Hmmmmm, lots to consider in your comments. First, I love G.A. JSA because, when I was reading JLA way back, there was mention of other, older heroes who were in this strange JSA thingy and that fired my imagination. (That's the thing with obscure - the JSA was obscure, unknown in fact, to me) And it was not a letdown when they turned up. So colourful, different powers and weaknesses, different costumes. It was a while before I found reprints of the original JSA adventures and, no matter how you feel about them, for me, coming, as I said from a country where American comics were seriously rare prior to 1959, this was wonderful. A whole new world of masked mystery men to explore.
Second, you're bang on re. Spidey 33 and I still experience a wee frisson when I see the cover or read the story.
Thirdly, price and paper. My way round that, if a storyline turns out to tickle my fancy, is to await the tpb, which is usually less expensive but, admittedly, doesn't solve my problem with the paper.
Fourth, I've been imprecise again, I fear and should have said the Raboy CMJ. but while I'm here I should also admit to an enjoyment of Mr Scarlet
and many other Fawcett characters.
Music. Despite growing up with 50's pap and then the revelation of British beat and my continuing love of the Stones, Small Faces, Johnny Kidd etc. from that period, it has not stopped me expanding my taste to encompass classical, lots of jazz, blues, some country (Townes Van Zandt, anybody?) and I believe it is encumbent on all of us to attempt to expand our horizons and experiences, whether it be books, music, art, t.v., films, language and I am sure that is the case with all the enquiring minds on here.
Finally, your antipathy to French and British comics continues to surprise me despite your having gone into the matter a while ago. Difficult for me to convince you of the error of your ways. A lot of what was produced in Europe, as was the case in N. America, was not very good. Poor art, silly stories and titles which came and went without notice for reasons too difficult to go into here. There was also the good stuff. And then the seriously high quality, top level, knock your socks off, just plain gorgeous strips. I know you aren't keen on newspaper strips and I am. Be that as it may, the fact that our weekly anthologies ran 2,3,4 or 5 page strips each week was not much different from an American title with 3x 8 or 10 page stories every month, or 2 months. (Talking about 50's and 60's here.) So, Eagle, with it's ground breaking offset printing on better quality stock with superb art from Frank Hampson and notable others, is simply about as good as it gets, anywhere.
Also, it is important to remember that a lot of British comics contained lots of humour strips. Yes, I realise, humour doesn't travel well. But there are many cartoon/humour strips such as Baxendale's Bash St. Kids; Law's Dennis the Menace; most all Billy Bunter; Harry Banger's Stoogie (who, later became a superhero, Superstooge) and too many more to mention, that were of a very high quality and entertained millions every week. Different system, different culture and no less valuable and important for that.
Keep it up chaps, great exercise for an aging mind.
Forgot to say, enjoy Paris and you're a lucky sod. I've seen that Sgt. Kirk at Angouleme, but don't have it.
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