Big Bang Adventures #34

 Hey, long time no post about comics, eh? And for those who may have followed me in "the before times," long time since I've posted about the publisher we're about to focus on today. There's a reason for that, it has a name, and it's the name of a jerk that I hope this publisher breaks its ties with at some point. Until then, I'll just read and post about stuff that doesn't feature his name in the credits.

ANYWAY, I have been making an effort to catch back up with the "Big Bang Adventures" series, and today, I read the latest issue, #34. Check out the cover below:

If you couldn't tell, Big Bang is a "retro" style publisher, and they have been since the 1990s. They have a scattered publishing history, one you can catch up with best on their own website at https://bigbangcomics.com/. (Click on the pinned "Spotlight on Big Bang" post for a free, super-detailed PDF of their history)

In short, Big Bang head honcho Gary Carlson spearheaded the Megaton title, where future Image Comics luminaries like Erik Larsen and Rob Liefeld got their starts, and soon after forever becoming the "Godfather of Image Comics," Carlson (and creative partner Chris Ecker) switched his focus to creating a line of loving pastiche-flavored characters under the banner of "Big Bang Comics."

Ultiman, Man of the Atom, seen above on the latest DC-Archives-Homaging cover of Big Banf Adventures, is the line's "Superman," but he is no mere Clark Kent clone.

You can learn all about what makes this character different from his obvious inspiration by reading this issue all by itself, as Carlson and company tend to adhere to the tenet of "every issue is someone's first" more often than not.

This particular issue features one "new" story, featuring Ultiman early on in his career, facing a super-powered bank robber while also trying to show his little hooligan of a younger brother a good time in the city. The villain's name is "Carbonite," which I thought might put Carlson in Lucasfilm's sights until the story itself taught me that carbonite was the name of an explosive used in the coal mining industry back in the day. Seems Lucas "borrowed" that word along with so many other things in the creation of his "totally original saga," eh?

Anyway, I appreciated the welcome surprise of this issue helping me shake off some of my own "nerdy tunnel vision" when it comes to the origins of things.  As for the story itself, it's a quick, crazy affair, with some of the hand-waviest pseudo-science you're likely to exposed to (until the next story in this issue) and the focus set squarely on fun.  

There's plenty of "on-screen" characterization delivered through the dialogue and during the action, too, so by the time you finish this brief opening tale you feel adequately initiated into Ultiman's world, while also being left curious enough to know more. That's comic book craft at work, folks!

The second story in this issue has a spotty history similar to the publisher itself, having an unfinished debut in the early 2000s, a finished but black-and-white publication in 2017, and finally, a complete and fully colored presentation in this very issue of Big Bang Adventures.

But don't worry, that's all spelled out in deeper but concisely written detail in some text pieces in the issue itself! There's also an illustrated profile on Carl Kelly, Ultiman's younger brother, and some excellent pin-up pieces in the back of the issue, too.

Okay, back to that second story: "Ultiman of the Atom" is a VERY Silver-Age-Styled tale, both in art and in storytelling, and it showcases what the Big Bang is best at; something I call "Era Emulation."

Make no mistake, this issue is very heavily weighted to the Silver Age side of that Emulation Spectrum, and Big Bang is very much a "retro" imprint, but if you dig into their offerings, you'll find them very capable of producing stories in the fashion of comics from the 1940s through, yes, even the 1990s at times! And all that without a "wink at the reader" or an ounce of self-deprecating snark. Big Bang tends to harbor an earnest appreciation of the best elements of the medium from anywhere within that 50 year perioid.

All right, NOW I'll get back to the story! "Ultiman of the Atom" is a "Three Part Novel" featuring a scientific experiment that leads to the discovery of a microscopic world where everyone has powers like Ultiman's! Naturally, our hero ends up transported to this world, and quickly has encounters of the apocalyptic and romantic nature before everything concludes in a surprisingly tragic fashion for the classically flavored goings-on.

But again, if you look back on those Silver Age stories, they frequently featured stunningly "dark" events that are more or less "walked off" by the characters before their next adventure, and this story very much walks down that path.

So hey: if you've never heard of Big Bang Comics, go to their website and check them out.

When you're done with that, go to Indyplanet and buy their books in print or digital formats at this link:

Big Bang Adventures at IndyPlanet

Have fun,

-Max

Reading Rules for Games I'll Never Play

 Since my recent posts here have featured characters I've made for a roleplaying game, and the most recent book I've finished reading was a rulebook for a different roleplaying game ("Weird Heroes of Public Access"), I've been thinking about this habit of mine...

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy reading rules for RPGs, and making characters for them, but the last time I "actively" played one of these games was a short-lived online 1920s superhero adventure using the Cypher system. 

I ended up bailing on that to spend more time on the Weird Warriors Podcast that I co-created and still co-host with my long-suffering buddy Rich.

I guess actually playing RPGs is just too time consuming for me now, and has been for over a decade really. Playing "solo RPGs" holds no interest for me, either, so...why do I engage with this kind of material at all?

To be fair, even back when I had time to play and a regular group to do so with, I still acquired far more RPG material than I ever even intended to make "use" of, and I know I'm not alone in this.

And, I do occasionally enjoy the sheer act of reading a RPG rulebook, especially in the case the aforementioned WHPA (which I will link to at some point in this rambling post). 

That book in particular has very few "rules" in it to speak of, and is mostly a collection of quirky zine content establishing more of a "vibe" than anything else. 

Seriously, it's great. Here's a pic of the cover:

And a link to where you can buy it:
https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/products/weird-heroes-of-public-access?_pos=1&_psq=weird+&_ss=e&_v=1.0

So, yeah, I know it's "okay" to read RPG books and make characters for games that I KNOW I will never play, but I just don't know if it's something I should spend my time on....at 54, I'm starting to look at the clock on the wall, eh?

And yet, here I am blogging about whether or not I am wasting my time on a different leisure activity.  I mean, this is basically a diary, but still.

But hey: check out WHPA. It's a fun, interesting, brief, and truly creative read.

And let me know if you ever play it. It'd be nice to at least HEAR about one of these things being used for their intended purpose :)