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animation/comics #201, from davemackey, 192 chars, Sat Mar 3 23:56:39 1990
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Am I to presume the Bugs Bunny comic to be coming from DC Comics, possibly
drawn by John Costanza (as was the Bugs strips in the Looney Tunes magazine)?
Dave
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animation/comics #202, from bcapps, 440 chars, Sat Mar 3 23:58:01 1990
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You figure maybe Dolph (‘The Punisher’) Lundgren? Or how about Arnold
Schwarz.? Or maybe even, (gasp) Christopher Reeves?!? We could speculate
at length, y’know…
I’m looking to get the collections as they come out. I figure they’ll
reprint all of the Malibu run eventually.
How’dja like the “Clark Kent” disguise premise in the latest issue (#12)?
I was almost believing that Maxi Scoops was Lois Lane there for a moment.
Bob
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animation/comics #203, from bcapps, 1245 chars, Sun Mar 4 00:43:39 1990
This is a comment to message 187.
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As far as the current quality of Peanuts goes, I read it more for
sentimental reasons than expecting to be as entertained by it as I once
was. We won’t have to worry about someone else trying to revamp/revise
Peanuts once Schultz pens his last strip; apparently Schultz has a clause
in his contract that prohibits the syndicate from letting anyone else do
the strip.
On my shopping list, I plan to pick up:
Cerebus (anything)
Flaming Carrot, Concrete, Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing, Hellblazer,
Sandman, Animal Man, Nexus, Badger, Classics Illus., Trouble with Girls,
Hulk (as long as Peter David’s on it), Star Trek (both of them), Time
Masters, Adam Strange, Hawkworld, Green Lantern, Gladstone’s EC titles,
Luther Arkwright reprints from Dark Horse, Groo, Plastic Forks, Retief,
Wonder Woman.
I wish I could see: Crossfire, Dalgoda, Veitch’s conclusion of his story-
line in Swamp Thing, 1 or 2 “other” new titles from Disney’s new line that
would be more “classic” oriented – ala Barks and Gottfredson (sp?).
There are probably more (_lots_ more!) that I probably could hope for and
there are a few more off of my shopping list that are left off in kind
consideration of disk space and attention spans.
Bob
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animation/comics #204, from hmccracken, 760 chars, Sun Mar 4 00:51:19 1990
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The Bugs Bunny comic is pencilled by Chuck Fiala (whom some will remember
from Bullet Crow in the old Comic Reader); Costanza is inking. It’s
a three-issue mini series which involved Bugs going on a globe-spanning
quest. Which doesn’t sound too promising, but then one might say the same
thing about a comic involving Donald Duck and his nephews going on
globe-spanning quests, and Carl Barks did nicely with that.
On a related subject, The Comic Buyer’s Guide has been running some previews
of the new line of Disney comics, and they look fairly promising. I do
note with some dismay, though, that DuckTales will be running an eight-issue
story written by Marv Wolfman — sounds a bit too much like a typical DC
or Marvel superhero comic to me.
— Harry
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animation/comics #205, from jenn, 379 chars, Sun Mar 4 02:23:59 1990
This is a comment to message 145.
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(Gads, I get a sprained wrist and I’m off for two days, and I
find that someone is saying mean things about one of my
favorite comic strips….;-)
Calvin is a BRAT. I don’t think he’s cutsey. I’m just glad
I’m not HIS parents. Frankly, I think Calvin has a lot
of things to say to folks through his humor, and he
can get away with it because he’s not threatening. He’s
a KID.
==========================
animation/comics #206, from jenn, 255 chars, Sun Mar 4 02:29:19 1990
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Jean Shepherd is hilarious.
But, on to comics.
I don’t like Charlie Brown and I never have. I think Calvin
is better than Charlie Brown. I can identify with the humor
in Calvin, than I can in Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown is,
well, uncreative. IMHO.
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animation/comics #207, from jenn, 333 chars, Sun Mar 4 02:31:16 1990
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What about Life In Hell? What about The Neighborhood? What
about Mother Goose and Grimm? Shoe is still going strong.
