It’s time for iFlashback! A weekly feature in which we take a look at some comics that were on sale nine years ago. Why nine years and not ten? Well because our Mondays in 2012 sync up with the Wednesdays of 2003.
So jog down memory lane with me. The date is July 16th, 2003. The number one film at the box office is Pirates of the Caribbean and these are some of the comics at your local comic book shop.
Batman: Gotham Knights #43
By Scott Beatty, Roger Robinson, John Floyd, John Ostrander, Philip Bond
New Mutants #3
By Nunzio DeFlippis, Christina Weir, Keron Grant
Superman: Metropolis #6
By Chuck Austen, Danijel Zezelj
Puffed #1
By John Layman, Dave Crosland
Gotham Central #9
By Greg Rucka, Michael Lark
The Amazing Spider-Man #55 (496)
By Fiona Kai Avery, J. Michael Straczynski, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna
Arrowsmith #1
By Kurt Busiek, Carlos Pacheco, Jesus Merino, Alex Sinclair
New X-Men #144
By Grant Morrison, Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend
Teen Titans #1
By Geoff Johns, Mike McKone, Marlo Alquiza
That was the week that was in comics. I know Geoff Johns was already popular with most of us due to The Flash and JSA but I think it was this relaunch Teen Titans that caused him to really blow up. Who else we got this week? Some good old Greg Rucka and Michael Lark! Some early John Layman work too! Did you read any of these? If so what were your thoughts on them?
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Still love that issue of Titans!
(Though never occured to me how odd Superboy looks on the cover)
Seconded. Johns’ whole run on the book was great!
Yeah, Superboy kind of has Cyborg’s build, like Cyborg was supposed to be until Johns got permission to use Superboy.
Sigh Gotham Central, how i miss thee.
Oh Yeah, one of the best things to come out of Gotham ever!
Was such an awesome series, shame the sales were never there!
I would totally back a new series anyday!
Gotham Central hardcovers are high on my list to buy,heard nothing but good feedback on em. I wasn’t reading many comix if any around that time, think that was one of my off again years cause I remember getting into Spidey when JMS took over writing completely and it had to of been shortly after that Spidey issue above. Rucka and Lark on that new image release Lazarus sounds good too.
@JSAkid, Yes Lazarus sounds like its going ot be awesome. My first thought when i heard the news, oh ok might as well take my money now. No way I’m not going to buy that.
You should definitely check out Gotham Central, absolutely amazing series. It was like Firefly all over again for me, I highly doubt it would ever come back (especially with the original creators, brubaker, rucka and lark) but that would be amazing.
That New Mutants cover is NICE! Reminds me of Fiona Staples.
Its Joshua Middleton, if my memory serves correctly. He did a lovely sequence of covers for this title as well as NYX. One of my fave artists, but I don’t think he does comics any more.
@har13quin He did the Sword of Sorcery #0 cover and one for Silk Spectre #2
For some reason this weeks flashbacks seem to be a particularly good one for coves I like, but this one specifically caught my eye. So I googled Joshua, and spent the next 30 minutes going through his blog. Man I just really got drawn in by his style.
I guess I’m not the only one who likes it since in 2004 he was nominated for an Eisner. And his work on Supergirl, I have no idea how the story was, but how could I have missed those covers, just gorgeous. Just by coincidence I think the two covers I have of his are in the middle of tpb’s and not typical of his style (a Gotham Central, and a Serenity).
I remember walking into the shop and seeing that Gotham Knights issue…
Also, that New X-Men was so good! Such a shame it was basically retconned right away.
That particular part of Morrison’s story (Weapon Plus) wasn’t retconned. Remender picked up all those strands in Uncanny X-Force. The World, Ultimaton, Fantomex, Father, and all that sweet comic book awesomeness.
I remember walking into my lcs after not collecting for quite some time and seeing New X-Men and was like why the hell are they New? The characters were familiar but with a different costumes, then it turned out to be a classic run and years later I have the complete omnibus on pre-order. He did a few things that carried into X-men continuity besides Fantomex (whos a kick ass character) but the Xavier walking again was in that run right? He created another character in that series too I thought and am about to wiki it.
Quentin Quire maybe and the Emma Frost/Cyclops affair started there. I think I’m wrong on the Xavier walking again in that series.
Also Dust (the young girl in the Berka) came out of this run.
Teen Titans is still, in my opinion, Mike McKone best work.
Seconded.
I loved Arrowsmith.
I really enjoy iFlashback, congrats on this great idea – and I’m glad to see more publishers being featured in these articles, Wildstorm is a favorite of mine from around that time in comics even tho I caught up with most of their material later on. I haven’t had a chance to read Arrowsmith, but Busiek writing high fantasy sounds like a winner to me.
And yeah, Morrison’s run on (new) X-men is one of my favorites for the whole franchise.
That Metropolis series was really good for the first 4 or so issues and then it went off the rails. Loved the art though and it’s still the strongest thing I’ve read from Austen.
Don’t remember Arrowsmith but like Busiek for Astro City and Marvels, was Arrowsmith short lived? That Teen Titans run is one in my DCU canon back catalog I want to read. So many comix, so little time.
It was, if I recall correctly, a 6-issue mini. I think maybe Busiek wanted to do more but just never got around to it. It’s a nice self-contained story, though, and I believe it’s collected.
Thanx, if it is in fact collected in a tpb then I might have to check it out.
Everytime I see your avatar icon I miss Ted Kord. The facial expressions in that JLI run are great, I love how the back of the 1st volume shows most of the main characters from the series in little boxes all making expressive faces including your Blue Beetle one. Now I miss Scott Free too!
Oh man, more Chuck Austen? How did he manage to fool everyone for so long?!?
DeFlippis and Weir are pretty good writers. I got introduced to them in the old Batman Confidential book where they brought back King Tut. They write fun, more action packed, stories so if you’re looking for less grit in your books I’d recommend their work.
Here’s some other big events to occur on July 16th:
1790: Washington D.C. is established as the capital of America thanks to the Residence Act.
1941: Joe DiMaggio hits safely for the 56th straight game, an MLB record which still stands today.
1945: The Manhattan Projects test its first atomic bomb in New Mexico. Also, the successfully put FDR’s mind in an A.I. machine….wait a second…
I loved that New X-Men arch. The revelation that the “X” in Weapon X meant version 10, and that Captain America was version 1 blew my mind.