Michael UslanReseñas

This book was very interesting.

I grew up with reading Archie, and it's nice to get back into these comics as an adult.

absolutely horrid

This book was cute, but it annoyed me that they named the kids after themselves. Otherwise the story was nice and was about what I thought would happen if Archie married one of them.

This was a rather confusing title for me. I felt like I was reading a book where the main characters did not act like themselves. The story starts in the present than moves to the past but does not resolve why it starts in the future. I was waiting for the moment when the leads would figure out what they wanted to do and get that done. When it finally happens it felt flat. Like why, did they just do that in the beginning. I don't think I'll look forward to more of this series.

I read this book via Netgalley. I thank them for this book. #NetGalley

First off, I didn't realise that The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet were related. Turns out they are.
When I picked up this title I was imagining some sort of time travel storyline. I didn't expect the Lone Ranger to be an old man. However there was enough flashbacks to get a sense of him in his prime.
I enjoyed the artwork and the action sequences. The storyline while simplistic seemed to reflect a lot of what is happening in politics today. In fact TLR makes a comment about 'jews, people of colour and homosexuals being persecuted', and while I agree with the sentiment it it's unlikely to be something that would have been said in 1936/7, what with homosexuality being against the law. Apart from this slip the history seemed to be pretty much on the money.
Where the story fell down for me is that it seems to get booked down under its own backstory and on occasion took itself too seriously.
Overall an interesting title.

You can find my full review of this on my blog, The Itinerant Librarian. Simply click (or copy/paste to your favorite browser) the link below to read the full review.

Review link: http://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2014/04/booknote-shadowgreen-hornet-dark-...

In The Boy Who Loved Batman: A Memoir, Michael E. Uslan recounts his life from childhood to the events in which he became the producer of all modern Batman films beginning with the 1989 Batman and including the direct-to-video films. He begins with a description of his life growing up in suburban New Jersey and his extensive reading of comic books just as the Silver Age began. His account of the early Comic Cons and his youthful exploits meeting industry insiders like Bill Finger and Otto Binder will make Uslan the envy of fans everywhere, while his description of early fandom offers invaluable insights for comic book historians.

Later, he was the first instructor to teach an accredited course about comic books at the university level. While at Indiana University, Uslan used a program at the College of Arts and Sciences that allowed anyone, faculty or student, to design and propose their own course. He developed one that analyzed comic books as folklore, successfully pitching it to the dean by drawing comparisons between the story of Moses and Superman’s origin. Once the dean approved the course, Uslan worked to ensure it received attention in the press. Both Marvel and DC heard of it, with Stan Lee at Marvel arranging for some guest lecturers to join and Sol Harrison, the VP of DC, flying Uslan out to New York City to offer materials that he might use in his course. This, in turn, led to Uslan gaining access to DC’s disorganized archives, developing educational materials for DC to market, and even working on the Comicmobile, a gimmick Sol Harrison developed to help distribute comics in areas where they were harder to get (pgs. 100-113).

Discussing his desire to return Batman to the dark knight detective from the campy, pop art style of the 1960s show, Uslan writes, “By God, after so many decades fighting in the trenches, and thanks to many people who believed in that same cause, when Batman and years later Batman Begins and The Dark Knight arrived in theatres, I believed I had done just that” (pg. 62). Though it took some work, particularly as the Batman brand was considered weaker following the 1960s television show, Uslan convinced DC to sell him the Batman film rights and committed himself to ensuring the film captured the dark nature of the Batman as he originally appeared and to which Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams were returning him in the 1970s (pgs. 173-189).

Uslan recounts these events with honest humor, dishing on details for his readers and offering a valuable insight into comic book history. As a Chronicle Book, the final product includes beautifully incorporated images with plenty of comic book art, copies of memos, and Uslan’s photographs. The end result is a great insight into comic book fandom, the film industry, and U.S. cultural history.½

This book just resurfaced in my memory. I recall checking it out multiple times from my local library as a kid. I don't remember much about what the quizzes were like, but in the middle there was a section of b&w reproductions of many comic covers, which I loved poring over. I also know it was where I found out that Riddler's real name was E. Nigma (spelled "Nygma" nowadays.) That's the only quiz I remember; you had to match code names with real names. Unfortunately, the book is no longer at that library.

