Comic Coverage

Because I Feel Like It.

So....what's with that "Spidey Week" blurb I've had plastered in my sidebar for the last week or so?

Have I fallen under the hypnotic thrall of the Spider-Man 3 marketing machine?

Worse yet, am I one of the flying monkeys Sony's hired to incite Spider-Man 3 hysteria throughout the comics blog-o-topia?

Rest assured, as much as I'd love to spend Sony's cash, I thought the coming week would be as good a time as any to talk about Spider-Man, a character I'm quite fond of to say the least.  Why devote a whole seven days of pixel space to one character?  Kindly review this post's title for your answer.

Though this week's Spider-Man 3 opening is undeniably the "spark" that inspired me to spend so much quality time on ol' Webhead, I don't plan on talking too much about the movie.  Yeah, I'll mention it here and there, and I'll probably post a review on Day Seven (next Saturday), but for the most part, I'll be jumping all over the place (much like Mr. Parker himself).

So, starting tomorrow, be sure to check in over the next seven days to see what's cooking in my little "Spidey Smorgasborg".  If you've enjoyed the character even half as much as I have over the years, I think you'll have some fun.

Until then, how about some "appetizers"...courtesy of my archives?

The Game of LIFE: Spider-Man Edition

Originally created in 1861 by Milton Bradley (yeah, that Milton Bradley), The Game of Life has been a hit ever since.  The secret of the board game's popularity is its fast-forward road tour through adult life, as players leave college, enter the workforce and literally drive through all of life's major milestones...all the while amassing (or losing) a fortune. 

The success of the game has spawned a number of special editions, each based upon a popular licensed property.  As you'd expect, each special edition alters the graphics and gameplay to reflect its unique world and characters...such as Spongebob Squarepants, Pirates of the Carribean, or even The Simpsons.

Ah, but wait!  How about a LIFE special edition comic book geeks like ME want to play?  How about....

Think of it:  The Game of Life...only with all the miseries, misfortunes and muted triumphs that have characterized Peter Parker's career as Spider-Man.  I've even worked up a little concept to show Milton Bradley...

The Letters Page = Fanboy Valhalla

Here in the glamorous Internet Age, anyone with a computer and a keyboard can instantly tell a waiting world why the comic book they just read rox/sux.

However, there was a time when the only place fans could publicly express their like (or dislike) of a story was on a comic book's letter page.  Chosen by the title's editor (or, in some cases, the writer), a few lucky fans would get the opportunity to share their opinion with not only the creators, but a captive audience of fellow fans as well.  In fact, some of the most prolific fans had letters printed almost every month in a variety of titles, becoming minor celebrities in their own right. 

The rest of us could never hope to be a Dale L. Coe, Kent A. Phenis or the late, great T.M. Maple (a.k.a. Jim Burke) because...well...I guess we just didn't have much to say.  Of course, that's never stopped us here in the 21st century blogosphere, but back when the lag time between writing the letter and its (highly unlikely) publication was at least four months, that pretty much let all the air out of our tires.  That, and the fact that most of us didn't have the slightest idea of how to write a literate, entertaining letter.

Ah, but despite being only 13 years old, a story in Iron Man #132 (1980) inspired me to buck the odds and write my first letter to a comic book letters page. At the time, the Hulk was my favorite comic book character, and I was expecting my guy to turn Tony Stark into Scrap Iron Man.  As it turned out, Iron Man turned the tables and defeated the Hulk by focusing all of his armor's power into a single punch, then promptly collapsing afterward.

Well, as you can imagine, I wasn't too happy about that...and sent a letter off to Printed Circuits, the official Iron Man letters page.  As I mentioned before, the lag time between the issue number and its letter page commentary was at least four or five months, so, being a mercurial 13 year old boy, I most likely forgot all about my letter.

Flash forward a whopping six months later when, on a whim, I picked up Iron Man #138, cuz hey...a Dreadnought was on the cover! When I got to the letters page, you can imagine my utter flabbergastery when I saw my own name and address staring back at me.  There it was! They published it!  I was "in"!  Like Ralphie in awe of his Red Ryder theme paper in A Christmas Story, I re-read my letter as if it were a blistering Wall Street Journal editorial, or the watertight closing argument of Perry Mason. 

Here it is:

Obviously, my razor-sharp logic...backed up by devastating citations from other comics...must have silenced the Marvel Bullpen, right?  Wrong!  Iron Man writer David Michelinie himself jumped to the defense of his story...

Ouch!  Even twenty-seven years later, that slap-down still hurts!

Seriously, it was a blast getting a letter printed...and it would happen one more time in a Superman letters page a few years later (I'll get to that another day).  I have to admit, it does feel kinda cool having made it into a pre-internet letters page, back when it actually felt like an accomplishment having your opinion out there for all to see.  For that matter, it'll be there for all time, printed in the back of an actual comic book...still floating around in collections around the world.  It's only a molecule of "immortality", to be sure, but "Fanboy Valhalla" nonetheless.

Now, before I break out into the theme song from Fame, it sould be noted that my letters page debut was overshadowed somewhat by the appearance of a letters page Golden Boy, the aforementioned Dale L. Coe!

"For letters like yours, Dale?  Definitely!"

See what I mean? Golden Boy.

Memewhile: Mapping the Multiverse

With last week's final issue of 52, DC Comics officially resurrected The Multiverse, which they had banished some 20 years ago with Crisis on Infinite Earths. As it stands now, an infinite number of Earths has been paired down a much more manageable 52 (hence the name of the series), with only a handful of them revealed so far.

Inspired by Devon's masterful
Multi-versed post, I thought the rest of us out here in the Comics Blogosphere could map out some other Earths that didn't quite make the cut.

So, consider this an official Blog Meme and get to work (feel free to borrow the logo if you'd like).

I'll get us started:

Earth Scooter (Earth 16): Populated entirely
by Beatniks, Hepcats and Archie rip-offs.

Earth WWII (Earth 41): The Earth where World War II never ends, with the Allied and Axis Powers locked in eternal battle. Home of Sgt. Rock, Sgt. Fury, G.I. Robot, the History Channel and anything written by Roy Thomas.

Earth Radio Shack (Earth TRS-80): In this reality, superheroes save the world while simultaneously shilling Radio Shack TRS-80 Computers.

Okay...which Earths have you identified out there in the big, wide
Multiverse? Be creative! (graphics aren't required...but welcome!)

Updates:

Kalinara claims Earth-25, the world of the all-female JSA!

Steve Flannagan identifies the unexplored world of Earth-21!

Shameless Plug Department:
While you're at it, check out the Alternate Earth Exploratory Team merch in my Secret Identity shop.

Excuses, excuses...

In an interview posted today at Comic Book Resources, writer Mark Waid discussed his work on a variety of DC Comics titles.

When the recently relaunched Brave and the Bold team-up title came up, Waid had this to say about the second issue's steep decline in sales (from the interview):

Mark Waid:The moment all the reviews started coming in they all said, "It's fun." "It's fun." "It's fun." I started to sweat, because "fun" is a death word in comics these days.

Robert Taylor: If you kill off Hawkeye, people are going to hate it, but at least they are going to buy twenty of it.

MW: That's just it. "Fun, fun, fun" being our rap makes me worried. Sales were strong on the first issue, but the second issue drop-off was a little steeper than we'd predicted. And I honestly think that was because every reviewer said it was "fun."

"Fun" automatically kills off a lot of your sales. Don't get me wrong; the book's still a success in the current market, and no one at DC has expressed anything but enthusiasm. We certainly seem to have a hit on our hands, George and I. I just hope that the "fun" label doesn't hit us too hard. If so, it's just another sign that current readers don't want "fun" comics.

RT: You should have Blue Beetle raped by his armor or something.

Time out: Okay, does CBR have an editor? That line was wrong for all the obvious reasons, and never should have seen the light of day. Back to the interview.

MW: To my mind, "Brave and Bold" isn't "fun." It can be funny, but so could "Firefly" or "Buffy." Interweaving your drama and shock with humor doesn't lessen the drama and shock - it heightens it because it keeps the readers off-balance.

________________

I'm not buying Mark Waid's "fun doesn't sell" explanation.

Sure, the darker-skewing stuff is as depressingly popular as ever, but to pin the sales drop on that is simply a cop-out. There are a number of titles that have been classified as "fun" that have also enjoyed huge success, such as Superman/Batman, Ultimate Spider-Man, She-Hulk and All-Star Superman. In fact, some of the biggest summer blockbuster films could also be considered "fun", in that they have that same balance of adventure, humor, drama and visual flash.

I maintain that there will always be a robust market for so-called "fun" comics, and it's disappointing that Mark Waid would be so embarrassed over the label. I would have thought Waid would be proud of Brave and the Bold's unique status as the rollicking "summer blockbuster" of comics, rather than bristling at it.

Ironically, later in the interview Waid complained that the message of Marvel's Civil War series seemed to be "give up your civil liberties and stop fighting for the things you believe in and everything will be fine." Well, Mark....looks like you stopped fighting for something I thought you believed in, since you've chosen to parrot the dreary mantra that "fun comics" don't sell.

My unsolicited advice?

Waid and Perez should continue doing exactly what they're doing and stop second-guessing themselves. Guys, forget about trying to measure out the optimum levels of grit and angst and do what you do best to the best of your ability: tell great stories.

That's what fans really want.

Update: Rick at Bent Corner offers his own take on Waid's comments, reminding me that the first issue of Brave and Bold included a 1:10 variant cover, which will typically (and artificially) inflate an issue's sales. Yet another factor Waid overlooked in his knee-jerk "nobody likes fun books" assessment.

True Tales of (comic book) Horror!

Like anyone who's been at this comic book collecting thing for a significant period of time (in my case over thirty years), I've had my share of both good and...well...not so good experiences.

Oh sure, there's the run-of-the-mill negative experiences like an eBay "sniper" snatching away a coveted comic book at the last possible second, or the constant hassle of making room for your collection.  However, there are a handful of moments from my long collecting "career" that go beyond mundane frustrations and into the starkly HORRIFIC!

One such moment happened back in the early 90's at Fall-Con, the year's biggest comic book convention here in the Twin Cities area.  I was busy locating and pricing various issues of Superman I needed, eventually coming across a copy of Superman #121 (1958).

The dealer priced it a bit on the high side, so before buying it I wanted to make sure it was graded accurately. Being a good little collector well-schooled in comic convention etiquette, I made sure to ask the dealer if I could remove the comic book from its bag.  He reluctantly said "sure", and I carefully started removing it.

As I slowly slid the comic book from the bag, it stopped.

Not good.  I flipped it over and EEEEYYYAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

The tape of the comic book bag flap had stuck firmly to the top edge of the cover...in full view of the dealer, no less!

Here...check out my boneheaded move with a Magni-View of the damage:

Needless to say, I immediately bought the issue from the equally-horrified dealer and skittered off red-faced and cursing myself profusely.

Yeah, in hindsight the damage wasn't all that bad.  I've never been too wrapped up in buying top-condition books, but man....snagging the cover in front of that dealer still makes me cringe.

So, what's your comic book horror story?  If you've got a good one, shoot me an email and I'll include it in a future installment of True Tales of (comic book) Horror!

The Velveteen Comic Book

"Weeks passed, and the little Rabbit grew very old and shabby, but the Boy loved him just as much. He loved him so hard that he loved all his whiskers off, and the pink lining to his ears turned grey, and his brown spots faded. He even began to lose his shape, and he scarcely looked like a rabbit any more, except to the Boy. To him he was always beautiful, and that was all that the little Rabbit cared about. He didn't mind how he looked to other people, because the nursery magic had made him Real, and when you are Real shabbiness doesn't matter."

–an excerpt from The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams (1922)

As comic book collectors, we've been conditioned to seek out the perfect, the flawless, the Near Mint (since, as we're told, "Mint" is simply an impossible ideal). 

However, when it comes to condition grading, I guess I've always been a bit more tolerant toward comics from "the bad side of town".  The way I see it, a well-worn comic book shows how much it's been enjoyed and treasured over the years. Yeah, they're shunned by the hardcore collectors who encase flawless comics in plastic slabs and brag up their "unread" status (how nuts is that?), but to me?  Roughed-up comics have character, a sense of history, and signs that human hands actually touched it (gasp).  In other words (using Velveteen Rabbit vernacular), they seem real.

