Comic Coverage

"Welcome to my Fortress of Solitude."

You know, every now and then, a comic book title comes along that just does everything right. One of those rare titles is Justice, a 12-issue limited series by Alex Ross and his two talented collaborators, Jim Krueger (writer) and Doug Braithwaite (layout artist).

Although the series is often referred to as a nod to the old Super Friends animated series (a childhood favorite of Ross's), I've found it to be much more of a "love letter" to the Justice League comic books of the 70's...which I (like Ross) also grew-up reading.

As great as the story is on its own merits, I think the unapologetic nostalgia (with the infusion of Ross's trademark grace and grandeur) is the element I've enjoyed the most about the series. For anyone who's even a casual fan of DC Comics characters, this is the perfect series to pick up. It's not tied to any of the ongoing continuity of the rest of the DC line, so there's no learning curve or knowledge gap to struggle with. Whether you track down the back issues or wait for the trade paperback collection, put it on your shopping list.

As I wrap up the gush-fest, let me leave you with a double-page spread from the latest issue, Justice #7 (on sale now!). I present to you: The classic Fortress of Solitude (click on image to enlarge):

Absolutely breathtaking stuff. For those who like to routinely mock the "lame" comics of twenty, thirty or forty years ago, images like will hopefully give them at least a glimpse of the wonder and mythic grandeur we experienced reading those long-ago adventures.

Thanks to Alex Ross, Jim Krueger and Doug Braithwaite for capturing that lightning in a bottle.

Cover to Cover: Girl Germs!

Once upon a time, comic books were tailored not to twenty and thirty-something adults (as they are now), but to teeming hordes of Baby Boom children.   

Following the creation of the Comics Code Authority in 1954, comic books of the next two decades became more kid-friendly than ever.  With such a huge audience of young children buying comics, it should come as no surprise that the adult characters within them had many of the same childish emotions and conflicts as their audience. Since young boys were the primary readers of superhero comics, the heroes and their casts routinely reenacted common boyhood anxieties.  Chief among those anxieties was the ever-present “danger” of.... GIRLS!

Whether they were barging their way into a boy's secret clubhouse, besting him in competition, or...horror of horrors...targeting him for marriage, girls represented a very real threat to the Boy Way of Life (except for mom, of course).

This boyish conviction was reinforced by their favorite superheroes, whose female cast members were little more than grown-up versions of pesky kid sisters, tenacious tomboys and flirty girl classmates.

Real-life kid sisters were often bratty pests and hair-trigger tattlers, blabbing a boy's secrets at the drop of a hat.

Supergirl pretty much confirms that assessment on the cover of Action Comics #313 (1964) by blowing Superman's precious secret identity.

Worst. Cover. Ever. (part 3)

Another week, another worst cover ever...and this one's a doozy!

Starting as early as the 1940's, comic book companies experimented with mixing real world photographs with comic book characters, getting results that (perhaps even at the time) looked a little strange.  Part of the problem was that the image reproduction technology was still fairly crude, creating "special effect" covers that weren't particularly special OR effective.

Although printing and image reproduction technology had vastly improved from the 40's to the 70's, you'd never know it from the results that had found their way onto comic book covers.  Case in point, the cover of SHAZAM! #6 (1973):

Though obviously intended to be a cozy, heartwarming scene, a whole host of factors conspired to made it simultaneously one of the most boring and bizarre covers of all time.

1. A blank white background with all the homespun warmth of the Phantom Zone.


2. Cap's freakishly deformed right hand (holding the unusually large infinity cover comic book).


3. The garish "hand-tinted" coloring effect on the children. Apparently, the kids were the grandchildren of award-winning DC colorist Jack Adler.  "Hey, grandpa, thanks for the sickly pea-green nightgown!"


4. The boy's wince-inducing helmet hair, triggering far too many painful flashbacks of my grade school photos.


5. The eerie, corpse-like pallor of the child slumped in Cap's arm, a tragic image oddly disconnected with Cap's big, squinty grin.  Add to that the child's huge, clown-like feet and it's safe to say that whatever look they were shooting for here....just didn't happen.

WHO'S WHO in Your Local Comic Shop (part I)

Today marks the start of a semi-regular feature that'll chronicle some of the "interesting" characters I've encountered in comic shops over the years. Chances are, you've seen a few of them too.