Bloom County was good when it existed
What about Single Slices?
Those are ‘new generation’ comics, and I think they are
pretty good. Outstanding? I don’t like to use that
description for much, really….
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animation/comics #208, from jenn, 58 chars, Sun Mar 4 02:31:36 1990
This is a comment to message 157.
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Or Zippy The Pinhead. WEIRD stuff. And I like it!!! 🙂
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animation/comics #209, from jenn, 143 chars, Sun Mar 4 02:34:16 1990
This is a comment to message 163.
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That’s what I do with Doonesbury lately. Just
kinda skim it once every couple of weeks.
I can’t stomach it for a constant diet, though. Yuck.
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animation/comics #210, from jenn, 501 chars, Sun Mar 4 02:38:00 1990
This is a comment to message 168.
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You’d be surprised at how many people despise Outland, Harry.
The first time I read Bloom County was the sequence of
comics when Steve Dallas went to the Dentist and then
had to go to his school reunion with a mouth full of novicane.
I was hooked. (What’s scary is thinking ‘hey, he reminds me
of Steve Dallas’ when meeting some guy for the first time….heh.
Or, ‘hey, this woman reminds me of Quiche Lorraine…’ Scary,
but hilarious.) Bloom County was twisted in just the right way.
I miss it.
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animation/comics #211, from jenn, 310 chars, Sun Mar 4 02:43:42 1990
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Heh, I loved his travelogue about his boat trip with the
environmentalists to Russia….
Gee, maybe we should open an ‘other’ topic here for digressions?
I’ve discovered Jean Shepard in the past 5 years (Hey, I’m not as old
as some of you think I am!), and I’m hooked.
But, uh, Calvin and Hobbes you say….
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animation/comics #212, from jenn, 175 chars, Sun Mar 4 02:46:17 1990
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I don’t think I’ve ever seen Dilbert. But, my curiousity
is definitely up. What IS it about? One liners?
(Also, are we all forgetting about the Far Side??? GREAT
stuff!!!)
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animation/comics #213, from tom.white, 1677 chars, Sun Mar 4 04:19:00 1990
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Dilbert (barf) is about the title character, apparently some
sort of computer nerd (always has pens in shirt pocket, and his
tie is inexplicably bent in the middle, it looks like an erection)
and his smartass dog Dogbert, who appears to be a mobile egg with
glasses. They occasionally change positions, but never expressions.
With no mouth or eyes (only glasses), they might as well be
rubber-stamped as drawn. The writing, when I last saw it,
was a variation on dog-comments-on-owners-inferiority. Geez,
Ferd’nand (under new creators, and believe it or not, worse for
that) is better than this slop.
Any comments on _When_I_Was_Young_ ? It originally struck me as
a C&H derivative, but I like it well enough when it jumps around in
time. Narrator looks back at himself and his foibles at various stages
of life.
Outland doesn’t do much for me. It feels like Breathed has raised a standard,
and now it’s too high to be seen. The Disney sequence was good, and I’ll
probably buy the inevitable paperback collection, but it doesn’t have
the warmth of Bloom County.
Peanuts (and to a lesser extent, Dennis the Menace) has reached the
point of being venerable beyond criticism. It’s on the page for traditional
and sentimental value, both immeasurable. I dare any editor to try
and drop it. Circulation would drop by 50%. And yes, Schultz either
has full rights to the strip, or an unbreakable contract over creation of
it. When he passes on, so does the Peanuts gang.
I’m slightly annoyed that The Far Side still runs the occasioal reprint.
But, it’s good to have Larson back.
Oh yeah, Dilbert NEVER has backgrounds. The artist must use a pint of ink a year.
==========================
animation/comics #214, from tom.white, 269 chars, Sun Mar 4 04:35:40 1990
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I respect Breathed’s decision to end Bloom County, and that last strip
was memorably bittersweet. But I do hope he brings it back just
for the 1992 election. It just wouldn’t be a campaign trail without
Bill and Opus out kissing hands and shaking babies. Ack pthpt!