I've got plenty of well-worn comics in my collection, but I think the one that comes closest to the "Velveteen Comic" ideal is my spectacularly dilapidated copy of Amazing Spider-Man #145 (1975).  It was my first Spider-Man comic book, joining the scant five or six other comics in my tiny (but growing) collection.  Here it is in all its Poor-minus glory:

It was read dozens of times, the cover traced a couple dozen more, the Marvel Value Stamp on the inside cut out, incompetently re-stapled, with my name crudely scrawled with orange marker on the splash page.

Is this book likely to spark a heated bidding war on eBay?  Nope.

Will it be displayed on a dealer's wall at the San Diego Con, right next to slabbed copies of priceless key issues?  Never.

Will it remain a fondly-regarded part of my collection?  Of course!

Friday Night Fights: GRUNDY SMASH!

What's shaping up to be a fun weekly event here in the comics blogosphere is the Friday Night Fights, graciously hosted by our pal Bahlactus and contributed to by just about everyone with a comics blog! As the name suggests, Friday Night Fights highlights some of the great moments in comic book combat. We can pretend superhero comic books are about higher, loftier things...but at their core, it's all about laying the smackdown! Truly something to celebrate.

My first foray into the Friday Night Fights is taken from Superman #301 (1976), which features a nearly full-issue slugfest between the Man of Steel and the savage Solomon Grundy!
Dimly recalling how some superheroes had doubles from alternate Earths, everyone's favorite swamp zombie wonders if there might be another Solomon Grundy out there to pal around with. In his bizarre supernatural fashion, Grundy decides to simply "walk" between dimensions from Earth-2 (his pre-Crisis address) to the Metropolis of Earth-1, bringing most of Slaughter Swamp along with him!

Predictably, his visit gets the attention of Superman, sparking one of the best knock-down-drag-outs I've ever seen in a comic book.

On the left, I've gathered a few random panels from the battle (click on 'em for a much larger view), but you owe it to yourself to track this baby down and read the whole thing. Illustrated by the amazing Jose Garcia Lopez, the dynamic action and cinematic layouts still blow away most of what passes for comic book art today, and with sound effects like "THOMM!", "SPRANK!", and the classic "BARROOOM!" ("bar room?"), it's a book you'll be glad to add to your collection.

BONUS: If Solomon Grundy throwing Superman around like a ragdoll isn't enough mayhem for you, be sure to check out That's Gotta Hurt!, my look at comic book covers from the Pain Hall of Fame!

Point/Counterpoint: Smoking Superheroes

In 2006, Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada defended a controversial decision to remove all instances of smoking from Marvel Comics titles.  In a statement on Newsarama, Quesada went in to some detail behind the decision, best summarized by this rather blunt statement:

"So, the reason our characters don’t smoke in our books is because
I don’t want them smoking in our books, it’s as simple as that.
Say what you will, it doesn’t matter, smoking causes cancer."

Knowing how the P.R. machines of tobacco companies have responded to such challenges in the past, I couldn't help but imagine what such a pro-tobacco campaign might look like...

"Hi, kids!  My name is Jay Garrick, otherwise known as The Flash.  I've been running at super-speed for well over sixty years.  To what do I owe such a long, super-cool life?"

"Why, cigarettes, of course!"

"Ha, ha!  Surprised you, didn't I?  I'll bet some of you are thinking 'But Jay, isn't smoking the number one evil facing our world today?' Not even close, kids!  In fact, let me show you how smoking made it possible for me to gain super powers!"

"My story begins, appropriately enough, back in Flash Comics #1 (1940), as I monitored an important Hard Water experiment late into the night.  As sleep beckoned, I called upon the sweet concentration-enhancing powers of Lady Tobacco...."

"The cigarette's soothing flavor was just what I needed, as the ecstacy of its problem-solving, life-giving vapors caused me to swoon into the nearby chemical containers...knocking them to the ground!"

"The rest, of course, is history.  The Hard Water fumes knocked me out, which by all rights should have killed me...that is, if it weren't for the protective chemical embrace of my precious cigarettes!"

"I can still remember that moment during my recovery, as that freakishly broad-shouldered nurse was serving me mush...how thankful I was to not only be alive, but supercharged with speed...speed I would later channel as The Flash! Thank you, tobacco!

"Don't forget 'contributes
to super speed'!  Ha, ha!"

Update: Sorry, Jay. It looks like DC Comics eventually modified your origin to reflect modern tastes, as reported by K ² Ramblings. Thanks, Kelson!

You KNOW comics aren't for kids anymore when...

...you see an ad for a $24,000 SUV on the inside front cover!

Sure, the primary comic book advertisers are still video game equipment, junk food and comic-related merchandise...but this Jeep ad from DC's Countdown #49 a few weeks ago?

Quite the wake-up call. (Click on the ad to get a better look. Come on...I get 5¢ a click from Jeep.  Kidding!)

Despite the ad's juvenile connect-the-dots theme, it's pretty clear they're not targeting the 13 to 18 year-old demographic...unless allowances and Burger King paychecks have dramatically improved since I was a teenager. You know, back in the day when the big advertisers were Bubble Yum, Charles Atlas, Sea Monkeys, and whoopie cushions.

Of course, it goes without saying that the SUV ad is just the beginning.  As the rapidly aging fanbase continues to...well...rapidly age, I'm sure it won't be too much longer before we see comic book ads for retirement condos, Metamucil, or even Depends!

The Complete 1977 Shopping List

As the grocery shopper in our house, I usually bring a list the length of a toilet paper roll and end up spending anywhere between two to three hundred dollars.  The other day, as I drove home from the store (exhausted), I thought back to a simpler time, when I had a much smaller list to bring to the store. 

Here's what my typical shopping list looked like in June of 1977:

A Marvel Superheroes Slurpee® drink.

Pop Rocks: The carbonated candy that literally sizzled in my mouth.  Add a swig of Coca-Cola for extra head-exploding fizzing action.

Zotz: Hard candy in a variety of flavors, each with a fizzy sour center.

A pack of bubblegum cards from that
cool new "Star Wars" movie.

...and last, but certainly not least...

Comic books!  From an authentic 7-11 squeeky spinner-rack, no less!  The trick was to get there before all of the comics had been bent over the wire rack from careless browsers...and to avoid the clerk scolding us that "this ain't a library"!

In case you're wondering, YES...these ARE the very same comics that came out in June of 1977...I remember buying them!

TOTAL:  Oh, this is just a guess...but it was probably three bucks for the whole works.  You know, the price of one comic book today!  Arrgghh!

DC Nation: What the heck was THAT?!

Everyone hates late comics.  Fans, pros, distributors, shop owners...everyone.

But...if there's one thing that's more of a turn-off than late comics, it's a publisher's sulky, existential navel-gazing on the topic.

DC Nation is a weekly promo page in the comics published by...you guessed it...DC Comics.  It's usually hosted by DC front-man Dan Didio, sort of a Stan Lee-meets-Tony Soprano character.  However, this week Dan turned it over to one of his editors, Matt Idelson....whose unshaven, doughy and (judging by the column) clueless visage topped the column.

Behold! The poster boy of Modern Comics Professionalism!

Some quick background:  Both DC and Marvel Comics (a.k.a. "The Big Two") have experienced some rather high-profile bellyflops when it came to late comics, most of which involved A-list creative teams who couldn't seem to get their comic books done on time. 

Understandably, there's been some vocal push-back from the fan and retail community...but as you can see from Matt's DC Nation column (from which I've excerpted below), it's doesn't appear to be getting through.  Instead, Idelson throws up a classic "Gordian Knot" defense...implying that the problem is just too intractable for poor, hapless editors to solve.

As Matt sees it, an editor has only three options:

1.  Use a previously prepared inventory or "file" story.  The problem?

"...nowadays it seems like readers react poorly – they know they're reading an inventory story. I guess part of the reason for this is that stories today are so concretely focused on the present, and how it will impact the future of the character. There's little patience for stories that fill in gaps from the past."

2.  How about bringing in a guest writer or artist to keep the story arc moving forward?  Sounds logical...but Matt begs to differ:

"But that's met with frustration by the readers, who wanted to see a certain team remain intact for this most important of stories."

Well...what's a long-suffering editor to do?

3.  What about not releasing a comic book until it's completely finished, no matter how long it takes?

You guessed it:

"...who wants to go to the comics store and not find their book waiting for them? I know that would drive me crazy when I was centering my week around my next comics run."

So, does Idelson proclaim a bold new commitment on DC's part to hitting deadlines?  Does he offer an apology for all the late books, or report that there might be certain practices (like soliciting books that aren't even remotely close to being finished) that DC will modify or abolish?

Nope.  All we get is, essentially, a shrug:

"It seems like each of the three options is frowned upon by about a third of the reading population."

Gosh....then I guess there's nothing that can be done, right?

Unless you count soliciting the advice of the fanbase you just said was divided into three irreconcilable camps:

"I'm curious to know—how do you, the reader feel we should proceed? What would you want us to do? Regardless of the answer, I guess the bottom line is that you can't please everyone. The real question is: how can we, the editors, please the most people?"

Wow...they really don't have a clue, do they?

Well, since you asked, Matt...here's how you can please the most people:

1.  As we roll into the summer convention season, before you announce your exclusive deals with rock star creatosr, check out their track record.  Can they consistantly perform on a monthly comic book?  If not, what makes you think they suddenly will now??

2.  How about not soliciting stories until they're at least 3/4 completed, so comic shops won't end up holding the bag on ordered titles that are six months tardy?

3.  Why not build in an incentive or benchmark scale into the deal, so if the creative team completes their obligations by a certain date, they are rewarded with a higher page or royalty rate?  Conversely, you could set up a similar system of penalizing benchmarks, where creators are paid steadily less past an agreed upon deadline.

4.  Take a breath.  The Big Two have been locked in this insane "death spiral" of cosmos-shaking mega-events for so long, the fever pitch seems to be overtaking the ability of many to produce or properly edit the stories.

5.  Stop blaming the fans.  Late books are solely and completely the responsibility of the creators and the publishers who hire them.  True professionals will do whatever it takes to get the job done...whether that means skipping a convention, spending half an hour less on a message board or the X-Box, or (most importantly) refusing to take on more work than they know they can realistically complete.

6.  Apologize.  You'd be surprised how far a simple apology for late work can go.  Don't make excuses.  Don't mope or shrug....or imply this is just the way things are going to be for the foreseeable future...or act like nothing's wrong.  "Hey, we really screwed up.  We're sorry. We hope we can get it together and deliver a great product on time, every time."  There....that wasn't so hard, was it?

7.  Heed the advice of the Comic Coverage "How to Create a Comic Book On Time" guide.

Barry Allen: Answering the Skeptics

Some of the biggest news emerging from last week's Hero Con in Philadelphia was DC Comics' surprise announcement that writer Mark Waid would be returning to write the Flash, sparking a firestorm of speculation (based on numerous clues) that the one wearing the red tights would be none other than a resurrected Barry Allen!

As with most big news that comes down the pike in the comics biz, there's already a chorus both cheering and jeering the possibility of Barry's return.  I'm solidly in the Pro-Barry camp, and after reading a number of objections from people who aren't, I thought I'd answer a few of them here.

Of course, the real nature of what's going on won't be revealed until today's new comics hit the stands...so all of this may be a moot point. 

But when's that ever stopped me before?

---

"Who is this 'Barry Allen' anyway?"

Barry Allen was actually DC's second super-speedster to operate as The Flash.  The first was Jay Garrick, whose adventures were published between 1940 and 1949, ending when superhero comics hit the skids.  Kicking off a new wave of superhero popularity (commonly referred to as "The Silver Age") was Showcase #4 (1956), featuring Barry as an updated Flash, complete with a spiffy Space Age uniform.

Later on, Barry's speed allowed him to bridge dimensions and meet his famous predecessor on an alternate Earth, simultaneously sparking DC's long association with Multiple Earths storylines.

Barry's solo series (picking up on the numbering of Jay's old Flash Comics series) continued on into the 1980's, when the winds of change, paired with DC's incompetent handling of the character, led to its cancellation in 1985. 