If you have any suggestions for future Who's Who candidates, post your ideas and I'll see what I can do. Who knows...maybe they'll match up with a few names in my already long list of future entries.

Dream Casting: Brainiac

Sure, the Silver Age model of Brainiac is long gone (pink shirt and all)....and the fantastic Yul Brynner has long since departed our mortal plane.

However, if it was up to me to cast the perfect Brainiac? No brainer.

Cover to Cover: Superheroes Gone MAD!

"They're coming to take me away,
Haha, they're coming to take me away,
Ho ho, hee hee, ha ha,
To the funny farm
Where Life is Beautiful all the time
And I'll be happy to see
Those Nice Young Men In their
Clean White Coats
And they're coming to take me AWAY,
HA HAAAAA"

--Napoleon XIV (1966)

For well over half a century, superheroes have stood for the best humanity has to offer. As promoters of justice, fair play and civic-minded benevolence, these comic book champions were models of stable, mature adulthood.

That is, when they weren't losing their minds.

Oh, sure ... mental illness has been a common fixture of comic books since their inception, but it's been confined primarily to the supervillain community and its collection of Mad Scientists, Evil Geniuses and World-Conquerors. Their ranting, raving, robot-creating behavior easily qualified them for what mental health professionals commonly diagnose as "Crazy as an Outhouse Rat."

However, as insane as the bad guys could be, there have been many in the good guy set (including some of the biggest names) who've also gone for a ride on the Crazy Train at one time or another.

In addition to the rather obvious nuttiness of wearing garish costumes in public, superheroes have had a long, documented history of even more serious lapses in sanity. So, strap on your favorite straitjacket and let's explore this dark, forsaken ward of comic book history, shall we?

Artwork Added

You know, I'm never too comfortable with the self-promotion thing...so I'll just turn this announcement over to Swingin' 70's Stan Lee.  Take it away, Stan!

"Hey, gang!  Swingin' 70's Stan Lee here to tell you Mark just posted some nifty new sidebar buttons that you can click to see some of his tintintabulatin' artwork!  He's got new stuff to show ya' what he's up to these days, and some old stuff that even Irving Forbush would like!  Just focus those eager eyes on the sidebar and you'll see five colorful buttons under the Secret Identity ad (yet another one of my sensational self-promotional suggestions).  So, what are ya waitin' for, True Believers?  Excelsior!"

Thanks, Stan.  I couldn't have said it better myself.   

Never Forget.

Today was supposed to be another "Worst Cover Ever" column, but I just didn't feel up to "bringing the funny" today. 

Granted, a lighthearted comic book blog isn't really the ideal forum for this kind of thing, but at the same time it's the only real forum I have, and I couldn't let the day pass without acknowledging it's importance and poignancy.

I also didn't want to feature some cheesy scene of superheroes standing around wiping tears away.  No offense to those who go for that kind of thing, but I think there comes a time when we need to put aside our imaginary friends for a moment and focus on the stark realities we face...without the rather silly intrusion of capes, costumes and chest logos. The heroes I'd rather think about today wear badges, fire helmets, fatigues or (in the case of United flight #93) Dockers.

So, the silly stuff will return tomorrow....but for today, I choose to remember.

"Yes, we are at a great juncture in American history. We can go to battle, as we did in the past—hard, long, without guilt, apology, or respite, until our enemies are no more. It was our fathers who passed on to us that credo and with it all that we hold dear. And so just as they once did, we too must confront and annihilate these killers and the governments that have protected and encouraged them. Only that way can we honor and avenge our dead and keep faith that they have not died in vain. Only with evil confronted and crushed can we ensure that our children might still some day live, as we once did, in peace and safety."

—Victor Davis Hanson (National Review Magazine, October 1, 2001)

Worst. Cover. Ever. (part 4)

The cover of The Rifleman #10 (1962) speaks for itself:

All together now:  "Eeeewwwwww!"

By the way, is that a shadow from the log, or did Chuck Connors wet himself?

Click here for more Worst Covers Ever!

WHO'S WHO in Your Local Comic Shop (part II)

Have you tried all week to avoid spoilers for that issue you can't wait to read, only to have a couple of knuckleheads at the comic shop spoil the living daylights out of it? Well, for all of you out there (me included), this one's for you.

