Swamped

I'm busy. Halloween is coming up. Hey, I'll post a drawing of a monster (one of my many failed attempts to draw "serious" comics) that I just happen to already have scanned! What can I say, I like the Swamp Thing. Mike, this one's for you. Happy Halloween, everybody.

From the Metropolis Mailbag

Oh, ha, ha! Yeah, Captain Marvel went away because he wasn't as "invulnerable" as Superman. That's pretty funny, Uncle Mort. This letter appeared in the April 1959 issue of Action Comics. (Students of Panelogical History know that Superman's publisher got Captain Marvel's publisher to cry "uncle" and give up their children following a, like, decade-long legal battle.)

The Men of Tomorrow

While driving to pick up my daughter from school today I was able to listen to a bit of NPR's Talk of the Nation program and was pleasantly surprised to hear the voice of Gerry Jones. Gerry was promoting his new book Men Of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book. I was impressed by how calm and articulate Gerry was on the radio. From what I heard of the show, he did a good job. If you have the proper software you can hear him here. You'll need to fast forward through a couple of segments and the link won't last forever so don't dawdle. As for the book, I haven't read it yet, but I intend to get my hands on a copy soon.

UPDATE: Helpful Reader Ian informs me that you can get a direct link to the Gerry Jones segment here. Many thanks Ian!

Bleh!

Oy, I'm trying to recover from a cold today (sniff, snort) so here are some quick comments:

The Comics Reporter site that I, and apparently everybody else, linked to yesterday was overwhelmed and should be back up November 1st.

I often refer to Chris Loomis, a generous fellow who loans me lots and lots of vintage comics for use here and in the pages of Comic Book Heaven. Since his contributions are already digitized (and I'm lazy) I tend to reach for them first for inclusion in this here blog. But several folks have sent me treasures and I will make an extra effort to include more of them here. I continue to be amazed and grateful for their generosity. It's the main reason I'm attempting to continue Comic Book Heaven.

About the drawing above: Is it a presidential debate? No! It's Hulk versus the Thing. Even though my father always told me to sign everything I drew its yet another example of me not following that simple advice (and it wasn't the first time).

Note from the Noteworthy

I got an email earlier today from writer (and former editor of The Comics Journal) Tom Spurgeon that began "Dear Comics Blogger of Note."

I am, it appears, of note. This is welcome news since I'm getting over a cold and the knowledge that I matter certainly lifts my spirits.

Tom, as you may have heard by now, has just unveiled The Comics Reporter, a comics blog/news/review thing. It's an impressive debut with much of interest to read and links to stuff like this little missive (fun trivia unearthed researching his book about Stan Lee).

Free Comic Book Heaven

Sorry for the late post today. Been busy with kids and work, not to mention spending a couple of hours preparing a gift for you. I stopped selling the self-published issues of Comic Book Heaven some years ago. Most of that material was spiffed up and re-worked for the hard cover CBH collection, Flee, Puny Humans! (see link elsewhere on this page). I occasionally get requests for the back issues but I don't want the headache of reprinting them. So I'm making available here a pdf of the final self-published issue of CBH. I swiped this idea from Illustration magazine. If you folks like it, maybe I'll put up another issue in the future.

A Lazy Day in the World of 1,000 Olsens

Jimmy Olsen starred in at least two stories that took place on a world populated with Jimmy Olsen look-alikes (even the women!). I did, for reasons unknown, a color sketch some years back of two such look-alikes. Yes, that body of water is quite deep at the shoreline. No, I do not have a substance abuse problem.

Batman and Superman's Joke on Lois Lane

Comic book pal Chris Loomis sent me the following yesterday. It's a brief summary of "Superman and Batman's Joke on Lois Lane!" from Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane #59 (Aug. 1965) SPOILER WARNING: many plot details ahead!

Lois dives into a lake [to] look for bank robber loot and at the bottom clutches her stomach ("cramps", she explains). Superman rescues her! Thinking her unconscious, he changes to his secret identity of. . . Bruce Wayne! Lois immediately begins to scheme; she'll soon be "Mrs. Lois Superman". Bruce, who was using an ant-gravity belt and simply filling in for Supes, is dubious: "She's a cute girl, but I'm glad she doesn't stay up nights scheming to trick ME into marriage". Uh oh! Lois lands an interview with Bruce Wayne. While he answers the phone she discovers his hidden Batman costume and deduces that as Superman he fills in for Batman from time to time. Bruce takes Lois out for dinner, ducks under a table at the sight of a camera gun, and dances with Lois. After their date, they naturally follow some crooks, get captured and thrown into a freezer, escape (Bruce picks the lock), and kiss. BUT THEN, Superman returns, and overhearing (spying on) Lois and sister Lucy, calls her a "little schemer", but devises a plan. Next morning, Bruce proposes, the wedding begins, Superman arrives (gasp), as Lois thinks, "Then Bruce c-can't be Superman!" Lois calls off the wedding, and Batman and Superman have a rich, hearty laugh at her expense.