Later that year, Barry would appear in Crisis on Infinite Earths, a mini-series designed to clean up and streamline DC's (allegedly) too-complicated continuity.  Despite most heroes getting a chance to shine, Barry was a curiously absent figure through much of the story....appearing as either a weeping spectral figure or stuck in motionless captivity.  Following the double-size Death of Supergirl issue, Barry died the very next (regular-sized) issue...coming across as almost an afterthought or mild aftershock to Supergirl's much-trumpeted demise.  Making matters worse, Barry's final act came off as an odd, metaphysical abstraction rather than a concrete contribution to victory.  Running in circles around a cosmic doohickie (the purpose of which wasn't clear) and then crumbling into a skeleton wasn't exactly the blaze of glory you'd expect for a guy of Barry's stature.

Needless to say, the handling of Barry's death was as bungled and incoherent as the final years of his series.

---

"Geez, you're pretty bitter about this, aren't you?"

Actually, no.  I mean, it's been over twenty years, so I've long since gotten over it.  Plus, there's that little detail of Barry not being real that convinced me pretty quickly to move on.

---

"Why not bring back Wally West instead? He's already alive!"

There's definitely a case to be made that Barrys' former protege', who began his career as Kid Flash and later assumed Barry's mantle as The Flash, should come back and pick up where he left off.  As of this writing, he's supposedly living in The Speed Force (don't ask) with his wife and kids...so I say let the guy continue enjoying a well-earned sabbatical.  For the past twenty years or so, the character's benefitted from a variety of conceptual upgrades and interesting new directions, so maybe it's time for his mentor to reap the benefits of today's more sophisticated forms of storytelling.

---

"I think this bringing back the dead stuff has simply got to stop.  Hal Jordan, Jason Todd, Bucky for Pete's sake!  Bucky?  Come on, Mark, you know that this is getting ridiculous!  Let the line be drawn with Barry.  Or so help me, you know Uncle Ben will be next."

I can understand the concern that death means almost nothing in superhero comics anymore, but we'd crossed that bridge long before anyone seriously thought Barry might be coming back.  True, there are certain characters who simply can't come back to life without undermining the entire narrative of a character...such as your example of Uncle Ben.  In his case, or the case of Bruce Wayne's murdered parents, the death is a cornerstone of the character's beginnings....their "reason for being" if you will.  These, I would agree, are truly untouchable "permanent" deaths.  However, Barry's not one of those essential deaths.  High profile, maybe...but not essential.  His role in a virtually forgotten cosmic crisis has little to no bearing on anything that's happened since, other than garnering a few "Dear Old Barry" sniffles from time to time.

So, why not bring him back for something other than maudlin tributes or time-travel stopovers?

I think one of the treasures of a fictional reality is the ability to bend the rules in a way we could never do here in the "real world".  We all know that physical death is permanent and there's nothing we can do to reverse it.  Do we really need superhero comic books to uphold and teach us that lesson?   Nuh uh.  Instead, if we can bend the laws of physics to allow humans to fly, shrink, climb walls and run at light speed, is it any less an outlandish fantasy to want to beat death itself? Barry's carried enough water for the "We need to respect death's permanency" line.  Do we really need him to stay dead in order to prove that rather obvious point?

At the end of the day, comics are about telling great stories, and Barry has many more left to tell.

---

"I think this is just more proof that the Silver Age nostalgia freaks who run the industry are trying to re-live their childhoods."

Now who's bitter?  Sure, the industry (and much of the fanbase) includes those who grew up reading comics in the 60's and 70's, but keep in mind they're also the same people who've been creating the comics you've read from the 80's on up to the present, so they've got a stake in the current status quo, too.  Another thing to keep in mind is that even though so-called "Silver Age Characters" are enjoying more of the spotlight these days, it doesn't mean that the Silver Age era's storytelling style will accompany them.  It's been proven time and again that a truly strong character concept can adapt to any era in the hands of a dynamic creative team, and Silver Age characters are no exception.  Instead of sweeping them under the rug, as DC attempted to do in the early 90's, inventive writers have rescued Silver Agers like Hal Jordan and Ollie Queen from the ash heap and restored them to a vital, relevant presence in the DC Universe.

I don't think anyone is trying to relive their childhood (that's what back issues are for, after all), and one man's nostalgia is someone else's first story, so I don't buy the plea for nostalgia-free comics.  Sure, if you marinate in nostalgia month after month, you're no longer growing or moving forward...but a dash of nostalgia has always been part of the superhero comics "recipe", especially so for the rich traditions that define the DC Comics experience.

---

"Barry's return would completely invalidate Crisis on Infinite Earths."

At this point, I don't think anyone's losing too much sleep over what this does or doesn't do to Crisis.  Nothing will change its status as a mind-blowing milestone event, but it's influence over the current DCU has been radically diminished by recent events...most notably the return of the multiverse concept, the whole reason for Crisis in the first place (and not to kill off Barry Allen, as some seem to believe).

---

"I don't want the squeaky-clean Barry Allen getting 'tainted' by the more ambiguous, darker morality of modern comics."

I see this one alot. Sure, Barry would encounter a starkly different moral climate than he did in the comics of thirty to forty years ago, but it doesn't follow that Barry would automatically be changed into some kind of sneering anarchist.  So cheer up...lots of writers are still in the "uplifting and heroic" business, and Mark Waid is definitely among them.

Who's to say Barry's upright character won't have an effect on the world around him?

---

"C'mon...Barry was as square and uncool as it gets.  I can't see anyone making Barry cool enough for kids today."

Well, if "cool" means making him a "Guitar Hero II" maestro with an emo haircut, I guess he's not going to pass muster.  However, if we're talking about Barry's reputation for a coherent moral perspective and his domesticated, average-guy sensibility, that IS why he's so cool!  Want to be a non-conformist in today's crowded superhero market?  Be a well-adjusted, confident guy who's comfortable in his own skin! 

Add to that Barry's career as a forensic scientist, which (based on the hundreds of procedural crime dramas on TV) is cooler than ever.  Add to THAT the fact that the fresh, luminous artwork of Daniel Acuña will be featured in the rebooted series, and I think Barry's all set in the "cool" department.

(click the panels for a larger look)

So, by the end of the day today we'll know for sure if it's Barry, Wally or someone else entirely taking over for the hapless Bart Allen.  My money's on Barry, because if anything is going to live up to DC's hype, Barry returning from a 20 year death trumps Wally coming back from a one-year sabbatical any day of the week.  Come on, DC...get it right this time!

Whatever happens, you can bet I'll have plenty to blather about on Thursday.

Flash Facts

Well, yesterday I feverishly picked up the fateful comics (Flash: Fastest Man Alive #13 and Justice League of America #10) to see if good ol' Barry Allen had been brought back to life. 

As you might recall from my previous post, I'm a big fan of the character and was hoping mightily that he would be the "new Flash" DC's been crowing about.

For those of you who haven't read the comics in question yet, I'll go into spoiler mode after the jump, but I will say this:  While the issue of Flash was pretty "meh" (much like the entire short-lived series itself), the conclusion of "The Lightning Saga" in Justice League featured some top-notch, nitro-powered storytelling.  "Suspenseful Intensity" might be a good way to describe it.

Okay, time to jump to some spoiler-
filled blather.  Don't say I didn't warn you!

Friday Night Fights: It's Clobberin' Time!

After a brief interlude, the mighty Bahlactus has sounded the battle cry for another round of Friday Night Fights....and when Bahlactus calls, the teeming hordes of the Comics Blogoverse rise to the challenge!

My spine-crushing contribution is taken from Fantastic Four #77 (1968), the final chapter of The Second Coming of Galactus!

Sent by Galactus to find the reclusive Silver Surfer, Reed, Johnny and Ben journey into a bizarre sub-atomic Microverse, where they encounter the emotion-manipulating threat of Psycho-Man.

This ridiculously entertaining tale was published during the high tide of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's classic run, featuring their insane concepts, rollicking dialogue, non-stop action and brilliant artwork (made even better by the sublime inking of Joltin' Joe Sinnott). These panels give you just a little taste of that magic, so spend some time looking them over (click on the panels for a Galactus-sized Mega-View).

Now, without further ado, let's join The Thing as he introduces Psycho-Man to his left and right fists, otherwise known as
"The Brothers Grimm!"  

Be sure to grab a helmet and safety goggles to protect you from the sheer seismic insanity of that final panel. You can feel the impact all the way from here, nearly forty years later! Take it away, Benjamin!  

Original Art: Slice It, Dice It, or Give It Away for Free

While spending a few stolen moments of leisure time leafing through my Flash collection, specifically the Flash-Grams letters pages, I was reminded of an alarming practice that (as far as I know) occured only in that particular title.

First, a little set-up. In today's comic book marketplace, we're all aware of the value of a comic book's original artwork.  In fact, most artists supplement their income by selling pages of their original art to fans and collectors.  When a comic book publisher has printed the issue of a comic book, they'll typically give the penciller and inker a portion of the artwork to do with as they see fit.  Some keep it for sentimental or professional reasons, some sell it for fun and profit. Everyone's happy, right?

Sure, now they're happy...but decades ago, a publisher's original art policies were very different from what they are today.  Shockingly, depressingly and horrifyingly different.

Opposites Attract

So…is that old saying “opposites attract” really true?

If we’re talking romance?  Probably not. 

If we’re talking about me and “Opposite Number” supervillains?  Absolutely!

Rest assured, I love all the obvious A-List Bad Guys like The Joker, the Green Goblin, the Doctors Doom and Octopus, and all the rest.  However, there’s just something about those Evil Duplicates, Dark Reflections, and Twisted Doppelgangers I can’t get enough of.

What could be the Deep Psychological Underpinnings for that fixation? Could Opposite Number villains mirror the struggle between good and evil that rages in every human heart?  Are they a symbolic representation of how easy power can corrupt? Is it the sense of cosmic symmetry these equally powerful yet morally twisted characters represent?

Frankly, I have no idea.

Here’s what I do know.  One of the first dozen comic books I’d ever read was Marvel’s Greatest Comics #57 (reprinting Fantastic Four #75), which dropped me right in the middle of nothing less than the Second Coming of Galactus.  As you can imagine, I had absolutely no idea what was going on…but thanks to the charismatic scripting of Stan Lee and the eye-popping Kirby-Sinnott art, it didn’t seem to matter.

Then, about midway through the story, the off-world Galactus creates an eerie distraction to occupy Reed, Johnny and Ben (Sue was pregnant and on bed rest at the time). Rising from the ocean shore like zombies, a trio of dark duplicates ruthlessly attacked the boys using powers identical to theirs.

Of course, the evil counterparts were eventually defeated, but not before sparking a fascination with Opposite Number villains that continues to this day.

So, what exactly is an Opposite Number Supervillain? As I see it, we’ve got four broad categories...

"Welcome...to my Sinestro Corps."

I typically don't plug or review new comics (I'll leave that to the other 200,000 comic book blogs), but every once in awhile a special one comes along that's so entertaining, so incredibly well done, that I've just gotta crow about it.

At the very end of my previous Opposite Numbers post, I mentioned how much I was looking forward to reading Sinestro Corps Special #1, which hit the stores this week. I knew I would enjoy it (being the Green Lantern and Opposite Number fan that I am), but man alive, I had no idea it would turn out to be the best comic book I've read in ages!

Writers Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons have done more to invigorate and expand the Green Lantern mythos than anyone else has in decades, exploring new directions and introducing fascinating new concepts (such as the color/emotion/power "spectrum") while at the same time instilling a new level of cosmic grandeur, far surpassing anything I've seen before in all the years I've been reading Green Lantern. Sinestro Corps Special is the payoff for their months and years of laying the groundwork, as multiple threads relating to DC's recent Infinite Crisis event, their current Countdown storyline and the various Earth-based Green Lantern characters come together with spectacular results.

Of course, even if there were no words supplied by the writers, the book would still be a home run, thanks to the amazing artwork of Ethan Van Sciver. Starting with Green Lantern: Rebirth (the 2005 kick-off to the grand Green Lantern reboot), Van Sciver has set the visual standard for this era's Green Lantern with his solild storytelling and highly detailed, cinematic artwork. Need proof? How about this face-melting center spread featuring Sinestro's dark reflection of the entire Green Lantern Corps? (click on the panel for a larger view)

Insanity, thy name is Ethan Van Sciver!