How do you handle these guys? Shoot them a nasty look? Snottily "thank them" for spoiling the book for you? Smack them about the head and shoulders with the rolled-up comic? Well, strike that last one. What's the proper comic shop etiquette for handling the dreaded In-Store Spoilers?

Silver Age: The Lost Episodes

People often point to comics of decades past as safe, wholesome experiences that perpetuated that era's emphasis on a more innocent brand of entertainment.

However.

A team of comic book scholars (okay, it was just me) recently stumbled across a hidden cache of vintage comic book pages that were obviously deemed unacceptable by the Comics Code Authority.  "Silver Age Outtakes", if you will.

The first, and quite possibly strangest page appears to have been taken from a Superboy story, though the year and issue number range are unclear (our best guess is somewhere between 1962 and 1964).  From what we can gather, a routine "Origin of Superbaby's Costume" story suddenly takes a disturbing, and ultimately tragic turn.

So, sit back and enjoy this "lost episode" of Superboy (Warning: Some of the following material contains violence and adult themes, and may be inappropriate for your inner child).

Click on the image for a larger view:

Cover to Cover: "You Are Cordially Invited..."

While most people know that summer is the most popular time of year to marry, you might be surprised to learn that in many parts of the U.S., autumn is a close second.….so what better way to kick off fall than to check out the delightfully skewed world of comic book weddings?

We’ve all been to weddings where the bride and groom didn’t seem like the greatest match…like the clueless Wonder Woman and her gruesome groom on the cover of Wonder Woman #155 (1965).

Fighting for Truth, Justice and the Anorexia Way!

I came across this item on Blog@Newsarama, spotlighting a new line of action figure/dolls from Tonner Doll Company.

As you can see from the photo, Wonder Woman and Supergirl will apparently be battling the evil forces of good nutrition and realistic female body standards!

Someone get these girls a sandwich!

On the Flip Side: From Atari With Love

For all of the attention I give to the front covers of comics, I thought it was high time to devote some space to the back covers of the past, with a new feature I'm calling "On The Flip Side".   I've found that many of the best back covers function almost like mini time capsules, in that they provide a glimpse into the toys, games, gimmicks, snacks and hobbies of that era's kids.  For some, these images will be nostalgic, for others...well, maybe just historic curiosities.  Either way, they're worth checking out one more time.

So let's get to it.

The other day I was watching my son play his James Bond 007: From Russia With Love video game (PS2), and (as usual) was blown away by both the amazing graphics and my son's mutant ability to instantly master these games (my brain and finger dexterity are sadly not up to the task).

Here's a couple of screen shots from the game:

As I watched this complex, chaotic game unfold, I couldn't help but think how far our technology has evolved since the early days of home video games...something our first Flip Side candidate will make perfectly clear.

Appearing on the back covers of DC Comics with a cover date of November 1983, was an ad for Atari's James Bond 007: Octopussy.

 

By today's video game standards, it seems laughable to see such breathless praise lavished upon such crude graphics...but at the time, blocky stick figures and shrill, 8-bit audio really could deliver the "non-stop thrills". 

However, given the choice between an almost-perfect pseudo-Sean Connery (left) and crudely pixelated pseudo-Roger Moore (right), I think I'll stick with the former.

Especially if I can just sit back and watch the action as my son plays.

Worst. Cover. Ever. (part 5)

This week's big loser is the cover of Detective Comics #279 (1960), a glittering treasure-trove of wrongness.

First, the visuals (Batman fans, you should probably be sitting down for this):

Items desperately crying out for commentary:

1. First of all, the dreadful character design of the "weird creatures".  If the intent was to strike fear into the reader, Rosie the Robot's taller sister and a bright pink cat-cow hybrid aren't cutting it.


2. At a time like this, should Batman's primary concern really be the sanctity of their secret identities... or should he...oh, I don't know...be trading the test tube for a Bat-Bazooka?  Besides, if Tall-Rosie and the Pink Cow know their secret identities, who are they going to tell?  A terrified press corps running for their lives? A shrieking Commissioner Gordon hurling his emptied service revolver at them?  Who?


3. How exactly would these creatures "stalk" Batman of all people?  Park outside Wayne manor in a non-descript car wearing sunglasses while reading the newspaper?   


