It’s time for an 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 April 23, 2003. Despite the release of Malibu’s Most Wanted, the number one film in the box office is still Anger Management. 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” is also still the number one song on the radio and these are some of the comics at your local comic book shop.
Superman #192
by Steven T. Seagle, Scott McDaniel, Andy Owens
Mystique #1
By Brian K. Vaughan, Jorge Lucas
Sweatshop #1
By Peter Bagge, Stephen Destefano, Bill Wray
Lucifer #37
By Mike Carey, Peter Gross, Ryan Kelly, Dean Ormston
Wonder Woman #191
By Walter Simonson, Jerry Ordway, P. Craig Russell
Fray #7
By Joss Whedon, Karl Moline, Andy Owens
Fantastic Four #68
By Mark Waid, Mike Wieringo, Karl Kesel
Agent X # 10
By Evan Dorkin, Juan Bobillo, Marcelo Sosa
The Amazing Spider-Man #52
By J. Michael Straczynski, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna
That was comic book landscape on April 23, 2003. Spark any memories? Did you read any of these books? Let us know what you thought of them! I remember picking up that Fantastic Four issue and remember that The Amazing Spider-Man cover very vividly.
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I still have that issue of Lucifer and Fantastic Four. Good reads, both of them.
Me too on Lucifer that was such an awesome series!
Yeah it was! One of the only series that I have every issue in floppy.
Ah, double numbering (FF #68…I mean, #497!)…I remember thinking it was dumb the first time I saw it, and it’s still pretty silly to me now. Waid on FF, though? Gotta’ have it.
I’m really enjoying this feature. I wasn’t into comics back then, but it’s cool to see what was coming out back then.
That Waid/Ringo run on FF is second only to Lee and Kirby’s. Amazing.
Also, CIR-EL! I forgot about Superman’s daughter from the future! Good times…
And finally, Agent X, the best Deadpool book not starring Deadpool. Usually Gail Simone wrote it, but I guess it was Evan Dorkin at one point? Let’s all shrug together.
These articles are awesome! Thanks, Timmy!
That has to be one of the ugliest cover collections of all time. That Spider-man cover is rough, but not nearly as rough as whatever is happening to Mystique’s left breast. Ouch.
She’s using her powers to try to draw in adolescent boys…
Oh.
Remember, her body can be any shape she wants it to be.
What’s wrong with the Wonder Woman, Lucifer and Fray covers? They’re alright aren’t they?
Fray isn’t bad, but the other two don’t work for me. Something about Wonder Woman’s legs looks odd. I’m also not fond of the angle in the Lucifer cover.
@Jimski – I guess she wanted it to be shaped like a banana.
Good lord, what’s that stripper doing to Agent X’s anus?
Had the Mystique series in TP… so I guess I bought that 1-2 years after the initial publication. Liked that series… think I gave away the trades at some point.
I have fond memories of that series…fun book.
Got the Ultimate Collection a few months back. Thought it was the greatest pile of rubbish I’ve read in ages. It’s up there alongside Chuck Austen’s X-Men for me. Not a scratch on anything else BKV has done since.
I love Frey. It was a great series, maybe my favourite of Joss Whedon’s comic work (though I do love his X-men as well).
That Spider-man arc was a dudd. MJ had just come back and Peter went off after some Hulk/Gangster
That Frey series got me into Buffy. I picked it up taking it on its own merits not even realizing it had anything to do with Buffy. I totally loved it and was like, “if Buffy is as half as good as this I have to check it out.”. – I’ve been a devoted fan ever since.
Cool, I remember watching Buffy when they introduced Freys weapon. Greatest geek moment on TV
I loved half those books and didn’t know the other half existed. BKV on Mystique seems unfathomable now.
That and the mere concept of a Mystique solo book seem unfathomable.
It’s totally awesome. And continued to be when Sean McKeever took over.
I remember getting Fray but what the hell is going on with that Agent X cover?!?
I miss when comics (Marvel no less) would proclaim such things as: “Read this or we’ll kick your guts out!”
This was during the time when I had sort of quit reading comics but would sporadically pick up groups of Spider-man comics, I remember seeing that Fantastic Four cover in the shop so I must have stopped in that week and picked up ASM #52 and probably the 4 or 5 issues that preceeded it.
I was just looking at that Mystique issue last night. Crazy that was nine years ago.
Can we please talk about that Supergirl who was introduced and forgot about 4 months later?
I’ve been looking at the Mark Waid & Mike Wieringo Fantastic Four Ultimate trades, are they any good?
SO good. Some of my favorites.
Awesome, ‘cuz I’m absolutely loving Hickman’s run, didn’t mind Millar & liked the Marvel Knights 4 series as well!
Do you rate it better than any of the above?
Easily one of the best FF runs ever. Well worth picking up in ultimate format.
Rude, thanks my dude!
Definitely worth getting. Doom particularly shines in that run, and Wieringo’s art is fantastic. He is missed 🙁
Many thanks for all your comments, I will put Vol.1 on my birthday list!
Wonder Woman looks like a man on that cover.
2003. Colin Farrell. Box Office. Sure bet.
Wow that was a small week for me just Waid’s FF and Stars’ Spider-man. Speaking of both hey Marvel were’s the Omnibus for both those great runs?
I remember seeing the FF and Superman on the racks..that’s about it.
I bought all of the Marvel books and the Superman one. I still love the Waid/Wieringo FF books. They were so much fun. I remember waking up on my birthday five years ago and literally the first thing I saw was that Mike had died.
I have that Mystique issue and only that one, did they continue that? Love her anyway, never heard of Agent x but dig the art and have the whole JMS ASM run, can’t believe its been that long. Some great covers and a good run on Spidey one of the only books I was reading at the time. to top this off I never read but wanted too and just lost out on a Fray limited edition collection signed by Joss Whedon, it was an all black cover with reflective hot pink Fray logo.
did p craig russell pencil the interior art of wonder woman? did they make an agent x trade? good series.
I love this feature you guys are doing!!!
Thanks and looking forward to the next one 🙂
Wow… Mystique was an awesome comic by Vaughn.
But Straczynski (I had to copy/paste his name) on Spider-man… that was reaaaaaally bad looking back…