At his point, the only questions remaining are: Why aren't you at the comic shop buying this?...or, if you already did, what did you think?

Friday Night Fights: EGO TRIP!

It's no secret I'm a big fan of Marvel's THOR, a character most of the self-proclaimed sophisticates view as hopelessly passe'.

Naturally, I haven't lost a wink of sleep over that.

In fact, the cornball amalgamation of Norse legend, swashbuckling adventure, Shakespearean dialect, chivalrous morality, and hi-tech Mardi Gras headgear is precisely why I enjoy the Thunder God's tales.

One of the pillars of Thor comics is the "Epic Quest" storyline, in which Goldilocks and his pals have to journey somewhere, find something, or defeat someone (or sometimes all three), invariably with the fate of the entire cosmos in the balance.

One such quest took place in Thor #226-#228 (1974) in a tale written by Gerry Conway (which character didn't he write in the 70's?), pencilled by Rich Buckler (in full Kirby-pastiche mode) and inked by Joe Sinnott (Kirby's greatest inker). Sent by the quest-happy Galactus, Thor, Hercules and Big-G's herald Firelord are sent to find EGO, an insane sentient planet roaming the universe destroying other planets (essentially stealing the food of Galactus). 

Their mission once they found Ego? Shut 'im down!

After the trio spent most of issue #227 fighting their way onto the surface of Mr. Planet McGrumpy Face, then smashing through armies of demonic "anti-bodies", Thor finally muscles his way into the core, hurls the mighty Mjolnir, and blows up Ego's giant brain!*

(click on the panels for brain-exploding bigness) 

Be sure to check out Mighty Bahlactus for more Friday Night Fighting!

*  Again with the "BARROOM" sound effect?  Man, the 70's were all about the subliminal pro-alcohol messaging, weren't they?

Friday Night Fights: A Few Ants Short of a Picnic

Despite taking a breather last week, the battle call of Bahlactus beckons for another Friday Night Fight...and I must answer!

With the height of summer (and picnic season) upon us, what better way to celebrate than with an insane Ant-Man and billions of ants attacking the Avengers? Avengers #161 (1977) finds the team's resident headcase Hank Pym having yet another nervous breakdown/identity crisis, this time reverting to his original Ant-Man identity. Pym's mind also reverted back to a previous time frame, believing that the Avengers team has only recently come into being and that the people he sees in Avengers Mansion are either villains or impostors.

In a dynamic sequence illustrated by a young buck named George Perez, the addled Ant-Man launches a full-scale attack upon his perplexed teammates, culminating in a spectacular "growth-spurt knockout" of the Black Panther and the Beast (click on the panels for Pym Particle-like expansion).

SPECIAL BONUS BUTT-KICKING:

Of course, no Crazy Hank Pym story is complete without an appearance by his malevolent android "son" Ultron, who shows up seconds after Pym is subdued by the Avengers. Witness Ultron as he unleashes a KA-BLAAMM-flavored smackdown...

"Live From New York, It's Friday Night Fights!"

When a modest late-night sketch comedy show named NBC Saturday Night made its debut on October 11th, 1975, nobody had the slightest idea it would become one of the longest-lived programs in television history.

Retitled Saturday Night Live in 1976, the irreverent series quickly became a pop cultural phenomenon by appealing to the uniquely twisted sense of humor of young adults. By 1978, many of its cast members (and their characters) had become household names, inspiring fellow New York institution Marvel Comics to create one of the strangest comic books ever published.

Marvel Team-Up #74 (1978) paired Marvel figureheads Spider-Man and Stan (The Man) Lee with NBC's Not Ready For Prime Time Players*, who together battled the menace of The Silver Samurai and his gang.  As Spidey and the SNL cast cleaned up the goons, the Silver Samurai pitted his sword against....who else?  John Belushi as the Samurai!

As you can see from the panels (click to enlarge), Belushi held his own against the Silver Samurai until Spider-Man took over.  A few panels later, the Silver Samurai used the magic ring to disappear from Studio 8H, escaping to fight Spider-Man another day.

With that, Stan and the crime-fighting SNL crew
gathered for the traditional end-of-the-show curtain call...

From left to right (click for a front row view):  John Belushi, producer Lorne Michaels, Laraine Newman, Stan Lee, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris (in a Thor costume), and Bill Murray.

* When the '78-'79 season of SNL began just a few months later, the cast
members were no longer referred to as the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players".

Craving more Friday fisticuffs?  Bahlactus is your fix!

The Legion of "O"

Who knows when or why the trend started...all I know is that by the late 1950's and early 60's, super villains with vaguely Spanish-sounding names ending in the long "O" ("Oh") sound were suddenly the rage.

DC Comics seemed particularly infatuated with "O" villains, as you can see from their "Legion of O-Negative" below. 

From the top left we've got Bizarro, Despero, Mano, Starro, Eclipso, Koko, Computo, Kanto, Dr. Psycho, Destructo, Professor Ivo, Titano, Amazo, Universo, Kanjar-Ro, Evillo, Villo, Count Vertigo, Chemo, Sinestro, and Metallo.

Making their brave stand against the villainous Legion of O-Negative was a small band of heroes whose names also ended with DC's favorite vowel.  The odds were certainly stacked against them, considering their team was made up of two dogs, a baby, a caveman, a terminally ill teen, two adults of questionable sanity, and a monkey. But what they lacked in numbers (as well as intelligence and opposable thumbs), they made up for in raw power.

The Legion of O-Positive (from top left):  Metamorpho,
Supremo, Krypto, Mento, Rovo, Mighto, Anthro, and Beppo.

Ahh, but just when we think the Legion of O-Positive stands a chance, in rushes the Brotherhood of O-Negative Villains from Marvel Comics, no slouches in the O-villain department themselves.

Lead by Magneto (top left), their ranks include (in order):
Ultimo, Mysterio, Baron Mordo, Wendigo, Baron Zemo, Mesmero,
Rhino, Nuklo, Mephisto, Mentallo, Colosso, Vibro, Zarrko, and Electro.

But just when all hope appears lost, the battle is joined by the celebrity might of entertainment sensation Charo, the deep-thinking secular saint Bono, and early 80's Playtex spokeswoman Brenda Vacarro!

Okay...I'll stop now.

The King of Rock & Roll and the World's Mightiest Boy

Today marks 30 years since the death of rock-n-roll legend Elvis Presley. Apparently, Elvis was a comic book fan as a young teen back in East Tupelo, Mississippi, and reportedly loved Fawcett's Captain Marvel Jr. character. Some have suggested he may have even styled his hair to resemble Cap Jr.'s unique hairstyle.

The picture on the left is one of my favorite "inside jokes" from Kingdom Come (1996), the alternate future epic by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. Instead of Cap Jr. influencing Elvis, this time around it was Elvis who inspired the look of the adult Captain Marvel Jr., who now called himself King Marvel.

For the ultimate look at the connection between Elvis and Captain Marvel Jr., you've gotta check out the amazing Secret Origin of Elvis and Captain Marvel Jr. at the endlessly entertaining (and inspiring) Dial B for Blog.
Word has it that curator Robby Reed will be starting up the blog again on August 31st! Be there!

Which Came First: The Vision or The Red Tornado?

A few months back, I posed the question "Which Came First: The Doom Patrol or the X-Men?", one of the enduring Unsolved Mysteries of superhero comics.  Of course, I didn't come up with any definitive answer, but that's the fun of an unsolved mystery, right?

Well, another unsolved mystery that's always fascinated me was the virtually simultaneous first appearances of DC's Red Tornado and Marvel's Vision characters.

The Red Tornado took his first bow in Justice League of America #64, which sported a cover date of August, 1968.  A mere two months later, the Vision appeared in Avengers #57.  You're probably thinking "What's the big mystery?  The Red Tornado beat the Vision by a whole two months!"  Ahh, but you have to keep in mind the process of creating a comic book, which (at the time) took about three to four months from concept to printed product, so it would have been impossible for Marvel to rip-off DC within that tight of a time frame.  In short, just like the X-Men and the Doom Patrol before them, the Red Tornado/Vision debuts appear to be a genuine cosmic coincidence!

What makes their dual debut such a "cosmic coincidence"?  Here, let's compare their first appearances and chalk up the astounding similarities:

Blacklisted!

Now that I've reached my one year "blogoversary", I thought I'd extend the blatant self-congratulation an extra day by running a little contest similar to the "Am I Blue?" contest I ran back in January.

Instead of blue, this time around I'm picking the perfect blogoversary celebration color:  BLACK!  Okay, it's not the ideal celebration color, but hey...there's a ton of black-themed comic book heroes and villains, so that's the color I'm going with.

Your mission?  Take a look at the 32 "blacklisted" characters below, jot down as many names as you can, then email your answers to me (use the corresponding numbers with each name).

Whoever gets all of the names correct, or whoever gets the most names correct by midnight on Friday, August 24^th (whichever comes first), will get mugged!  That is, they'll win a free coffee mug from my Secret Identity shop (with over 40 designs to choose from).  That's "free" as in "free shipping" as well, so go ahead and take a crack at it....it literally won't cost you a thing!

Oh, one more thing:  I'm going to turn off the comments for this post, since I don't want anyone "borrowing" the answers of others to complete their own lists.  In the age of Google and Wiki-assisted research, I've gotta do something to keep it challenging! 

With that, have fun completing your "Black Ops" mission!

Blacklisted: The Winner (and the Answers!)

Earlier this week, I threw down the gauntlet and collectively challenged you to identify 32 comic book characters with the word "black" somewhere in their name.  Some were good guys, some were bad guys...some were ridiculously easy to guess, while others weren't guessed by anybody! Mwah ha haaaa!

Well, a small army of you took up the challenge and sent me your guesses.  After combing through them like a teacher carefully correcting tests, we've got a winner! 

Tobey Cook of Bremerton, Washington (and the Cosmic Rants blog) got an amazing 28 out of the 32 black-themed characters.  Congratulations, Tobey!  Your free mug from my Secret Identity shop is on its way!

Thanks to everyone who participated...I hope you had fun!  I'll try to put together some more comics-themed challenges for you in the months to come.

Oh, and last but not least,
here's the official answer key to

1. Black Widow: Blast! I didn't fool anyone with her old costume! Originally an Iron-Man foe, now a bonafide Marvel hero.

2. Black Terror: A Golden Age superhero published by Nedor Comics, but eventually passing into the public domain.  He will be appearing in Superpowers, an upcoming Alex Ross project for Dynamite Comics.

3. Black Mamba: Marvel supervillain. Member of the Serpent Society.

4.  Black Hood: Vigilante hero published by DC under its short-lived Impact imprint.

5. Black Tarantula: Spider-Man villain.

6. Black Orchid: Mysterious DC superheroine.

7. Black Lightning: DC's first African American superhero in his original costume.

8. Blackout: Supervillain of Nova.

9. Black Condor: Originally a flying superhero published by Quality Comics, now owned by DC.

10.  Black Talon: Voodoo-themed Marvel supervillain.

11.  Black Cat: Golden Age superheroine published by Harvey Comics.

12.  Blackhawk: Ace WWII pilot and leader of the Blackhawk Squadron.  Like Black Condor, originally a Quality Comics character who now appears in DC Comics.

13. Black Panther: Marvel's (and comics') first black superhero.

14. Blacklash: Whip-wielding Iron-Man villain.

15. Black Knight: Swashbuckling Marvel superhero.

16. Black Canary: DC superheroine and soon-to-be Mrs. Green Arrow.

17. Black Swan: Marvel supervillain.

18. Black Racer: The New God personification of Death, as envisioned by Jack Kirby.

19. Black Spider: Batman villain.

20. Black Cobra: Golden Age superhero published by Ajax/Farrell publications.

21. Black Adam: Evil opposite number of Captain Marvel.

22. Black Goliath: Size-changing Marvel superhero.

23. Black Thorn: DC Comics vigilante heroine.

24. Black Bolt: Marvel superhero, leader of the Inhumans.

25. Black Manta: Arch-enemy of Aquaman.

26. Black Alice: DC Comics anti-hero.

27. Black Flash: The personification of death for DC Comics super-speedsters.

28. Blackbriar Thorn: Villainous DC Comics sorcerer.

29. Blackfire: Evil sister of the Teen Titans' Starfire.

30. Black Bison: Native American villain of the original Firestorm.

31. Blacksmith: Flash supervillain.

32. Black Zero: Kryptonian terrorist responsible for Krypton's destruction.

Whew!  There you have it!