4. Admittedly, it was a tough assignment to help Batman weather the raging sci-fi fad of the late 50's and early 60's, but I can't be the only one to see just how far afield the Batman books had strayed from their dark, gothic beginnings.  Covers like this emphasize how truly lost the character had become during this loopy era, forcing Batman into situations that were equal parts hilarious and humiliating.

 

WHO'S WHO in your local comic shop (part III)

 

To paraphrase Spider-Man's dear departed Uncle Ben:  "With great weight comes great responsibility."  In other words....get outta the way!

On the Flipside: Mike Marvel...Forgotten He-Man!

While conducting "research" for one of my Cover to Cover articles, I came across one of those great muscleman ads that used to pepper comics of old. Sure, everyone knew who top-muscleman Charles Atlas was, but there were a host of Atlas wannabes who walked in his manly shadow, all of whom offered the same promise of huge muscles to the huddling masses of skinny nerds and flabby loners.

But before today, I'd never heard of Mike Marvel and his Secret Dynaflex Method! The ad appeared on the back cover of Marvel Comics that were cover dated February 1965 and, as you can see from the scanned image (click on the thumbnail for a larger view), Mike managed to fit three encyclopedia's worth of hype into three super-dense columns of 2 pt. type.

To save you time (and eyestrain), I've selected a few excerpts that will hopefully tell you all you need to know about Mike Marvel (no relation to Captain, as far as I know).

Cover to Cover: Superboy or Super-Reject?

As I've touched on before, DC superhero comics of the late 50's and early 60's were virtual windows into the souls of their child audience.  Childhood insecurities were routinely transposed into superhero adventures by DC's editorial staff.  However, the undisputed king of tapping into the latent anxieties of children was Mort Weisinger, long-time editor of the Superman titles. Weisinger went straight for the "psychological jugular" by infusing his Superman books with all the petty jealousies, bitter rivalries and deep-seated insecurities of childhood.  In other words, Mort hit the kids right where they lived.

One of Weisinger's most common themes was that of rejection, by no coincidence the radioactive core of childhood anxiety.  Whether it was the fear of a popular kid stealing away their best friend, or a new baby edging them out of mom and dad's hearts, children constantly struggled with rejection....of being pushed aside for another.  Someone better.  Most of Weisinger’s stable of characters dealt with rejection in one form or another, but it was Superboy who became the undisputed poster child for rejection.

Worst. Cover. Ever. (part 6)

Even though it's a bit of a cheapshot to nominate a Golden Age cover for W.C.E. (considering the much lower production standards of that era), the cover of Green Lantern #22 (1946) was clearly asking for it.

Here we see a sentient tree giving Green Lantern's sidekick Doiby Dickles the walloping of his life, while G.L. smirks in the background.  Granted, his magic ring was powerless against wood, so there wasn't much Green Lantern could do to help Doiby...but you'd think he could at least muster a little concern for his helpless pal.  Maybe his massive, mutated left arm is making him a little giddy.

I think what bothers me the most about the cover isn't so much the scene itself, but rather the larger Golden Age trend of DC attaching dopey comic relief characters to otherwise cool, immensely powerful characters. 

In addition to Green Lantern's Doiby Dickles, the original Flash (Jay Garrick) was stuck with The Three Dimwits (a.k.a. "The Three Idiots" or "The Three Numbskulls").  Imagine....the Fastest Man Alive, forced to play straight man to Winky, Blinky, and Noddy for dozens of adventures. 

Worse by far was supernatural powerhouse The Spectre, formerly the vengeful agent of The Voice (God), reduced to playing "guardian angel" to Percival Popp, the Super Cop.

So, yeah....seeing Doiby Dickle's fat backside getting paddled by a jolly tree is bad enough...but added to the larger trend of handicapping otherwise cool characters with clownish sidekicks, it's easily one of the Worst Covers Ever.

A Piece of the Giant

Back in 1997, while attending an animation symposium in Pasadena, California (when I worked for The Learning Company), little did I know the World Animation Celebration was taking place right next door.  After the symposium closed for the day, a coworker and I had the opportunity to check out the big Warner Bros. presentation that evening.  This was during the heady (and short-lived) "Second Golden Age of Animation", triggered by the success of Disney's Lion King a few years earlier, and the WB was rolling out a number of their new animation projects, chief among them The Iron Giant.

It's no exaggeration to say that, even with those first vague teaser images, I knew The Iron Giant was going to be something special...but I had no idea how special it would actually be. 