I can't even lie, this one made me cry in the end.

There are 3 parts in this Archie Marries Veronica series. Meanwhile the last 3 issues, issues #603 to #605, are entitled Archie Marries Betty. In this particular issue, Archie walked down the memory lane and was transported to the year of their college graduation. He proposed to Veronica and Betty was devastated because of it. Almost everyone in Riverdale worries about Betty and we all know how painful it is for her because she likes Archie even way back then.

Full disclosure on the LibraryThing Radio Hour: this book was brought to me by our good friends at NetGalley in return for an honest review

Apart from watching the former's film and reading the latter's Wikipedia entry, I didn't know much about either the Lone Ranger or Green Hornet before reading this crossover. Perhaps that's why I didn't really enjoy it.

It's possible, of course, to write a piece of fan service that also entertains new readers, but Lone Ranger/Green Hornet seemed weighed down by its own sense of significance.

Po-faced when it needed to be fun, on-the-nose when it needed to be joshing, awkward when it needed to be humorous. "Why not call it your 'Batmobile'?" "Because that sounds ridiculous!" Be still my aching sides.

As I say, it's quite possible I don't have the investment you need to get your return from this one. I'm vaguely aware copyright entanglements have kept these two relatives apart for a good many years, and long-term fans may share the comic's sense of moment.

All I can say is that it's not much fun for a newbie. Hey-ho Silver, anyway...

A good two point of view story. It shows great illustrations. However it does have some dramatic situations that will get you more interested.

I haven't read Archie comics in years, but the other day I remembered the marriage storyline and decided to look into it. This volume covers the first 6 issues of that storyline. Archie takes a walk down memory lane and we get to see what his life would be like if he married both Betty and Veronica. I know not everyone is thrilled with the idea but the Betty/Veronica debate has gone on for years and it's a neat way to make everyone happy.

The alternate story lines are both pretty interesting and I like seeing what's going to happen in both scenarios. I will admit that since other factors differ, such as when other characters get married and what characters are doing with their lives. Sometimes, this gets a little bit confusing b/c you have a moment where you go "wait a minute...." but then you get yourself re-situated and keep going.

I did feel like they may have made Veronica's dad a little bit too much the villain. Now as I said I haven't read in years but I don't remember him being so evil feeling when I was a kid. He's making it impossible for people to survive in what is already a very difficult environment.

I definitely want to keep reading this, particularly since I want to see what turns out the same in both environments and what ends up different.

I haven't read Archie comics in years, but the other day I remembered the marriage storyline and decided to look into it. This volume covers the first 6 issues of that storyline. Archie takes a walk down memory lane and we get to see what his life would be like if he married both Betty and Veronica. I know not everyone is thrilled with the idea but the Betty/Veronica debate has gone on for years and it's a neat way to make everyone happy.

The alternate story lines are both pretty interesting and I like seeing what's going to happen in both scenarios. I will admit that since other factors differ, such as when other characters get married and what characters are doing with their lives. Sometimes, this gets a little bit confusing b/c you have a moment where you go "wait a minute...." but then you get yourself re-situated and keep going.

I did feel like they may have made Veronica's dad a little bit too much the villain. Now as I said I haven't read in years but I don't remember him being so evil feeling when I was a kid. He's making it impossible for people to survive in what is already a very difficult environment.

I definitely want to keep reading this, particularly since I want to see what turns out the same in both environments and what ends up different.

I haven't read Archie comics in years, but the other day I remembered the marriage storyline and decided to look into it. This volume covers the first 6 issues of that storyline. Archie takes a walk down memory lane and we get to see what his life would be like if he married both Betty and Veronica. I know not everyone is thrilled with the idea but the Betty/Veronica debate has gone on for years and it's a neat way to make everyone happy.

