chuck Austen Uncanny X-Men issues that Sean Phillips drew? The answer to that question is "yes," but similar thinking landed a Daniel Way Wolverine in my lap; hey man, Mark Texeira drew it. Can't be ALL bad. Also, two bucks, B1G1.

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 02:41 UTC

When my eyes struck that 1st issue of Spectacular Spidey, I knew it was going in the pile, and since it was buy-1-get-1, the next issue came with, too. Then, a couple of Jim Zub-written issues of Uncanny Avengers. "Call me Alex" still stings years later, but slowly collecting the post-Remender run.

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 02:31 UTC

At this point I'll pick up almost any '90s Batman or 'Tec I don't have; this Detective cover grabbed me this week. Also grabbing me: J.M. DeMatteis & Keith Giffen's names on an '80s Dr. Fate comic? YOINK. Is this the only thing Giffen ever drew for DeMatteis? Also: 1st issue of Dreadstar for CHEAP.

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 02:23 UTC

(Also: I was SO happily surprised to see that Joe Mad cover on X-Men Classic 81. Can never get enough of that guy drawing Nightcrawler -- his Excalibur two-parter guest starring the X-Men was a very happy early X-memory.)

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 02:21 UTC

(Definitely need some more from that period when Mignola was doing the covers -- half for the covers, half because I *don't* have those issues of Uncanny X-Men except in unwieldy omnibus format -- earliest UXM I have, actually, is the very one reprinted there in X-Men Classic 74.)

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 02:19 UTC

Easy effectively $1 buys: a big whack of Classic X-Men (mind you, all but one from when they flipped the title 'round the other way). Do have the original issues of all but 2 of these, but god DAMN look at all that pretty Adam Hughes cover art -- and STELLAR talent surrounding his cover run, too.

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 09, 2024 at 02:10 UTC

Before I file them/add them to the various reading piles around the apt, a "quick" thread of the spoils of the 4th of July buy-1-get-1 sale at Vintage Stock over the weekend. First up: some more '70s Kirby Cap issues! Never would have bought these at VS's prices sans sale, but at "1/2 off," sure!

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J.L. Switzer @captainjls.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 08, 2024 at 18:44 UTC

Same situation here in Kansas. My mom and I have to play a weekly guessing game, "is this Walmart cashier old enough to ring up the six pack I'm getting with my groceries?" (The other big Walmart cashier annoyance -- they still put blu-rays in those clamshells & NO register anymore has the opener.)

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