I love this final panel. Superman chortles like a drunk. Curt Swan (here inked by George Klein) was at his absolute best when he was drawing stuff like this. Thanks for sharing, Chris.

Teenagers' Rage!

This is part of an ad found in a late 50s romance comic (supplied by the fine folks at Strange Adventures). Wear this "newsworthy" shirt and "you'll be the talk of the teenager set." That "teenager" looks like a fashionably homeless mom. Mentioned in the same ad, but not shown, is a similar shirt covered in... love letters! I guess if I had to wear that stuff as a teenager I'd be in a rage too.

Free Wisdom and Soda!

I'm going to be here. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area maybe you can be there too.

Super Model (Boxes)

Boxes for Aurora models that were never made?! I'm a total sucker for this kind of thing. See a bunch of them here or buy them here. (Links via The Beat)

And while we're on the topic of fake product boxes here's one for a "Glen or Glenda" doll (Ed Woods fans will know what this is about) and a whole bunch of Star Wars inspired cereals.

Obscure Giant Kirby Monster Cartoon Laffs

Eh, I was probably in a fairly punchy mood when I cranked this one out. For hard-core Kirby Monster fans only, I guess. Amazingly, I think I actually sold this baby on eBay years ago. For more on Lo-Karr go here.

Correctional Department

In the Jumble section of Comic Book Heaven #9 I ran a picture of Cap'n Jasper's Boy O Boy, a supposedly vintage magazine that had been offered for sale on eBay. Sharp-eyed CBH reader Mike Sullivan wrote some time after the issue came out that this "vintage magazine" was actually an insert from National Lampoon #63 (Jun. 1975). If everyone who owns a copy of CBH #9 could take a fat red marker and write "fake" over the image of the Boy O Boy magazine I would appreciate it very much. My thanks to Mike for catching this error. The entire management of Comic Book Heaven regrets the error and apologizes for any falsely earned amusement said error may have provided. We also wish to extend our sincerest condolences to the poor sucker who paid good money on eBay for the insert.

ADDENDUM: I'm also grateful to Mike for the info because it caused me to hunt down a copy of the NatLamp in question (only 2 bucks on eBay!). Boy, oh, boy that was a great magazine in its heyday.

A Couple of Plugs

Ed Buchman has been kindly sending me copies of his Little Lulu fanzine, The HoLLywood Eclectern, for years. The newest issue arrived a week or so ago. If you're a fan of Little Lulu you might be interested in getting a copy of Ed's friendly little zine. Just drop him a note at PO Box 4215, Fullerton, CA 92834.

And speaking of Little Lulu: You can find a couple of complete Lulu stories at Stanley Story Archive: John Stanley Comix Classix.

Also arriving in the ol' mailbox recently: Comic Effect #40, another excellent issue of a fine fanzine full of reviews and essays about comic books (from about the Silver Age to those of more recent vintage). You can get ordering info and more at the Comic Effect website.

Just Married!

Well, I'm speechless. Consecutive panels from Just Married #48 (sorry, I don't know the story title). Scans sent in by our comic book pal, Chris Loomis.

The Art of George Tuska

I got a nice package a couple of days ago of CDs full of art for the upcoming TwoMorrows book, The Art of George Tuska. Jon Morrow has asked me to design and do the production for the book and I'm more than happy to comply. I really liked Tuska's art as a kid so I look forward to digging into this project. The book is scheduled to ship in February 2005 (the same month as my third Dr. Radium collection comes out). Maybe I'll be able to post a cover or something here as work progresses on the book.

Superman, Christopher Reeve, and...Love

Sad to hear about the death of Christopher Reeve. He made me believe he'd really live long enough to overcome his spinal cord injury. I've never had a problem separating a character that was important to me as a kid from the man who played him in the movies. But Reeve seemed like a decent guy doing more than just making the best of a bad situation. For more information on his (and his wife's) efforts go here.

