The Final ’90s Countdown: Part Eight.
Hi pals…the medical visits have slowed down briefly, but I still have that impending surgery which is happening sooner rather than later. Things may be sporadic still for a little while yet, but I’ll still bring that all important non-AI-generated Content™ when I can.
So let’s get back to our Final ’90s Countdown, where we look at the titles you voted as your favorites!
Hilly Rose (Astro Comics, 1995-7)
Here’s yet another comic from this period that’s on this ongoing list of books that I didn’t read, despite remembering its existence quite well. Hilly Rose by B.C. Boyer published a scant nine issues over a three year period, with a series of very nice sci-fi pulpy covers.
Aside from seeing the covers, I don’t know much about the actual contents, I’m afraid. The one trade paperback released for the series in 1996, reprinting the first five issues, is titled Hilly Rose Space Reporter so that should give you some idea. As a last resort I’ve dipped into my copy of The Slings and Arrows Comic Guide, Second Edition (2003) — last resort only because the print is far smaller than I’m comfortably able to read — for a bit more of a description:
“It’s science-fiction adventure with a strong humourous element used to undercut an otherwise hard-boiled tale.”
The description goes on to say that Hilly got her reporting job thanks to her influential father, but surprisingly gets offered an even more prestigious position, so there are mysteries and shenanigans involved, I’m sure.
I remember Boyer having done his Will Eisner’s The Spirit-esque The Masked Man in the earlier ’80s, to some critical acclaim. I don’t recall much critical response to Hilly Rose at the time (the Slings and Arrows book thought it was okay, if unfocused), but I know at least the cartooning is top notch. And hey, someone voted for it as their favorite ’90s series here, so I’m sure it’s a great series!
Okay, I couldn’t just leave it at that, so using the ‘zine search engine, and found this quote from Indy Magazine #14, describing the book as
“…a really fun science fiction comic with cute writing and beautiful art.”
And from Wizard #47:
“Throw together Terry and the Pirates and Bone, add a dash of drama and satire, and you’ll have something that comes pretty close to B.C. Boyer’s new self-published comic.”
So there you go. Seems like a fun comic worth seeking out to me!
An additional note: as I was searching up info on Hilly Rose, I found this Wikipedia entry on a radio talk show personality with the same name. I’m going to guess this person was not unknown to Boyer.
Never heard of it, but the art’s nice!
I picked up about five issues of Hilly Rose in a dollar box a few years ago because of the great covers.
I think B.C. Boyer’s art improved vastly between The Masked Man and Hilly Rose. Here he exhibits a Steve Leiloha level of rendering, with some dashes of sci-fi Wally Wood, Pogo-like Walt Kelly, and Frank Frazetta’s “big foot” style
cartooning thrown into the mix. Fun all around.
Mike, what happened to my vote — Gen 13?
I’m guessing somehow it got more than one vote (I’m just joking, I’m not knocking anyone’s choice), so it’ll show up later in the countdown, as the one-vote books.
I got confused for a minute too, as I was wondering how there were zero votes for Blue Monday, although it wasn’t my selection. Then, I thought it probably got more than one vote. Then, I realized that it didn’t start until 2000, so it won’t be on this countdown. Then, I wondered if there were an early-2000s countdown, would I vote for Blue Monday? Except, I realized that, no, there is a comic from that period I love more than almost any other comic, so I’d have to select that one for my early-2000s selection, if such ever exists.
That comment made me ponder many things.
Anyway, yes, this is the next comic on the countdown I had never even heard of before this, after the first two series that made the list.
*as these are the one-vote books, that should read at the end of my first paragraph.
@Chris V
Thanks for the clarification. I just thought everything would be listed in alphabetical order, and I think I was the only person who voted for Gen 13 –but maybe someone else did as well.
Sean – I’m currently still going through all the one-vote-receiving series in alphabetical order. Gen13 got more than one vote, so its coverage is yet to come!
Thanks Mike–sorry for my confusion.
I’m not sure that I read all the issues of Hilly Rose, but I read and enjoyed a lot of them! Thanks for the reminder that this fun book existed!
“Wally Wood, Pogo-like Walt Kelly”
Yes, and Eisner himself.
Maybe an odd combo, as Wood’s work was “straight”, and Kelly’s was “cartoony”, but it works.
“Gen 13”
I wouldn’t call it great, but it was Good. and certainly popular, I’m not surprised it got more than 1 vote.
Wood’s work wasn’t always that “straight”. He drew a lot of bug-eyed cartoon creatures. He was the go-to for comic strip parodies in the early Mad.