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animation/comics #216, from hmccracken, 148 chars, Sun Mar 4 04:56:49 1990
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What’s Single Slices?
(It’s not often that there’s a currently-running comic strip I haven’t
heard of, and I’m unhappy when it happens!)
— Harry
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animation/comics #217, from hmccracken, 316 chars, Sun Mar 4 05:00:13 1990
This is a comment to message 213.
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“When I Was Short” strikes me as 1) A Wonder Years knock-off of sorts and
2) an attempt to do something Calvin and Hobbesesque without actually
imitating C&H very closely. The art, by somebody at Disney, is very
good. I haven’t seen the strip regularly or recently enough to have a
feel for the writing.
— Harry
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animation/comics #218, from jsloman, 350 chars, Sun Mar 4 09:15:05 1990
This is a comment to message 180.
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When I lived in NJ I had the chance to listen to Jean for
1 Hour live every night on WOR radio. I miss that. I have
spoken to him on the air (we are both hams, and he is sometimes in Boston)
I would say he influenced me quite a bit.
I would also say that if “Wonder Years” isn’t a Shepard clone it
is an amazing case of parallel evolution.
[Jeff]
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animation/comics #219, from jsloman, 33 chars, Sun Mar 4 09:18:07 1990
This is a comment to message 175.
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Maybe you don’t get it…
[Jeff]
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animation/comics #220, from switch, 281 chars, Sun Mar 4 10:42:32 1990
This is a comment to message 202.
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Likewise. I found the Superman/Clark parallel pretty funny enough, before
the Lois Lane (sensitive and yet hard-nosed reporter) one got thrown in.
The whole problem is that Les is, y’know… _wide_. I think I’ve only seen
one person as wide as he is, and this guy was animated.
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animation/comics #221, from switch, 195 chars, Sun Mar 4 10:44:42 1990
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Charlie Brown _used_ to be creative, IMHO, and I still take out my old books
from the late ’60s to early ’70s and read them. I agree with the Dave, Harry,
and the rest that Schulz has declined.
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animation/comics #222, from switch, 172 chars, Sun Mar 4 10:49:17 1990
This is a comment to message 211.
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Oh, there is an ‘other’ topic. It’s called the ‘inkwell’, where you can
drink all you want for free because it’s all virtual (or non-live-action,
if you prefer) anyway…
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animation/comics #223, from jenn, 220 chars, Sun Mar 4 14:20:12 1990
This is a comment to message 216.
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Well, Single Slices is just a one box comic (like the Far Side,
Neighborhood, etc.) that has one liners, or two liners about
relationships, dating, men, women, etc. It’s not ‘outstanding’,
but, I find it pretty funny.
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animation/comics #224, from tom.white, 106 chars, Sun Mar 4 16:06:48 1990
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I get it, all right. I just consider it trash. It’s not funny.
Luckily the local paper doesn’t have it.
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animation/comics #225, from jsloman, 42 chars, Sun Mar 4 16:40:58 1990
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Maybe you don’t _really_ get it…
[Jeff]
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animation/comics #226, from hmccracken, 652 chars, Sun Mar 4 17:19:58 1990
This is a comment to message 194.
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With the exceptions of Groo, the new Disney Comics line, and Bugs Bunny, my
reading list will probably be made up of the big-ticket items — Pogo and
Li’l Abner, especially. While I was once a fairly active reader of superhero
stuff, I’ve lost almost all interest in it in the last five years or so.
The first superhero comic I’ve picked up in many, many months was a recent
_She-Hulk_, because it was written by Steve Gerber and featured Howard the
Duck (two of my favorites from the old days). I also usually manage to
pick up things by Gil Kane, and used to do the same for Gene Colan, although
I’m unaware of what he’s up to nowadays.