Summers Past: The JLA & JSA team-ups (part one)

I've been at this comic book collecting thing for awhile, and part of the fun has always been hunting down and (occasionally) completing major runs of a specific title.  Earlier this year, I bragged-up my 50+ years of Superman comics, so now I thought I'd cover another major milestone of my collection.

But before we get to that, let me set the stage a bit. 

One of the great summer traditions when I was growing up was the annual team-up between the Justice League of America and their Earth-2 counterparts the Justice Society of America.  Fascinated by all-things JSA and Earth-2 from the first moment I saw them, I anxiously awaited the annual JLA-JSA meeting from about the mid-70's onward. Since then, I've managed to collect every JLA-JSA team-up from the first one (1963) all the way through to the final one of the so-called "Pre-Crisis era" (1984).

Despite what the calendar says, we all know summer really ends when the new school year begins (which is next week for us), so what better way to mark the waning days of summer than by taking a look back at those legendary JLA-JSA team-ups of summers past?

Besides listing issue numbers and cover images, I'll also be including some additional information and art along with my own impressions for each of the team-ups. However, since there were a whopping twenty-two of them, logic (and compassion for my readers) dictates that I should probably break up the survey into smaller, easy-to-digest sections. 

WARNING: If stories from simpler times aren't your thing, or if extended nostalgia trips make you crazy, click on any of the excellent blog links in my sidebar and I'll see you another day.  But for those of you who share my fond memories for the JLA-JSA adventures, or if you're a newbie who wants to learn more about them, let's get started!

Summers Past: The JLA & JSA team-ups (part two)

As the summer winds to a close, I thought I'd revisit the legendary team-ups of the Justice League and their Earth-2 pals the Justice Society.  If you missed part one, click here.  If not, kick back and enjoy part two... 

Okay, then...where was I? Oh, yeah...

Justice League of America #64-65 (1968)

Roll Call: 

JLA: Superman, Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Hawkman, Green Arrow and JLA mascot Snapper Carr.

JSA: Starman, Flash, Hourman, Black Canary, Dr. Fate, the Atom, Sandman, Green Lantern, Dr. Mid-Nite, Hawkman, Mr. Terrific and Red Tornado II.

Villains:  T.O. Morrow, the faceless androids, cosmic creatures, animated souvenir statues of Amazo, Starro, Dr. Light, the Diamond Creature and Super Duper.

Summary: An android calling himself the Red Tornado stormed a JSA meeting and demanded to join the team, so they invited him along on a mission.  While responding to a bank robbery with four JSA members, Reddy accidentally destroyed them (oopsie!), which made him wonder if he was created by some sinister hand for that very purpose. It turned out he was absolutely right, as the evil scientist T.O. Morrow revealed his master plan to eradicate the JSA using technology stolen from the future (which included the Red Tornado himself).

Learning this, Reddy attacked his creator, but instead ended up killing the rest of the JSA with a blast from a "FuturEnergy" gun (oopsie!).  With the JSA out of the way, T.O. Morrow then turned his focus to the JLA by sending an array of strange creatures, animated JLA trophies and even energy duplicates of their sweethearts to kill the Earth-1 heroes!

Like the JSA before them, the JLA are eventually "killed" by FuturEnergy, with only a barely-functioning Red Tornado left to save the day.  Reddy bridged the dimensional gap to Earth-1 and revived each JLA member with a kiss from their real sweethearts.  He then revived the fallen Earth-2 heroes, who (despite the android's horrible track record) immediately granted him full JSA membership.  True to form, Red Tornado greeted the good news with "I wish I was human" yearning and moping.

Highlights:  The Red Tornado's child-like earnestness as he tries to prove himself to the JSA, as well as the surreal casualness of both the JSA and the JLA being "killed" by FuturEngery.  These days, it would have been a twelve part series. Then?..a plot device!

 

Lowlights: Writer Gardner F. Fox's continual reliance upon generic, spontaneously-generated monsters to eat up the page count.

Artist Dick Dillin's perpetual inability
to draw Superman's S symbol.

Summers Past: The JLA & JSA team-ups (part three)

For those coming in late, part one covered the humble beginnings of what became a treasured annual tradition: the JLA-JSA team-ups.  Part two chronicled the expansion of the concept, as ever-greater threats were met with ever-increasing numbers of superheroes.  We now find ourselves in 1973, as the superhero head count just keeps going up! 

Justice League of America #107-108 (1973)

Roll Call: 

JLA: Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Elongated Man, and the Red Tornado (now a JLA member).

JSA: Superman, Flash, Hourman, Sandman, and Dr. Fate.

The Freedom Fighters of Earth-X: Uncle Sam, the Human Bomb, Doll Man, Phantom Lady, Black Condor, and the Ray. Flashback cameos of Plastic Man and the Blackhawks.

Villains:  The Third Reich of Earth-X.

Summary: When a new dimensional transporter malfunctioned, three JLA members and three JSA members were mistakenly sent to yet another alternate earth, where they were immediately attacked by high-tech Nazi troops.  Just when things were looking grim, our heroes received an assist from the Freedom Fighters, the native superheroes of the nightmarish "Earth-X".  Following the battle, Uncle Sam (yes, that Uncle Sam) gave the JLA and JSA a quick history lesson, explaining that the German Third Reich of Earth-X had won World War II, and now controlled the entire planet using mind control devices stationed in various locations.

Wasting no time, the three teams combined their forces to hunt down and systematically destroy each of the mind control devices, and met with heavy resistance along the way.  When the final device was smashed, the JLA & JSA suddenly attacked the Freedom Fighters, indicating yet another mind control machine was in operation. Free of the device's control, the Red Tornado discovered it orbiting around the planet.  After an encounter with "Adolph Hitler" (actually just an android), Reddy smashed the satellite and freed his teammates.  Following a round of handshakes and back-slapping, the repaired dimensional transporter returned the JLA and JSA to their respective worlds.

Highlights: Wow...where to begin?  This one definitely makes the Top Five cut, since there's so much to like here. 

When I'm not reading fiction, I enjoy reading history..and occasionally I blend the two by reading "alternate history" fiction, so obviously the victorious Third Reich of Earth-X is a fascinating concept in and of itself.  Add to that the revival of Golden Age characters originally published by Quality Comics along with the generous number of battles with high-tech Nazis, and you've got yourself one heck of a story. 

Dick Dillin's artwork never looked better than when Dick Giordano was inking it (as he does here), evoking the work Giordano did with Neal Adams around the same time period.  Oh, and you'll be happy to learn that the Earth-2 Superman finally received his own subtly distinctive look with this story (the graying temples and Golden Age "S" symbol I was going on about in Part II).

Lowlights:  None come to mind.  This really is one of the very best.

Summers Past: The JLA & JSA team-ups (part four)

Way back in the summer of 1963, two legendary teams of superheroes bridged the dimensional gulf and shared an adventure. That adventure became an annual event, which continued on for another twenty-one summers. 

I've been fondly remembering each of those summer adventures, which you can catch-up on by reading parts one, two, and three.  We now find ourselves in 1978, fifteen years after that first fateful meeting...

Justice League of America #159-160 (1978)

Roll Call: 

JLA: Superman, Flash, Elongated Man, and Hawkman. Cameo appearances by Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman, Red Tornado, and Black Canary.

JSA: The Huntress, Dr. Mid-Night, Wonder Woman, and Star-Spangled Kid. Cameo appearances by Superman, Dr. Fate, and Green Lantern.

The Heroes of Yesterday: Jonah Hex, Viking Prince, Miss Liberty, Black Pirate, and Enemy Ace.

Villains:  The Time Lord and his computer, The Eternity Brain.

Summary: As the JLA and JSA enjoyed an elegant dinner at the swanky Club 22, five heroic figures from the past suddenly burst through the walls and plunged a number of the modern-day superheroes into a mysterious coma. Unsure of why or how they had done such a terrible thing, the oddly superpowered time-lost figures fled the scene.

Meanwhile, in the year 3786 A.D., the Time Lord and his time-manipulating "Eternity Brain" computer gloated over the attacks they engineered.  However, unknown to the Eternity Brain, the Time Lord actually feared the sentient computer and was plotting to destroy it with the unwitting help of his historic champions, the JLA and the JSA. The plan appeared to work, since the vengeful JLA and JSA followed the "history warriors" across time and space, straight to the Time Lord's Palace of Eternity.  One by one, the castle's defenses defeated the superheroes, sending them into the same coma-like state as their teammates back in 1978. One remaining hero, the Elongated Man, rose to the challenge and managed to destroy the Eternity Brain...proving to himself that he wasn't a "circus clown" unworthy of JLA membership.

Highlights: Er...not many to speak of here.  Yeah, it was intriguing to see historical heroes brought into the mix, but check out the Lowlights to see how that worked out. I thought the reluctance and fear of the Time Lord toward the Eternity Brain was an interesting twist to the standard supervillain motivation.  Elongated Man's big save at the end of the story was also nicely done.

Also, a tiny Atom hooked to a tiny I.V. on
a hospital bed.  Awww....ain't that cute?

Lowlights: While it was a novel idea to include some of the historical heroes of DC's past, granting them immense yet nonsensical superpowers while whisking them around the time stream was a really poor way to utilize them. Because of the breakneck pacing and the bewildering sci-fi surroundings, they were little more than one-dimensional, cliche-spouting caricatures.  The modern day heroes didn't fare much better, since their bizarrely overheated emotions and endless internal monologuing only added to the feeling of sensory overload.  Top it off with some exceptionally weak Dick Dillin art, and it's safe to say this story is one of the most forgettable JLA-JSA team-ups in my entire collection.

Summers Past: The JLA & JSA team-ups (conclusion)

The team-ups of the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America were a much-anticipated annual tradition for an entire generation of comic book fans...including me!  In fact, I became such a fan of their summer meetings that I've managed to collect all twenty-two of them.  I thought it would be fun to list them all, along with some of my own impressions.

Before I head into the fifth and final part of my series, I hope you've enjoyed parts one, two, three and four.  Putting this together has taken a bit more work than I initially thought it would, but really...it's been a labor of love.  These stories, lumps and all, were a big part of my "wonder years"...so it really has been a joy to get back into them again and to share them with you.  With that, let's finish this thing off...starting with a massive five part crossover with the All-Star Squadron...

Justice League of America #207-209 and
All-Star Squadron #14 & 15 (1982)

Roll Call: 

JLA: Superman, Firestorm, Hawkman, Zatanna, and Aquaman.

JSA: Green Lantern, Power Girl, Starman, Huntress, and Dr. Fate.

The All-Star Squadron: Commander Steel, Liberty Belle, Robotman, Johnny Quick, and Firebrand.

Villains:  Per Degaton; Ultraman, Power Ring, Superwoman, Owlman, and Johnny Quick; Nuclear the Magnetic Marauder.

Synopsis: As various JSA members hopped into their transmatter cube to visit the Earth-1 universe...you guessed it...something went wrong! Instead of the JSA exiting from the JLA's transmatter cube, it was the Crime Syndicate from Earth-3 in full attack mode!

After their evil doppelgangers soundly trounced them, the JLA transported to Earth-2 for answers and found the JSA's headquarters in ruins.  Not only that, but the world was ruled by the JSA's old time-traveling foe Per Degaton.

So where did the JSA go?  Well, they appeared on Earth-Prime (where we live), which they discovered had been devastated by a nuclear war.  After battling the standard post-apocalyptic mutated humans, the JSA traced the atomic devastation back to the history-twisting machinations of Degaton during Earth-Prime's 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. 

Back on Earth-2, Superman flew the JLA back in time to 1942 for a clue on what happened to the 1982 JSA. Instead of finding the JSA, they (almost literally) ran into members of the All-Star Squadron (composed of other Golden Age heroes owned by DC Comics).  After getting everyone up to speed, the assembled heroes headed for the White House to meet with the always-available (and jovial) President Roosevelt.  During their Oval Office meeting, Degaton broadcast a video message to FDR and other world leaders demanding that he be made Ruler of Earth.  If not, he would unleash his nuclear arsenal (which he had stolen from 1962).

