Here's a tale of two licensed properties. Both had talented writers and artists working on their comic series, but one had a distinct difference. Atari Force was alone with its own story and continuity, while ROM was placed squarely in the middle of the Marvel Universe, with familiar heroes and villains crossing paths with the titular hero. Perhaps if DC had made Atari Force a pert of the DCU, their comic would have had a wider appeal than it did.
I bought it mainly for the gorgeous JL Garcia Lopez art. Here's an original sketch of Starfire by him from my collection:
You didn't want to use Starfire's drawing with yesterday's cover? (?????)
ReplyDeleteAnd yet Marvel didn't renew it either.
Changes were still in the air.
ROM, Micronauts, and Atari Force were all surprisingly good.
ReplyDeleteI have this splash from Atari Force: https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1118827
Cool, The OG Atari Force!
ReplyDeleteI tended to avoid comics based on toys and games, not because I didn't think they'd be any good but because I figured those licensed works would disappear as soon as the toys were discontinued. Sure enough, without the licensing to properties that they'd integrated into their main universe, Marvel has had to change or delete references to ROM, the Micronauts, and other such works (which is why the MCU has "the Quantum Realm" instead of "the Microverse"). Transformers may be an exception; I'm not even sure right now of their status, either back then or these days.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of Starfire, I think it's high time she had a reuinion with Firestar.
Ah, yes! Classic Starfire; Little Orphan Annie eyes and all. I don't know how she wound up with terrestrial green eyes. She certainly didn't absorb those from Dick Grayson with a kiss!*
ReplyDeleteAs for Atari Force? I'll have to agree with you about the lack of wide-enough appeal due to stand-alone universe status. It's that very reason that made me boycott both it and "Camelot 3000." Then, again; the sword-and-sorcery series "Stalker" and the Killraven-like series featuring Starfire's Asiatic namesake were faithfully read by me, at the time. And they still wound up getting cancelled!
So I guess stand-alone comic universes have their pros and cons, just like most everything else in life.
*Unless, maybe, she gave Beast Boy a peck on the cheek for his 21st birthday. ;-)
@Cary: Camelot 3000 was intended from the start to be a stand-alone 12-issue limited series, telling a single story with beginning, middle, and end. I read it from start to finish as it came out, and while it wasn't great, it wasn't horrible either. If you can get a TPB from your local library or something, it's probably worth the time to read.
ReplyDeleteI always have better luck with Barnes & Noble. But, they're naturally closed for the pandemic (at least, in my neck of the woods). So, I'll have to put that particular back order on the back burner.
ReplyDelete@Carycomic: re: Camelot3000. I just finished re-reading it downloaded from Hoopla. It was a loan via my local library (I don't read physical comics anymore due to transportation and storage issues). It does have an interesting premise, but it doesn't stick the landing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jay. You just saved me $15.99 (more or less)!
ReplyDeleteLike I said, get it from your local library or something. It's not worth spending money (at least, not two-digit money), but it's probably worth the time.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I _donate_ all the comic books loaned out by my local library! So, I can tell you for a fact: CAMELOT 3000 is not among them.
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