— Harry
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animation/comics #227, from tom.white, 225 chars, Sun Mar 4 19:37:43 1990
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I don’t give the creator credit for being that subtle, nor such credit
to the editors who bought it. It’s mindless pap to please the masses,
and I enjoy not having it around. Maybe _you_ don’t get it.
…end of this topic.
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animation/comics #228, from richard.pini, 264 chars, Sun Mar 4 20:43:18 1990
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*snif!* Not a mention of Elfquest in the lot. Geez, you go away for a couple
of years and they all forget…I guess I’ll just cancel the new series…on
my way out to the back yard to eat worms…
(can we say “shameless notification hype”? I knew we could…) 😉
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animation/comics #229, from hmccracken, 194 chars, Sun Mar 4 21:03:00 1990
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Since we’re all planning our comics shopping for the next six months anyway,
Richard, why don’t you tell us a bit about the new Elfquest series so that
we can be informed consumers?
— Harry
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animation/comics #230, from rfranzen, 304 chars, Sun Mar 4 21:04:31 1990
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Hey, Richard, take heart! Some of us still remember the original Elf
Quest in a Marvel Special from years ago. I’ve been “out of” comics for
about a decade (I discovered … computers!), so I don’t know how the
quests have been going. It might well be worth my while to play “catch-up”.
🙂 Rich
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animation/comics #231, from tom.white, 62 chars, Sun Mar 4 21:42:07 1990
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If there really is more ElfQuest coming, I’ll snatch it up.
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animation/comics #232, from bsoron, 536 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:05:35 1990
This is a comment to message 197.
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The Justice League line was a generic posting. If DC suddenly changed
the title Batman to “Justice League Gotham City,” I’d start buying it.
If LSH became “Justice League 2995,” I’d like it a lot more :-)…
The new Shade the Changing Man is written by Pete Milligan (late of
Skreemer) and drawn by the very good Chris Bachalo (I thought he did a
fine job in his recent Sandman story), edited by Karen Berger — which
is a fair amount of the reason I’m taking a look. Almost anything edited
by Berger is worth looking at.
Bob
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animation/comics #233, from bsoron, 346 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:09:52 1990
This is a comment to message 204.
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The first issue of “Crisis on Earth-Mickey” is actually going to be
pretty spectacular, from what I hear. One report I saw — SPOILER
WARNING! — about the conclusion sounds pretty spectacular, where Pluto
mistakes the Anti-Gearloose for a fire hydrant, electrocuting them
both — could be a tear-jerker as fine as Marv’s past efforts.
Bob
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animation/comics #234, from bsoron, 131 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:12:34 1990
This is a comment to message 226.
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I haven’t seen anything from Gene Colan in quite a while, too; can’t
imagine why — that sort of talent shouldn’t lie dormant.
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animation/comics #235, from bsoron, 516 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:21:10 1990
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I guess I’m enjoying Outland more than most folks here, but yes, I do
miss Bloom County and wish Outland were as good. My brother works in
Little, Brown’s shipping department and told me today that the last Bloom
County book is on its way to stores, so y’all should probably start
looking for it soon. I forget its title, but it’s something appropriate
to the strip’s ending. My brother is a very casual comics reader, but he
said that he was never really impressed with Bloom County until he read
this book.
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animation/comics #236, from bsoron, 213 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:22:19 1990
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O’ course, Bill and Opus are both characters in Outland. But I’d
rather see that strip get even more surreal, personally; Breathed may
not be a Kelly or a Herriman, but he’s as close as we’ve got these days.
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animation/comics #237, from bsoron, 150 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:23:39 1990
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Apparently, a lot of us are missing something in Dilbert, Jeff! Can
you clue us in? I can’t see anywhere for Adams to hide a subtext,
myself…
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animation/comics #238, from jenn, 78 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:40:46 1990
This is a comment to message 228.
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Richard, I don’t read Elfquest anymore.
But when I did, it was great! 🙂 🙂
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animation/comics #239, from tom.white, 140 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:54:49 1990
This is a comment to message 235.
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Oh goody! Another (final 🙁 ) BC book.