Got all that?  Good...because we're not done yet!

Once the JLA and the All-Star Squadron were joined by the time-jumping JSA, they split into smaller teams to hunt down Degaton's hidden stash of twenty-seven nuclear missiles.  Despite members of the Crime Syndicate guarding each location, the heroes defeated them and dismantled the weapons.

Next on the agenda, the heroes jumped to 1962 to prevent Degaton from stealing the missiles in the first place.  At that point, with the Crime Syndicate sent back to Limbo and Degaton totally defeated, time reverted back to its proper course...ensuring that the JLA-JSA meeting that opened the story could proceed without incident (and plenty of snacks).

Highlights: I was glad to see some of the more obscure Golden Age heroes brought into the mix through the All-Star Squadron (which was kinda the whole point of that series).  Speaking of which, I thought the chapters taking place in All-Star Squadron (parts 2 and 4) were the strongest of the two titles, mainly because of the fantastic artwork by Adrian Gonzales and the crisp inking of Jerry Ordway.

Despite having a more secondary role than I'd have liked, it's always good to see the Crime Syndicate of Earth-3.  Degaton's nuclear threat was also an interesting idea, since it used time-travel in such a malevolent new way.  Sure, the JLA villain T.O. Morrow had previously smuggled weapons from the future to use in his crimes, but this was different since the future weapons Degaton had stolen were "our" weapons (real-world nuclear missiles).  Definitely a thought-provoking twist.

Lowlights: Artist Don Heck, God bless him, had always been one of those competent artists who could get the job done, yet his work was never what you'd call flashy or dynamic.  Following his jump from Marvel to DC in the late 70's, Heck turned in art for titles like The Flash and Justice League that, as I said, was certainly competent and did the job of telling the story...but was also as dull as dishwater.  Not the ideal style of art you'd want for an epic time-traveling adventure with a cast of thousands (okay, dozens).

The story had the same frenetic pacing as past JLA-JSA team-ups, but I think what made it even harder to track was the additional element of time-travel...especially since three distinct time periods were in the mix (1942, 1962, and 1982).  Add to that the staggering number of cast members (some of whom I wasn't sure if they were the 1942 or 1982 versions of themselves), villains from yet another alternate earth, three U.S. Presidents, and elements of real political history, and you can start to see how this was a tough tale to follow over five installments.  Easily a third of parts two through five seemed to be spent recapping the adventure thus far...which is usually a sign that you've got too much on your plate.

Despite being a long-time fan of WWII superhero stories, I have to admit I get tired of President Roosevelt's constant cameo appearances.  In so many of the superhero stories set in WWII, especially those written by Roy Thomas (I love Roy, but you can sure tell the guy was a history major!), FDR shows up time and time again as this avuncular secular saint, spouting Solomonic Wisdom while chomping jut-jawed on his cigarette holder.  In fact, the man showed up so often in Roy's WWII stories, he became a sort of "wartime Professor X" (complete with wheelchair) coaching and cavorting with wartime superheroes.

Those Who Lay In Glass Coffins Shouldn't Throw Stones

Or something like that, right?  Anyway, since I do alot of stuff involving comic book covers, you can imagine all the weird stuff and peculiar trends I've come across in my travels. 

One of those oddities is the surprisingly large number of Superman-related covers featuring glass coffins.  Whether they were in suspended animation or supposedly "dead", members of the Superman Family appeared "under glass" at a frequency unmatched before or since.

Marvel's Mighty (and Modest) Monsters!

Before Marvel Comics entered the superhero genre with The Fantastic Four in 1961, they published a seemingly endless parade of giant monster stories...featuring hordes of blunt-fingered, gape-mouthed Kirby creatures.

As a founding member of the Fantastic Four, the Thing served as sort of a "bridge" between Marvel's monster-centric past and its superhero future.  You see, not only did the Thing echo the frightening appearance of his sci-fi predecessors, but their affinity for underwear as well!

That's right...you heard me.  Underwear!

Despite their status as giant radiation-spawned behemoths or rampaging alien conquerors, a surprising number of Marvel Monsters demonstrated a remarkable sense of modesty by wearing huge briefs (or boxers) over their unmentionable regions.

Why?  Who knows...I could take the easy route and assume the Comics Code Authority insisted that a monster who walked like a man should also dress like one.  My theory?  Simply this: Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and Stan Lee probably just got a kick out of 200 ft. tall monsters running around in their underwear.

UPDATE:

Thanks to one of my ever-alert readers, it seems I've missed a few proud members of the Modesty Monsters!  Once I found out about Goo-Gam (thanks, Bret!), that quickly lead me to his father GOOM.  While I was chasing down those two guys, Moomba and Zzutak popped up as well!  Here they are...

If anyone else knows of any Underwear Monsters I've missed, leave a comment or shoot me an email! There must be a complete accounting of these unique creatures!

Grandma & Grandpa's Comics

First of all, Happy First Day of Fall! Since there aren't alot of (okay, any) cover shots of superheroes performing the quintessential fall chore of raking leaves, I turned to the good old Walt Disney Comics of my early years for an image.

As you've probably figured out by now, it doesn't take much to trigger the Nostalgia Gland in my brain...so seeing that wonderful scene of Hewie, Dewie, Louie and their hapless "Unca' Donald" really conjured up some fond memories.

You see, every Sunday after church, it was a tradition for my family and I to stop by Grandma & Grandpa's house for milk and cookies (you can't get much more Norman Rockwell than that, can you?). Following the Cookie Feast, I would retire to their living room with a big stack of Disney and Looney Tunes comic books (and a disparate copy of Superman #187) they kept for just such a purpose. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed those comics, or how many times I read them. Obviously, interwoven with the memories of reading those comics were the warm memories of visiting grandma and grandpa all those years ago. Cookies and comics. How can you beat that?

Even now, whether it's the comics from Grandma and Grandpa's (yes, they're mine now), or comics from another point in my life, isn't it interesting how they can sometimes conjure up memories from specific "eras" of your life? Any special comics trigger those memories for you? Drop me a comment and let me know!

Tomorrow: My review of the Superman: Doomsday video that was released earlier this week. See you then!

Punch Superman....Win a DVD!

As you saw from Saturday's review of the new direct-to-video Superman: Doomsday DVD, it didn't exactly make my All-Time Top Ten list.

However, that's not going to stop me from giving it away to the lucky winner of the Great Superman Beat-Down Contest!

How do you win?  Easy...just direct your attention to the Superman Beat-Down Gallery below.  As you can see, Superman's been at the receiving end of some spectacular thrashings over his nearly 70 year career, illustrated by some of the best illustrators in the business.

Your task is to identify the artists who penciled each beat-down scene, then email me your answers.  The first person to guess them all correctly, or to get the most correct by 6:00 PM on Tuesday, September 25th will win the Superman: Doomsday DVD, a black armband (to publicly demonstrate your grief), and maybe a few other surprises. Heck, I'll even throw in shipping!

Oh, like I do with all my contests, I'll be switching off the comments so nobody nabs the correct answers from other contestants. 

With that, good luck and have fun!

Tempting Toys

I'm not what you'd call a superhero action figure or statue guy.  I understand the appeal, and I've got no problem with people who collect them....but for whatever reason, I'm largely immune to the lure of collecting and displaying superhero figures.

Part of that comes from my feeling that when it comes to displaying superhero figures (toys or statues), it's an "All or Nothing" proposition.  Meaning, if you're going to collect and display superhero figures, you have to go big.  Really big.  Large numbers or, better yet, elaborate displays of superhero figures tell visitors that you are an Official Collector and geeky-hip Pop Cultural Connoisseur.

An excellent example of attaining the readily apparent "Official Collector" status is my pal Tom Richmond's Batman collection, a mightily impressive display of Batman figures and memorabilia from across the decades.

Having zero superhero figures displayed obviously doesn't raise any suspicions...but if you're located somewhere in the middle, with only a few superhero figures displayed here and there, it definitely elicits the "Spock Skeptical Eyebrow Raise" from visitors.  "Is this an Official Collection...or does he play with these?  Is he mature and well-adjusted or a child trapped in a man's body?" 

In short...it's an accumulation rather than a full-blown collection.

Naturally, that weird middle ground is just where I'm at...with a few random superhero statues or toys sprinkled around my home studio/office.  So...I like them enough to display a few of them, but not enough to commit to the Big Collection...making me, as I said, largely immune to buying more.

However, every once in awhile, a superhero statue or toy will come along that cuts through the haze of my toy apathy and demands to be added to my random, eyebrow-raising accumulation of figures.  The latest of these occasional temptations is a collaboration between DC Direct and Dark Horse Comics, featuring four Classic DC Heroes

(click on the image for a better look).

As an unapologetic nostalgia freak, what I love so much about these figures is their pseudo-vintage look, resembling the crude pressed wood and metal-cast toys of the 1930's and 40's (before plastic became the primary material for toys). Adding to the appeal is how closely Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Flash resemble the distinct art styles of their Golden Age comic book titles.  Packaged in beautiful tin boxes, each statuette comes with a matching pin and full-color booklet (which tells a bit about the character).

Of course, as with most extremely cool stuff, they're a bit on the pricey side ($50 each), but man...they'd sure look great randomly scattered around my studio, wouldn't they?

Convention Tips for Dealers: How to Sell More Comics

So I took a drive over to FALLCON on Saturday.  As Minnesota's (and the upper midwest's) biggest comic book convention of the year, it's always worth checking out.  Obviously, it's nowhere near as big or well organized as the major national conventions, but sometimes that's a good thing.

None of the panels really interested me, so I spent most of my hour and a half at FallCon tracking down and buying back issues (before the heat and B.O. got the best of me).  While searching for the issues I needed (at the best prices), I was astounded at how miserable the shopping experience was at so many dealer tables.  So much so, that I thought I'd put together a little list of tips on how comic book dealers can increase their convention sales.

1.  Try to leave more than one millimeter of space between the comics in your long boxes.  Wedging in more comics than the box can hold may save you space, but the comics are nearly impossible to look at without (possibly) damaging the books and exhausting my patience.  Ideally, your customers should be able to see the issue numbers, the title logos, and a bit of the cover art to allow for quick scanning.  Why the cover art and not simply the issue number?  You'd be surprised how many comics I buy on the strength of an attractive cover.  If I have no hope of seeing the cover art, I won't bother looking through your over-packed boxes.

 

2.  Most dealers are pretty good about putting their stock in order alphabetically and by publisher, but a depressing number of them still show up with a mishmash of books in no particular order, leaving it up to the hapless customer to sort through the entire mess to luck onto something they might be looking for.  If you can't take the time to organize your stock, I won't take the time to look at it.

 

3.  If you're going to display your stock two or more tables deep from the main aisle (creating sort of a "mini-store" experience), please... PLEASE make the aisles large enough to fit the Big Boys.  Some of the Con attendees are tipping the scale at three to four hundred pounds, and they're not going to maneuver well in your little lab rat labyrinth, thereby blocking the rest of us from escaping your booth.

 

4.  Can you guys who bring the shabby, disheveled comics separated with bent cardboard or particle board dividers just not bother showing up? Same for the guys who display the comics in dilapidated long boxes that look like they were exhumed from the Tomb of Horror.  Do you really think I'm going to look through those piles of garbage?  There's a place for you guys at it's called "eBay". 

What drives me so crazy about the skeezy collections is that convention booths probably aren't cheap. More reasonable than the San Diego Comic Con, I'm sure, but probably not a pittance either.  You'd think after paying the fee to display comics, a dealer would have the basic marketing sense (and common sense) to make his stock as appealing and easy to look through as possible.  Years ago, sure....they could get away with a sloppy presentation, but now?  Come on guys...you've gotta up your game if you want anyone to look at your stuff, much less buy it.