WHO'S WHO in your local comic shop (part IV)

After the first few dates, young fanboys begin thinking their new girlfriends will "accept them for who they are", and will enthusiastically embrace, support and maybe participate in his love for comics.

Of course, most girlfriends dragged into comic shops (and to comic conventions) don't necessarily see it that way. In fact, the comic shop visit may be the death-knell of these budding relationships, as the sheer boredom of the comic shop experience prompts the Bored Girlfriend to "reassess her options".

However, never let it be said my heart doesn't go out to those crazy kids just trying to make it work.  For the fanboy out there who insists that his new soul mate accompany him to every comic shop and convention, help her make it clear she wants no part of this scene with an "I'm the geek's girlfriend" t-shirt.

It may just save your relationship!

On the Flip Side: Deck the Halls...With BB Guns?

This week's Flip Side comes from the back cover of Action Comics #188 (discussed in a recent post), and features the legendary Daisy BB Rifle, endorsed by Red Ryder himself (click on the thumbnail for a larger view)!  Note Red's odd assumption that the BB rifle would be hung "on your Christmas tree".  Because, you know, nothing communicates the peace and love of the Christmas season better than a rifle hanging from a Christmas tree.

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As anyone with a pulse knows, this is a similar pitch to the one immortalized in A Christmas Story (1980), the nostalgic tale of young Ralphie Parker and his desperate quest to score an official Red Ryder BB Rifle for Christmas.

The ad implores eager youngsters to slip their parents the model number of their dream rifle, a bit like the scheming Ralphie himself.  The ad also supplies some great rhetorical ammunition for the kids to use...including the possibility of junior membership in the NRA and an easy shot at nabbing a Boy Scout Marksmanship Merit Badge!  Why, it might even be enough to overcome the formidable "You'll shoot your eye out!" parental dodge technique!

Finally, take a look at the four-panel sequence at the bottom of the ad, specifically the third panel from the left.

Ahhh...the good old days, when dad could sight-in a rifle in the middle of a busy department store, and not immediately get maced by the clerk or tackled by store security.

Oh, and by the way....to answer Red Ryder's original question?  I'll take the No. 111 Famous Daisy 1000-Shot Red Ryder Cowboy Carbine model (which retailed for a whopping $5.95)! 

But please...don't hang it on my Christmas tree.

Cover to Cover: I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar!

Comic book publishers have always had their collective finger on the pulse of the larger culture, looking to incorporate whatever fad, trend or movement they perceived their readers wanted to see reflected in their stories.  Invariably, these attempts to mirror the culture came off as unintentionally hilarious, endearingly clumsy affairs that did more to caricature the trend than capture it.   The Women’s Liberation Movement of the late 60’s and early 70’s was no exception to this rule. Most likely spurred on by the idealistic Young Turks trickling into the business, the Old Guard (no doubt trying their best to make sense of it all) gradually began featuring female characters with aggressive, take-charge attitudes. The traditional roles of Girl Friday, Damsel in Distress and Passive Background Figure were replaced with brassy firebrands that had plenty to prove.

Captain America: Cross-Dressing for Freedom!

It's with a heavy heart that I bring you an humiliating episode from Captain America's otherwise inspiring past.  In this installment of Silver Age: The Lost Episodes, I'm actually jumping back to the earlier Golden Age of comics, back to Captain America Comics #2 (1941).  Having just made his debut the previous month, Captain America and his young sidekick Bucky Barnes had already joined the ranks of high-profile Axis smashers. Whether at home or abroad, Cap and Bucky took the fight to the Nazis by any means possible....with an emphasis on the "any means possible".

In the issue's second story, titled "Trapped in the Nazi Stronghold" American war financier Henry Baldwin is kidnapped and taken to Europe by Nazi sympathizers...and Cap's on the case!

What does Cap have in mind for Mr. Baldwin's rescue?

To secretly intercept the band of fifth columnists traveling with Baldwin?  To boldly storm the headquarters of their Nazi masters, scattering goosesteppers with his shield, wiley gymnastics and a good right hook?

Er...no.

Actually, in only his second issue, mind you, Cap resorts to dressing in drag to catch Nazi scum, while Bucky impersonates a sissy boy!  The sacrifice! The humiliation!  The high heels!