The next C&H book, due within two months, is titled something like
“Weirdos from Another Planet.”
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animation/comics #240, from jimomura, 1250 chars, Sun Mar 4 23:37:51 1990
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Gene Colan is a “reliable” artist. Not brilliant enough to knock
my socks off, but good for making things look real. Thinking about it,
I’d compare him to Ryoichi Ikegami (“Mai the Psychic Girl”, “Crying Freeman”)
in Japan. Ikegami’s products are better, but then again, I think he
has more time to work on them because his stuff doesn’t have to got
out to a colorist before it gets printed. I don’t know if he actually
does his “inking” or not. It may even be that he has help. But then
again, there’s no telling if Colan really does every pencil stroke in
his panels either so . . .
Gil Kane, I can’t say I ever really liked. He’s as limited in
his imagination as Colan and doesn’t have the breadth of camera angles
and command over rendering the human body and emotions that Colan has.
I remember when he took over Spiderman, was it around issue #100?
I remember getting more and more depressed about the art as the issues
came out. Then he gave Spidey 2 more pair of arms and I got really
disgusted. Shortly after that issue I stopped buying Spiderman on
a regular basis, and I never really started again.
What I was thinking was “geez, if that’s all he can do to create
some excitement, then there’s no hope for this.”
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animation/comics #241, from richard.pini, 1122 chars, Mon Mar 5 00:23:25 1990
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Ah! Who says creative whining doesn’t work? (I’m smiling, honest!)
The new series is subtitled “Kings of the Broken Wheel” – and yes, someone
already commented on how that could be taken for an old Gene Autry serial, sigh
– but it really has to do with clues planted in the original series and “Siege
at Blue Mountain.” It is open ended, because the storyline we’ve concocted can
go as long as we want (or as short, I suppose). It is the adventure of 100
lifetimes, the love story to end all ove stories… gee, I can go on like this
and never say a concrete thing about it, can’t I? The major plot catalysts are
(1) Rayek is energized with all the spirits of the dead Gliders, and he’s gone
a wee bit round the bend, (2) A cry for help comes in telepathically that the
elves just can’t ignore, except when they get to the place it’s coming from,
there’s no one there, and (3) Someone screws up so big-time that the characters
don’
don’t *know* yet what it means to be on a quest. All in all, great good fun.
And, bi-monthly. We’re publishing it ourselves, so no more scheduling fubars
like before. First issue in June.
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animation/comics #242, from richard.pini, 165 chars, Mon Mar 5 00:25:06 1990
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::clutching chest, sticken:: You…don’t? Howcum? (Seriously, I am always
interested in the reactions of those who either have stopped, or who don’t
like the book.)
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animation/comics #243, from jenn, 150 chars, Mon Mar 5 00:53:29 1990
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Seriously. I lost interest.
I’m not sure I can be more specific than that, Richard.
I’m not even sure what caused me to lose interest.
Yikes! 🙂
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animation/comics #244, from tom.white, 380 chars, Mon Mar 5 02:21:58 1990
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Ramble all you want, Richard, we understand how PR works.
REALLY bimonthly? I recall that was the plan with SABM, but what
should’ve been 14 months stretched out over two years. I didn’t mind
the wait, but the ambitious schedule made me anticipate in vain.
Eclipse is the grandmaster at “no shipping us now!” and I’d hate to
see WaRP (WaRP, and not Apple?) get to be THAT bad.
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animation/comics #245, from jsloman, 173 chars, Mon Mar 5 07:57:22 1990
This is a comment to message 237.
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I assign no brilliance to the author of Dilbert. Sometimes
things are more than they seem. Alot of prominent physicists
haved belonged to the flat earth society.
[Jeff]
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animation/comics #246, from richard.pini, 33 chars, Mon Mar 5 08:44:01 1990
This is a comment to message 243.
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Calling the Interest Police!! 😉
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animation/comics #247, from richard.pini, 1014 chars, Mon Mar 5 08:50:22 1990
This is a comment to message 244.