5.  I really like the guys who show up with competitive pricing.  The "50% Off" tables are the only ones I bother visiting, since the prices make it worth my time to patiently review the stock.  I understand that some 50% Off dealers may play games with their sticker prices (in fact, I can spot those guys immediately), but most of them are straight-shooters and I appreciate their willingness to price their comics to move.  I say all that to transition to a type of dealer I don't much appreciate or understand.  These are the dealers who show up at conventions with all of their books priced at absolute top dollar...at, or most likely, far beyond the Overstreet Price Guide.  I realize a handful of Mr. Moneybag collectors pick up high grade comics with no concern for the cover price, but I venture the vast majority of attendees won't be paying $85 for a mid-1970's issue of Daredevil...especially when I can get the same issue at the same condition for $5 two tables over.  The price gougers are usually the same guys I overhear moaning and groaning about how slow the sales are that day.  Gee, pal...I wonder why?  I mean, wow...who wouldn't want to pay 130% of guide for a comic book?

6.  There's gotta be a better way to sell reduced price stock (a.k.a. "the Quarter Bins") than throwing it all under your table on the floor. It's a spectacle that's hard to describe, as bargain-starved fanboys on hands and knees dig through them like squealing pigs at a trough, completely oblivious to who sees their canyon-like butt cracks.  My fellow Fanboys...have you no dignity?  Is it really worth all that to get a full run of Team America or Atari Force?

So, to all of those FallCon dealers lugging boxes of unsold comics back to whatever hole they came from, try to keep some of my pointers in mind if you come back again next year.  Put a little time and thought into improving the presentation of your stock.  That way, maybe I'll give you some of my time...and, most important to you...my money.

Which Came First: The Swamp Thing or The Man-Thing?

Like any business rivals, comic book publishers have routinely "borrowed" popular characters and concepts from their competitors.  However, there were a handful of times when publishers created characters that were so similar, yet appeared so close together, that one publisher copying the concept from the other was a virtually impossibility.

We've seen this "superhero synchronicity" with Marvel's X-Men and DC's Doom Patrol.  We saw it again with the Red Tornado and the Vision.  Now, as we trade the world of bright colored costumes for the murky mysteries of the swamp, let's consider the question:

Of course, before we look too closely at these two goop-encrusted gentlemen, the concept of the supernatural swamp man predates both of them by about thirty years!

As the "template" for all shambling muck monsters to come, Theodore Sturgeon's 1940 short story "It" featured a man who died in the swamp, but rose again as a vengeful half-man, half-rotting vegetation creature.  Obviously inspired by Sturgeon's swamp man, Hillman Periodicals created the first comic book swamp man named The Heap in 1942.  Starting out as a minor villain, the Heap soon became a recurring character in Airboy Comics until the title was canceled in 1953.

Another notable swamp-bred creature of the Golden Age was Solomon Grundy, whose name was taken from a 19th century nursury rhyme. Making his debut in All-American Comics #61 (1944), Grundy became a recurring villain of the Justice Society of America...and continues to plague them today!

Now that we've established that the shambling swamp monster has a rather long pedigree, let's flash forward to the late 1960's and early 1970's, as American comic books reflect a new horror craze sweeping the popular culture.  Readers were buying supernaturally-themed comics as fast as DC and Marvel Comics could crank them out, which spawned a coincidence as mysterious as the swamp itself.

Cover dated May of 1971, a Marvel anthology named Savage Tales #1 hit the stands (click the cover images for a larger view).  One of the black and white magazine's short stories featured the tale of biochemist Ted Sallis, who desperately injected the "miracle drug" he developed into his own system to protect it from sinister forces.  Pursued into a swamp, Sallis ends up drowning...but was later revived by a combination of his formula (and supernatural forces) into a creature known as the Man-Thing! 

Cover dated July of 1971, DC's House of Secrets #92 featured the story of Alex Olson, an early 20th century scientist who was caught in a lab explosion (triggered by a treacherous lab partner) and dumped into the swamp.  Revived by a combination of chemicals and supernatural forces, Alec transformed into the monstrous Swamp Thing!

At this point, you might be thinking "Hey, Man-Thing beat Swamp Thing by a full two months!"  Ah, but remember, in the comic book biz it typically takes three to four months to create and print a comic book from start to finish...so the two month gap between Savage Tales #1 and House of Secrets #92 tells us that DC wouldn't have had a prayer creating a Man-Thing knock-off in such a short period of time.

Nearly a year later, Man-Thing made the jump to color comics and battled Ka-Zar in Astonishing Tales #12 (June) and #13 (Aug), followed by a starring role in the Adventure Into Fear title beginning with issue #10 (October of '72).

October of 1972 also marked the first issue of the Swamp Thing series.  Encouraged by the sales of his debut appearance, DC commissioned the same creative team (Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson) to update the character's origin to the present day. Obviously, DC was now fully aware of Marvel's Man-Thing, since the updated Swamp Thing origin made Alec Holland (previously "Alex Olson") a "a scientist working on a secret bio-restorative formula", who was murdered by a gang of bad guys and later restored to life by his secret formula.

Further muddying the already muddy swamp water was the fact that, in between Swamp Thing's first and second appearances, his co-creator Len Wein wrote the story for Man-Thing's second appearance, originally slated for Savage Tales #2 (but ultimately published in the aforementioned Astonishing Tales #12).

Confused yet?  Good...because now it's time to introduce yet another element of confusion to the swamp man mystery! Hitting the stands in March of 1971 (two months before Man-Thing's debut in Savage Tales #1) was Skywald Publications' Psycho #2 featuring a revival of....THE HEAP! (Remember him?)

It looks like supernatural swamp men were on plenty of people's minds during the winter and early spring of 1971!

DC Comics Asks: What Do YOU Think is Groovy?

While recently paging through Justice League of America #83 (1970), I came across an interesting little reader poll conducted by a desperate-to-be-hip DC Comics (some things never change).  Leading off the pitch was the epitome of hipness himself...Superman!

To which wary readers might have replied,
"Hey, Far Out!...but what's in it for me, man?"

Flash?  Tell the hippie what he could win if he fills out the Groovy Quiz...

Get that?  A portable TV set...see the handle on top?  Sure, not a big deal here in the iPod age of portable video...but back then?  Let me put it this way:  A portable TV in 1970 was the equivalent of the iPhone on the High-Tech Awesomeness Scale.

If the prospect of winning a portable TV wasn't hip enough for the readers, surely this additional blurb from Superman completely sealed the deal:

DIG!  Click on the link below to jump to the survey!

Thor's Day

Since "Thursday" derives from the Anglo-Saxon phrase "Thor's Day", I thought today would be as good a day as any to talk about Marvel's new Thor series.

As I made clear a few days ago, I'm a big Thor fan...but knowing today's appetite for darker, edgier comic book stories, I was more than a little apprehensive about how he would be presented. After all, I find the work of writer J. Michael Straczynski tedious and dreary, so the odds were stacked against the Thor revival being something I could get behind. Still, since my enthusiasm for the character outweighed my reservations (well-founded as they were), I ended up giving the new series a shot.

The verdict? Well, after finishing issue #4 Wednesday night, I'm officially "not impressed". Straczynski's writing is as tedious and dreary as ever. What he may have intended to be grand and majestic pacing comes across instead as Fred Thompson-like lethargy, turning a previously dynamic, action-oriented character like Thor into a brooding, self-absorbed bore.

In other words, pretty much like every character JMS writes.

Though generally better than the writing, the artwork of Oliver Copiel has also been disappointing. He's got solid storytelling ability, and wonderfully eccentric background characters, but I just can't get past the look of Thor himself. If the title character of an already poorly-written book is a constant source of visual irritation, that's pretty much the deal-breaker for me. In an effort to give Thor his own unique interpretation, I think Copiel went a little (okay, alot) overboard. First off, the quilted thermal underwear has got. to. go. I thought it might be able to grow on me, but four issues in, it's not. I realize there may be some historic armor element Copiel is after here, but whatever the intent was, it's not working.

Also, maybe a few less Arby's Melt Sandwiches for Thor? Yeah, he's supposed to be a big guy, but come on. He's starting to get that "fat costumed guy at a comic convention" air about him.

Worse than the fireplug body, Copiel's design of Thor's face seems to get more caricatured and ugly by the issue...to the point where he now resembles Ron Perlman from the old Beauty and the Beast TV series:

Thor?...or Ron Perlman as the Beast?

Yeesh. Oh, and let's not forget Thor's alter ego Don Blake. Sure, in the past he was always the squarest of the square pegs, but overcompensating Blake into a hipster dweeb with a gelled-up "fin" hairdo is a bit much, don't you think?

So, will I be sticking with the book? In the fabled words of Thor himself, "I say thee NAY!"

Full Circle

Hat tip: JoBlo.com

The REAL Cause of Global Warming

After perusing my copy of Superman #156 (1962), I've discovered the real cause behind global warming.  No...counter to what Al Gore and all the rest are saying, the warming of the Earth's temperatures is NOT due to human activity and industry, but to SUPER-human activity!

Let me explain.  In a story entitled "The Last Days of Superman", Superman is believed to have only 30 days to live due to his exposure to Virus-X.  In an effort to help Superman complete his list of lofty goals before his death, Supergirl enlists the help of the Legion of Superheroes and the tiny Superman Emergency Squad.

After completing a host of mighty super feats, Supergirl and the gang then travel to the vast ice fields of Antarctica (click on the panels to enlarge)...

So there you have it...the melting of the Antarctic ice cap is the fault of super-powered teenagers and six-inch tall supermen.  CASE CLOSED!

Separated at Birth?

I'm a big fan of almost everything illustrator Alex Ross paints. 

I say "almost everything" because, being an illustrator myself, I know that even the best of us can have bad days behind the drawing board...Alex Ross included!  An example that immediately comes to mind is a series of Justice League posters Ross created for DC Comics a number of years back.  Some of the character studies were spot on, while others were obviously phoned in.  One of the worst was the Supergirl poster, looking so unlike what most people would picture for Supergirl, that I have to ask...

Is this Supergirl or legendary albino blues guitarist Johnny Winter?

Attacking the Stack

You know, I'm usually pretty good about filing away my comics.

I seldom let more than a few weeks go by before finding a place for them in those familiar white boxes. Ahh, but sometimes...well, sometimes I don't quite keep up.  When I don't keep up, things can get ugly.  Really, really ugly.  Like this past weekend, for example.

First, a little background.  Prior to building our current house in 1995, I'd always kept my comic book storage boxes out in the open within my home art studio.  Not only did they take up precious space, but they were also a big eyesore.  When my wife and I were designing our home in '95, I took the opportunity to include a cute little room (well, basically a glorified closet) just off my studio that could be used exclusively for comic book storage. Using sturdy steel shelving, I've been able to expand my collection while keeping all of those bland looking boxes out of sight (not to mention climate controlled and out of the light). 

So...maintaining and growing the collection while preventing it from taking dominating the room?  Best of both worlds, right?  Well...yeah, most of the time.  When I'm on a "discipline jag", it's a great thing.  Buy comics, put 'em in bags, then into the box. Just like clockwork.  However, when an extremely busy time hits (like summer or the Christmas season) or, frankly, when my discipline runs out of gas, the comics I need to file start multiplying like rabbits.  Really affectionate rabbits.

Adding to the stack of new comics to put away are older comics that I, as an active comics blogger, occasionally remove from their boxes to reference, scan, or skim for material.  The logical thing would be to put away any comics I use for that purpose, but when I'm in the middle of gathering material for a fun post, it's easy to set them aside to put away at some nebulous future date.

Which brings us to this past weekend.  After ignoring the messy stacks of comics to file (or "CTF's") for months, I finally broke when I realized every single storage box had comics stacked on top of them...which had to be shifted out of the way to remove the box lids...which pretty much defeats the entire purpose of having storage boxes, right?

Having seen the light, I grudgingly began the time-consuming process of sorting, bagging, occasionally boarding, taping, alphabetizing, and...yes...filing away nearly four months of CTF's (both old and new).  Two hours later, as I placed the final comic book into its proper box, I vowed, "Never again will I let it come to this!"

Yeah....right!

What about you?  I don't really see this sort of mundane "housekeeping" stuff discussed in the comics blogosphere...but at the same time, every collector has to do it, right?  So, how often do you "Tackle the Stack"?  Are you a highly-disciplined soldier who files them away as soon as you're done reading them?  Do you keep them around a few weeks before they hit the white boxes...or do you just toss 'em wherever they land and deal with them "later"?  Let me know...I'd love to find out how different people handle the always daunting task of "stack management".