On a less serious note: Reeve's passing reminds me of the first time I saw his first Superman movie. I had just graduated from high school and only recently started dating (late bloomer). I was nervous and excited to be dating but I think I might have been even more excited to be seeing a "serious" take on my fave superguy. My date and I saw Superman: The Motion Picture at the famed Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles (my first time there even though I grew up in the LA area). I really liked the movie then (it hasn't held up well for me, sorry to say) but my date was less than impressed. This memory triggered another memory about a movie that I wanted to see (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) and a date who was less than thrilled with my choice of entertainment (I was wrong, she was right). Some years later, I was looking forward to the then-new Star Trek: The Next Generation series. Since I was dating someone at the time and given my past history I was reluctant to mention my interest in ST:TNG. Turned out my date wanted to see the show too. It was love! We've been married 16 years now (though neither of us can sit though the latest Star Trek show, I'm sorry to say). Last night we sat down to watch Frankenstein, the umpteenth take on the classic tale, and simultaneously came to the conclusion that it was boring halfway though the thing. It's still love!

Blog Business

I've added two more blogs to the list seen at the right: Yet Another Comics Blog and Kirby Comics. I should do this more often but I'm lazy. Sorry.

Weird coincidence or strange twist of fate? Both Kirby Comics and I posted about Fin Fang Foom on the same day! Scary! (Thanks to Bob for bringing this to my attention.)

And big thanks to Mike Sterling. A tiny mention on his blog never fails to release a flood of readers.

Still Fighting the Cold War

I ran a couple of errands today: got a blood draw for my annual physical and took the mighty Dentmobile in for a smog check. Both times I delt with (presumed) immigrants from what used to be known as the Soviet Union. Popular culture being what it was when I was growing up a Russian accent usually indicated a Bad Guy (or, if you prefer, an Evil Doer). So as the exotically beautiful nurse approached me with the syringe (What a clever disguise! The "nurse" looks tired and overworked! Cunning devils!) I briefly saw myself in a James Bond moment. A moment that was suddenly enhanced (and not in a good way) by a prolonged and unusually painful blood draw (Owie! Okay! Okay! I'll tell you what you what you want to know about the new Death Ray! Owie!). By contrast, the Smog Guy's request (demand?) for my car keys would have sounded more ominous if he'd been wearing a dark suit instead of the Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and flip flops he was sporting (nice uniform, fella). Gosh, so much excitement for one day. Now I know why James Bond drank so much.

ADDENDUM: Honesty and a foolish need for full-disclosure demand that I mention the following mortifying detail about my blood draw: My fly was down. Worse--much worse--was the fact that I was wearing my SpongeBob Squarepants "Booty!" boxers. In what had to be a distressing (but un-commented on) moment for the nurse, the word "BOO" would have been plainly visible. I should have that drink now. Shaken, not stirred, of course.

Giant Monster Laffs

A cartoon I did for fun a few years back. Characters TM and Copyright 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.

Question of the Day

"Why should this softness come upon me?"

- Arrowhead, native American, wonders why he can't shoot a white settler in the back. From Arrowhead #1 (Apr. 1954)

Benefits of the Bizarro World

The number one benefit of living in the Bizarro World: ever cheaper "komiks." Oh, boy. It looks like the latest issue of Bizarro Romantik Hate Komiks is out!

From Adventure Comics #296. Thanks to Chris Loomis for the loan of this quality publication.

Zoo Animal Laffs

My mom was in town part of last week. Yesterday, we (me, wife, and kids) took mom to the San Francisco Zoo. The San Diego Zoo is the best overall zoo I've ever visited but the San Francisco Zoo's new African Savanna exhibit is easily the most beautiful I've ever seen. And it's in stark contrast to the older sections of the zoo where the exhibits date back to the 1940s (and maybe earlier), a less enlightened time for animal preservation and study. Almost as interesting as watching the animals: watching the people watch the animals. With so many of the critters simply staring back at the crowds (or sleeping) almost any movement is appreciated by zoo-goers. The most enjoyed movement? That's right: bowel movements. Nothing gets a crowd of tourists and animal lovers quite so happily animated as a hearty and very public BM. (Now I understand why so many crap shows can be popular.) In all fairness, I should mention that hippos do relieve themselves in what could fairly and accurately be reported as a totally, f-ing hilarious manner but then I would be dragging this blog down to socially unacceptable levels. And we can't have that.

We will return to more high-minded comic book fun tomorrow.