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For everyone’s benefit (since I’ve already emailed you, Tom), Apple and Warp
are no longer joined at the hip. Apple was created by us to be a sister
company to handle the publishing end of things while Warp stuck to the
editorial/creative chores. There is plenty of circumstance to go around, but
in the end the process did not go as smoothly as we would have wished, and
books fell badly off schedule. It is the main reason we (Warp) accelerated
the separation of the two companies – which was always the goal, eventually –
and made the decision to get back into publishing Elfquest. Since it is one of
only two titles we are handling now (the other is the adaptations of the
Xanth books by Piers Anthony) and since everything is under one roof now, we
have a much better handle on scheduling. Wendy will be done with issue #1
of the new EQ series by the end of March but I will not release it until June;
this allows us to stockpile at least 3 issues as a cushion against schedule
woes later on, if any crop up.
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animation/comics #248, from dave.f, 913 chars, Mon Mar 5 17:13:49 1990
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re:
remember commenting to him at a book signing for WANDA HICKEY’S… on the
slick job of commercial zapping they did. He told me ‘GBH did the edits
themselves.
I have a reel to reel, here at work, but I think Keith taped all the shows at
1 7/8 IPS. That would do me no good. My old Lafayette RtoR will do 1 7/8.
It still works, sort of, but has problems with ultra thin tapes. I think he
was using the cheapest and longest reels he could find.
He also has quite a few GOON SHOW tapes. Both ‘GBH and ‘BUR ran them at
different points in time.
BTW – Anybody who wants to drop by television/program.rwars to discuss
Shepherd’s TV forays (including OLLIE HOPNOODLE’S HAVEN OF BLISS, the one
backed by the Disney channel, with James Sikking as the old man) is more than
welcome. The WONDER YEARS discussion can continue there, also.
D=
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animation/comics #249, from davemackey, 160 chars, Mon Mar 5 18:05:02 1990
This is a comment to message 226.
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Gene Colan has been doing some pencilling for Archie Comics of late; I think
he had a story in the latest issue of HOT DOG.
–Dave
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animation/comics #250, from hmccracken, 866 chars, Mon Mar 5 18:18:48 1990
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Well, to each his own, Jim! Colan’s ability to make things look “real”
is what I like so much about him; he rarely falls into the standard shorthand
tricks that other superhero artists get into… I also love the richness
of his pencilling, which very few inkers seem able to justice to. I first
ran into Colan when he was doing Howard the Duck, which he did some
spectcular work for.
Gil Kane certainly doesn’t hit a home run every time, but I like his
sense of design, and his storytelling abilities are first-rate. He
certainly *isn’t* a particularly imaginative artist, but there’s a certain
tension to his work that I find very appealing. In many ways, I think
the praise heaped upon Tarzan’s Burne Hogarth — certainly one of the
most overrated of cartoonists — by certain Europeans and Americans might
be better applied to Kane’s best work.
— Harry
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animation/comics #251, from hmccracken, 397 chars, Mon Mar 5 18:30:50 1990
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Wouldn’t have thought that somthing as bland as Dilbert would stir up so much
emotion…Maybe I’m alone in finding it neither particularly interesting nor
outstandingly bad. The art is lousy, but no worse than the art in a lot
of strips; the writing is much better. I enjoyed the recent sequence in which
Dilbert dated a librarian, as did several of my casual comics-reading
friends.
— Harry
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animation/comics #252, from morganfox, 148 chars, Mon Mar 5 19:16:01 1990
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True…I just loved the Brainella thread..one is taped to my desk here. Other
times..it is just blah. But it is one of the strips I read each day.
==========================
animation/comics #253, from tom.white, 255 chars, Mon Mar 5 19:53:56 1990
This is a comment to message 251.
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In fairness, I haven’t seen Dilbert in many moons, since around
last September. Perhaps it has improved since then (it could NOT
have gotten worse). But, I’m not gonna worry about it. I’d rather
discuss things that I enjoy rather than those I do not.