Random Coolness

Alot of the comic book reading experience is about the "Big Stuff".  Huge drama, intense action, mindblowing revelations, ultra-twisted villains, unparalleled heroism...you know...the Big Stuff!  Although I've touted a bunch of that kind of thing in my Highlight Reel feature...I also have to say that some of the coolest things in comics are the small things that have stuck with me.  They're as varied and random as it gets, but they all have one thing in common...I think they're cool.  Off the top of my head:

1.  Before becoming the second Flash in 1956, Barry Allen was a fan of the original Flash. Of course, Barry later discovered that his comic book hero actually existed on a parallel Earth.

2.  The fireplace of Superman's Fortress of Solitude.
Click on the Barry White clip below for the full effect.

3.  The android superhero named The Vision was actually an upgraded version of the WWII era Human Torch (who, contrary to his name, was actually an android).  Recycling before recycling was cool!

4.  Tony Stark's attache' case with the secret Iron-Man armor panel.

5.  Spider-Man's web-shooters with those cool click-in cartridges.

Oh, you can be assured there will be more random coolness to come. 

What are some of your randomly cool comic book elements?

Feeling the Pinch: Comics Jump from 12¢ to 15¢

You know, for as much fun as I have at the expense of old comics, I really do have a high regard for them.  Not just for the simple pleasures of their stories, but also for the professionalism of the people behind them.  Sure, they knew their audience was largely children and teenagers, but there were times I really felt like we were respected as loyal customers whose patronage was genuinely appreciated, instead of just stupid kids who'd continue buying their product no matter what they charged.

That was never more apparent than when DC or Marvel would publicly discuss price increases with their young readers. As the more formal of the two companies, DC Comics went for the pseudo-letterhead aproach below for their sober assessment of the change from 12¢ to 15¢ comics (click on the letter for a larger view)...

It almost seems like something from a different age, doesn't it?  How quaint...a publisher grateful for my patronage? A publisher realizing that we're all feeling the pinch?  That they promise to try harder to keep our business? 

Seriously, do you think we'd ever see anything like this today?  Don't bet on it...despite the fact that the cover price of a comic book is now twenty times higher than it was in 1969, we don't get any of the charming "hat in hand" humility or gratitude you read in the above letter.

Here's my question: why should the simple courtesy and authentic gratitude on display in that letter be considered a quaint archeological find and not a continued practice?  Or are we just too sophisticated for that now?

Feeling the Pinch II: Comics Jump from 20¢ to 25¢

Yesterday I posted an old "Dear Fans" letter from the editors of DC Comics, who were practically falling on their swords over a recent bump in cover price from 12¢ to 15¢.  The post generated a pretty good response from readers, some of whom mentioned the same sort of announcements Marvel used to publish at "price increase time".  Well, I thought I'd track down one of the more dramatic "Dear Fans" letters I vaguely recalled reading once upon a time. 

Sure enough, I found it in the Marvel Comics cover-dated June of 1974.  While not as formal as DC's pseudo-letterhead I posted yesterday, this "special announcement" has underlined words....which really emphasized their anguish and concern over raising the cover prices from 20¢ to a whole quarter! Here, check it out...and feel the drama!  (you'll definitely have to click on the ad for a larger view this time around...the type is really small on the original)

Once again, it's all there: 

1.  A humble, almost embarrassed admission they had to raise prices

2.  The endearing "we're just gonna level with you" rap-session feel.

3.  An honest acknowledgment of our suspicion of Stan and Roy ("What is this, some kind of rip-off, so that Stan and Roy can vacation on the Riviera this year?")

4.  The lesson in basic economics.

5.  A promise to do better and try harder.

6.  A "we're all in this together" wrap-up.

7.  Last, but not least, a good old-fashioned Marvel sales pitch (man, nobody could peddle comics like old Jedi Stan and his young Padawan Roy).

Hey, speaking of price increases and sales pitches, there's still time to order my Still Only 25¢ t-shirts and gifts for Christmas....or any of the forty comic book and sci-fi themed designs in my Secret Identity Shop.  Check 'em out..you're bound to find something to please your inner geek.

Dr. Doom's SCARY SANTA Gallery!

"I am Victor Von Doom, arch-enemy of the Fantastic Four, inevitable Ruler of the World, and Despiser of All Things Christmas!

In fact, one of my greatest accomplishments is an anti-Christmas campaign I've christened "Operation Santa Scare".  You see, over the last several decades, I've planted countless department store Santas across the United States...Santas whose tattered and terrifying appearance traumatizes young children....forever scarring their perception of that obese toymaker and the insipid holiday he champions!  WhooHa Ha HAAAH!

Monitoring their efforts from my Latverian stronghold, I've assembled a small sampling of my "Scary Santa Squad" operatives for you to see in action. Look upon them, witless cattle, and DESPAIR!

1.  Ahh, yes...Agent L-77's piercing stare of zombie death!  His eyes grab your soul....and shake it to its metaphysical core!

2.  The perfect juxtaposition of innocence...and laser-focused malevolence!

3.  The whithered hands of Agent G-63 have the ability to absorb the raw fear energy from his terrorized young visitors...making him all the more powerful. 

Random Coolness (Part 2)

To paraphrase Maria from The Sound of Music, here's a few more of my favorite things from the world of superhero comics.  Whether they're big things or small things, they're all things I personally think are pretty cool.  Your mileage may vary.

1. Starting us out is something that probably got terrible gas mileage, but who the heck cares when it's as cool as the original Batmobile?  Although I'd question Batman's wisdom in giving the wheel to Robin (who couldn't have been more than 9 or 10 years old at the time), I commend his taste in highly intimidating automobile design.  If criminals weren't scared of Batman, the eerie "sunken eyes" of the giant bat head barreling toward them probably sent them shrieking for the safety of the nearest police precinct.  I also got a kick out of how the original Batmobile was always drawn using such dramatic perspective angles.  Usually at a 3/4 view, the looming bat-head and windshield area would swiftly taper back and down toward the much smaller back fenders (as you can see in the example below).  Eternally classic and forever cool.

2.  While I'm on the subject of cool vehicles, another one that easily makes the cut is the Fantastic Four's Fantasti-Car.  A vast improvement over the "flying bathtub" of their earliest adventures, the Fantasti-Car could fly as either a single unit or detach into four separate "scout" modules.  As a long-time F.F. fan, I also like how even the name "Fantasti-Car" evokes the slightly square "family feel" of the Fantastic Four.  Like any family, they've got a "family car".  The coolest one around, mind you, but a "car" nonetheless.

3.  The jaggy, heavy-duty treads on the Flash's boots. Sure, the entire costume of the so-called "Silver Age Flash" was perfectly designed for high-speed running, but it's those nifty boot treads that really make the costume for me.  Of course a guy who logs as many miles as Barry Allen (and his successors) are going to need something more rugged than the typical superhero boot...and long before Nike became a household name, Barry had the coolest "running shoes" around.

4.  Steve Ditko's mindblowing mystical landscapes from Doctor Strange.  Already far more interesting than the countless magicians that preceded the good Doctor, it was Ditko's surreal supernatural dimensions that made the early adventures of Sorcerer Supreme a singular (and vaguely unsettling) reading experience.

Speaking of "surreal", was it coincidence or something more that Doctor Strange bore a striking resemblance to a young surrealist painter named Salvador Dali? (click on the photo for a larger, more surreal view)

5.  The art-deco wonder of Superman's Secret Citadel. An early prototype of Superman's Fortress of Solitude, the Secret Citadel was located in a mountain range near Metropolis.  Originally appearing in Superman #17 (1942), the Secret Citadel later became the headquarters of the "Earth-2 Superman", a version of Superman who retained many discarded elements from the early years of the character's history (such as slightly differing origin details and "S" shield design).

If I were given the opportunity to somehow visit five fictional locations, the gleaming, golden facade of the Secret Citadel (preferably at sunset) would definitely be on the itinerary.

Oh, and I'd probably stand just like Superman while visiting it.

MARVELS: The Celebrity Guest List

Last month, I did a piece on MARVELS, and its remarkable fidelity to some of the original source material.  Well, in addition to echoing panels from older stories, artist Alex Ross also populated his painted version of the Marvel universe with some very familiar faces.  Here are a few of the heroes and their likely celebrity references:

Namor, the Sub-Mariner / Michael Keaton:  Appearing in MARVELS #1, Namor's arched eye-brows, receding hairline, vaguely malevolent stare and puffy lips immediately reminded me of Keaton.

Professor Charles Xavier / Patrick Stewart:  Years before the first X-Men movie was filmed (or even cast), Alex Ross made it known who he envisioned for the role of the X-Men's mentor.  Obviously based on the popular star of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Ross' brilliant "cameo" of Stewart in MARVELS #2 seemed to make his future role as Professor X all but inevitable.

Tony Stark / Timothy Dalton: Another rather obvious reference, though in this case, Ross may have used this very photo of Dalton (as Prince Barin) from the movie Flash Gordon for this particular panel in MARVELS #3 (which isn't a stretch considering Flash Gordon is Ross' "favorite movie of all time"). The interesting thing about "casting" Dalton as Stark, beyond the pitch-perfect confidence of his facial expression, is that the likeness also reminds me of Tony Stark as drawn by Don Heck, Iron-Man's original penciller.

Doctor Strange / Frank Zappa:  This one's a little less obvious, but when you think about the weirdness of the early Doctor Strange stories, casting a celebrated eccentric like Zappa makes perfect sense.  Plus, that distinctive handlebar mustache is tough to overlook. The good Doctor only appeared in a large crowd scene in MARVELS #2 (the wedding of Reed Richards and Sue Storm to be precise), but the resemblance was so obvious (to me, at least) that I wanted to acknowledge it.

Reed Richards / Russell "The Professor" Johnson:  Could there be a more perfect pairing of pop cultural icons?  Reed Richards, smartest man in the Marvel Universe "portrayed" by actor Russell Johnson, the Professor from Gilligan's Island was an absolutely brilliant move.  I still remember laughing out loud when I first saw Ross' interpretation of "Professor Richards" in MARVELS #2.  Making the connection even more uncanny was the common early 60's backdrop shared by both the Fantastic Four and the Gilligan's Island TV series.

Although Russell Johnson as Reed Richards is the final, and greatest of the MARVELS "celebrity cameos", there were a few background characters that also seemed to be based on some famous faces:

Lady in Crowd / Bea Arthur:  Appearing in the crowd of an art exhibit (MARVELS #2), this gossipy socialite could only be based on actress Bea Arthur (of Maude and Golden Girls fame). I may be wrong, but that's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

Man on the Street / Popeye:  In MARVELS #1, various members of the public cheer the appearance of a new hero named "Captain America", one of which appears to be a real life "translation" of Popeye the Sailor Man.  Sure, it's only a single panel "throwaway gag", but at the same time, it's interesting that a pop cultural hero of the 1930's gives his "endorsement" of Captain America...in effect "passing the torch" to a new generation of 1940's superheroes.  Am I reading too much into it?  Probably...but that's how it works here at Comic Coverage.

Mind you, not all of my cameo appearance theories panned out.  In fact, there's one that comes to mind that turned out to be a case of "mistaken identity".  While reading MARVELS #1, I came across a panel showing a superhero leaping over the head of a young Phil Sheldon, the central character of MARVELS (click on the panel to the left for a larger view). 

As a big fan of Superman, you can imagine my surprise when I saw this dashing figure sporting a costume that looked identical to the earliest version of his costume...right down to the criss-crossing straps over plain blue boots:

However, after mentioning my "clever find" on a message board several years back, someone informed me that this wasn't Superman at all, but rather another early Marvel character named The Angel, whose costume was astonishingly close to Superman's original costume.  Oops!  Can't guess 'em all, right?

(from the cover of Marvel Mystery Comics #8, 1940)

However, with my error fully acknowledged, I could argue (and I will) that Alex Ross was being extra clever in this case.  Sure, from a legal standpoint, the figure could clearly be the Angel...but the pose lends just enough ambiguity (obscuring the Angel's distinctive chest symbol and mustache) that it functions equally well as a nod to Superman....especially since the story in MARVELS #1 deals with the dawn of superhuman beings.  What do YOU think?  Am I on to something...or am I just blinded by my obsession with Superman?