The alternate story lines are both pretty interesting and I like seeing what's going to happen in both scenarios. I will admit that since other factors differ, such as when other characters get married and what characters are doing with their lives. Sometimes, this gets a little bit confusing b/c you have a moment where you go "wait a minute...." but then you get yourself re-situated and keep going.

I did feel like they may have made Veronica's dad a little bit too much the villain. Now as I said I haven't read in years but I don't remember him being so evil feeling when I was a kid. He's making it impossible for people to survive in what is already a very difficult environment.

I definitely want to keep reading this, particularly since I want to see what turns out the same in both environments and what ends up different.

I haven't read Archie comics in years, but the other day I remembered the marriage storyline and decided to look into it. This volume covers the first 6 issues of that storyline. Archie takes a walk down memory lane and we get to see what his life would be like if he married both Betty and Veronica. I know not everyone is thrilled with the idea but the Betty/Veronica debate has gone on for years and it's a neat way to make everyone happy.

The alternate story lines are both pretty interesting and I like seeing what's going to happen in both scenarios. I will admit that since other factors differ, such as when other characters get married and what characters are doing with their lives. Sometimes, this gets a little bit confusing b/c you have a moment where you go "wait a minute...." but then you get yourself re-situated and keep going.

I did feel like they may have made Veronica's dad a little bit too much the villain. Now as I said I haven't read in years but I don't remember him being so evil feeling when I was a kid. He's making it impossible for people to survive in what is already a very difficult environment.

I definitely want to keep reading this, particularly since I want to see what turns out the same in both environments and what ends up different.

When I was young tween, the only real reading I did was Archie comics. We had them in our house all the time; my parents must have thought they were safe enough because no one ever gets any action. There has been news recently about Archie being shot to death in the graphic novel Death of Archie which is the last book in The Married Life series. This news got me curious so I had to pick up the first trade paperback which covers the first six issues of this series.

I have always been on the side of Betty and never could understand why Archie would choose Veronica over her. Archie: The Married Life is split into two different timelines; almost like a Sliding Doors scenario, or, if you are a fan of Broadway, If/Then. This series follows the life of Archie married to Veronica and then Betty. There are some situations that are different in each timeline but mostly follow the same events. Unfortunately nothing much has changed since they were in high school.

Archie: The Married Life does try to look at the normal day-to-day issue facing adults but it holds back too much. For example, Midge finally breaks up with Moose because she is scared of his violent outbursts. This story arch could have gone into some interesting themes of emotional and physical abuse but it treads lightly around the topic. Moose does try and work on his anger issues but there is just so much more they could have done.

My favourite character was always Jughead and I enjoyed it when he hard a love life, luckily this is inserted into this series but not very well. He is getting married. I won’t tell you to who, but the only romance I saw between them was when they shared a milkshake at Pop’s Treat. This brings me to my next issue; why are they still hanging out at Pop’s Treat? I am sure it would be nice to have a place to hang but they could go to a bar or something different every now and then. They are working adults now, but they all still act like teenagers.

I think my biggest problem is the fact that this series is a sugar coated interpretation of what adult and married life would be like. No one has sex; although there was some alluding to an affair between Veronica and Reggie, but nothing happened. The series is still marketed to young tweens and this disappoints me, I thought Archie: The Married Life would have been a more adult look at the Archie world, I was wrong. I don’t even know if I want to continue, I might just read Afterlife with Archie instead.

This review originally appeared on my blog: http://literary-exploration.com/2014/10/26/archie-the-married-life-vol-1-by-mich...

A (sort of) prequel to the later "Archie: The Married Life" series. Here, we have again two separate storylines, in which Archie proposes to Betty/Veronica at a college graduation party. In both stories, the new couples go through an adjustment period before settling into a new life. And in both stories, they conclude with pregnancy and twins. So there are some differences between this and "...The Married Life". This is written and drawn with a lighter touch than the later series, and is a most enjoyable read for the longtime Archie fan. And as a longtime Betty fan, I did get a lot more pleasure from her marriage to Archie. The boxed book also comes with a reprint book of classic Archie stories from the 40's, 50's and 60's.