==========================
animation/comics #254, from jimomura, 1119 chars, Mon Mar 5 23:20:09 1990
This is a comment to message 250.
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Oh, I *like* Colan! I expect we disagree on Kane though.
I never saw anything Kane did that made me feel I was glad to
have it. I think I’ve sold every Gil Kane work I’ve bought.
That’s a fairly heavy indictment. I usually don’t buy things
unless I wanted them in the first place. That is to say, having
read it, I felt even worse about it than I expected. But then
again, I’m now planning to sell almost all my collections, so
I guess it won’t seem like such a bad thing.
Off the top of my head, my favorite artists of my “old days”
were Sterenko, Starlin, Brunner and Barry Windsor Smith. Sterenko
was the first of that group with Shield and X-Men. Starlin in his
various Thanos related work was later. Brunner did well with
Dr. Strange, and his issue of Howard the Duck. Barry Windsor Smith
re-defined Conan for the world. Also John Romita and Steve Ditko
did great work with Spiderman. I’m fairly out of touch with most
of today’s work. The Japanese stuff brought me back into the comics
world. I would never have bothered to return otherwise. I’ve
pretty much had enough of DC and Marvel.
==========================
animation/comics #255, from bsoron, 118 chars, Mon Mar 5 23:24:25 1990
This is a comment to message 248.
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‘Strue — what’s needed is something as cheap and junky as what Keith
used to tape ’em. I’ll keep nagging him…
==========================
animation/comics #256, from rgswartz, 224 chars, Wed Mar 7 00:48:36 1990
This is a comment to message 212.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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>Dilbert
is a *very* crudely drawn nerd and his dog Dogbert. The humor is usually
crude also (not in the sexual sense) though I would guess by some previous
comment that some people don’t see the humor in it. So it goes.
==========================
animation/comics #257, from rgswartz, 61 chars, Wed Mar 7 00:50:30 1990
This is a comment to message 256.
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>Dilbert…
I see *some* resemblance to Sherman and Peabody.
==========================
animation/comics #258, from rgswartz, 80 chars, Wed Mar 7 00:51:20 1990
This is a comment to message 214.
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>the last Bloom County strip
It’s been tacked to my door since the strip ended.
==========================
animation/comics #259, from switch, 283 chars, Wed Mar 7 11:54:18 1990
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TITLE: Unintentional Akira In-Joke
I was re-reading volume 1 of the Akira maki last night (yes, I suppose I
_should_ have been paying attention in my film history class), and on page
175 I saw something I’d never noticed before. The man guarding Tetsuo is
reading “Quark” magazine!
==========================
animation/comics #260, from jimomura, 62 chars, Wed Mar 7 21:56:39 1990
This is a comment to message 259.
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So what’s happening with Quark? You still got it going?
==========================
animation/comics #261, from switch, 1045 chars, Wed Mar 7 22:29:52 1990
This is a comment to message 260.
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Oh, yes, very much so. I’ve had it ready to go since late December, but a
friend of mine (who is MUCH more experienced when it come to layouts), offered
me his services. Since then we’ve been giving Quark’s look a major overhaul.
We’re pretty much finished now — just have to put it another interview to
cover an error we made in the page count, then lay out the three interviews,
and the final bits (Congregations, Bits ‘n’ Pieces, and the Hit List).
There’s no reason for that to take more than a week. Other than that,
I have to finish the cel for the cover. It shouldn’t take more than about an
hour or two, but given my current schedule and the increasing pressure to
finish my film, that hour might be hard to find.
I’ll also be running off some more copies of #3 to handle people who haven’t
received their copies in the mail yet. I’m really annoyed over the delays in
sending out copies of #2 and #3, but I’ve been in a really precarious
financial situation over the last few months, and Canada Post hasn’t been
helping things…
==========================
animation/comics #262, from tom.white, 596 chars, Thu Mar 8 23:22:16 1990
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They’re here!