I have a guilty secret: I always enjoyed the "Archie" comic books, as a child, teen and adult. They're not great literature, and they don't exactly accurately portray American teens, and the story quality varies pretty widely (although the "good-girl" art has generally been pretty good). But there's a wholesome innocence that always appealed to me, curmudgeonly as I usually am.

This series takes our teens into young adulthood, with all the joys and pitfalls that usually come with it. We have two separate storylines here; one in which Archie has married Betty, and one in which Veronica is his bride. The two storylines alternate throughout the book, and sometimes the back-and-forth gets a little confusing. But there are some surprises here. Jughead (the inveterate girl-hater) winds up married to Midge, Moose's ex, who is now with his anger-management yoga instructor. In both storylines, Reggie turns out to be not such a jerk after all, and winds up with the girl Archie left behind. Mr. Weatherbee and Miss Grundy discover true love and marry, spitting in the face of her terminal cancer. And Mr. Lodge turns out to be pretty evil, willing to break laws and destroy anybody who gets in his way, even Archie and his loved ones.

The tone is quite different from the light humor of the high school days, but it fits the new depth of the series as characters I really came to enjoy reading about over the past 50 years or so have finally broken free of the frozen time warp that was Riverdale High School.

Archie Andrews is finally getting married, but to who? Is it the girl next door, Betty or the beautiful and rich Veronica? Archie takes a trip down Memory Lane (literally) and finds out what his future would be like if he marries Veronica and how it would be if he marries Betty. Both marriages demonstrate that they have their ups and downs, but which one will he choose? Archie fans will appreciate the traditional style of the graphic novel that Archie comics have kept throughout the years. The frames mostly remain scene-to-scene and use a natural-looking color scheme. This graphic novel will attract audiences from 13 and up. Kids will like it because it is an easy-to-read graphic novel that contains romance and adults will gravitate towards it because it reminds them of their childhood. The non-concrete ending will disappoint those who had hoped for a definitive winner in this longtime competition. A great graphic novel for both the young and mature reader. Recommended.½

It's weird--in the 20 years or whatever since I've looked at an Archie comic, they've updated their clothes and slang somewhat, but they're still done by the same creative teams that have been working on them for 40-odd years, and I don't know whether it's done tongue-in-cheek or out of laziness or because they actually think the kids will get these jokes (or is it that, like superheroes, "the kids" don't read Archie comics anymore and it's all middle-aged trolls?). Like, Archie marries Veronica (OR DOES HE) and gets a job with Mr. Lodge and has a one o'clock with "Sheik Yerbouti"? In 2011? Also, used-car salesman jokes.

Anyway, you'll be pleased to know that everything turns out fine no matter what and the American Dream shines undimmed, although the creative team do slily endorse Betty, I think, in that when Archie marries her (as opposed to when he marries Ron) not only they but the other characters have real struggles represented relatively sensitively and we get the feeling not that Archie leads a charmed life but that the world is unfolding as it should.

Finally, I think I must make a t-shirt of that panel where Moose, after explaining about his anger-management classes and how he'll find love when he can love himself, watches the sun rise in his coveralls, and Archie's all dumbfounded. Hilariously touching.½

An engaging "Elseworlds" story beginning with Lincoln's assassination, and the start of a 75-year plot to avenge the South's defeat in the Civil War. The plot is a bit convoluted, but the changes of history that bring Bruce Wayne into the fold of a secret society of detectives whose mission is to foil the 75-year plot (Bruce, of course, is Detective No. 27) are quite intriguing. There are also a lot of tie-ins, albeit altered ones, with many other aspects of Batman's and the DC universe (Bruce Wayne never becomes Batman in this tale) that add spice and interest. I was a bit shocked and dismayed to find out who the main baddie was in the end, but after all, it's only an "imaginary" tale.½