The latest Calvin and Hobbes book, _Weirdos_From_Another_Planet!_
a collection of the usual C&H frantic frolickings. Includes the
sequence where Calvin dresses up like a tiger (as opposed to the time
he was transmogrified into one).
…and…
Bloom County:Happy Trails! hit the stores today. The last of the
series, it includes too many good stories to list them all, but
there’s Rosebud’s pregnancy and of course the wrap party. The final
strip gets its own page, and if you think that was bittersweet, wait’ll
you see the back cover.
7.95 and 8.95, and worth every cent.
==========================
animation/comics #263, from hmccracken, 205 chars, Fri Mar 9 00:23:24 1990
This is a comment to message 262.
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Yes, the back cover of the new Bloom County book is just about worth buying
the book for in itself…and for me at least, it’s a much more satisfying
end to the strip than the last episode was.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #264, from switch, 107 chars, Fri Mar 9 09:53:52 1990
This is a comment to message 259.
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Incidentally, that same panel is in issue 3 of the Epic Akira; however, the
“Quark” is nowhere to be seen.
==========================
animation/comics #265, from bsoron, 406 chars, Sat Mar 10 00:54:22 1990
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TITLE: Was it just my imagination, or…
… well, Grant Morrison’s one of my favorite writers — the
Brotherhood of Dada series in Doom Patrol was brilliant — but after
reading the interview with him in the new Amazing Heroes, I got the
feeling that he’s an intelligent, literate, thoroughly unlikeable
person. Anyone else get that reaction? Maybe something got lost in
the translation to print…
==========================
animation/comics #266, from jenn, 116 chars, Sun Mar 11 15:49:53 1990
This is a comment to message 258.
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Just picked up the last Bloom County book…._Happy Trails_…
Too short, too funny, and too heartbreaking.
==========================
animation/comics #267, from davemackey, 160 chars, Wed Mar 14 06:23:38 1990
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TITLE: The Smith Family
Does anyone know if this strip, which featured the rather large family of its
creators, George and Virginia Smith, is still being done?
==========================
animation/comics #268, from hmccracken, 437 chars, Wed Mar 14 07:36:00 1990
This is a comment to message 267.
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Well, I believe it still is, Dave — if it’s been discontinued it was in the
last half-year or so.
Are you a Smith Family fan? It ran for many years in the Boston Globe, and
I used to like it very much. Very strange art and gags…but quite funny.
I’ve often thought I was the *only* reader who liked it; enough people
used to look at me funny when I mentioned that I liked it that I eventually
kept quiet on the subject.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #269, from sstaton, 362 chars, Wed Mar 14 09:53:46 1990
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TITLE: Shultz in the Lourve
NPR had a story this morning about _Peanuts_ being put into the Lourve,
and Charles Schultz received the highest honor France offers to artists.
“Comics are treated much more seriously in France than in the US,” accord-
ing to the NPR reporter. So what else is new?
Does this mean that Garfield is due for the Smithsonian? Ackpth!
==========================
animation/comics #270, from hkenner, 104 chars, Wed Mar 14 13:41:08 1990
This is a comment to message 267.
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It runs daily in the Baltimore Sun. I seem to remember reading that
George died & Virginia carries on.
==========================
animation/comics #271, from hmccracken, 1238 chars, Wed Mar 14 19:42:04 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: The other morning, I was reading the comics at work (which is a
ritutual with me and several of my colleagues), when I noticed that one
columns of strips had an unusually-large amount of white space between
the strips. Obviously, a strip had been dropped. It took me and another
person ten minutes before we could figure out who was missing — Tiger,
by Bud Blake.
My curiosity about this led me to call the Boston Globe (the paper in
question) to see what had happened. I told the operator who answered
the call that I had a question about the comics page, and was instantly
put through to a pleasant woman who immediately explaind that Tiger
had been yanked for the week, in order to see if anybody cared. Clearly,
I was the umpteenth person to have made the call that morning. I thanked
her, put in a vote for Tiger’s return (she told me he would be back on
Monday), and ended the call.
Moral: if your favorite strip disappears from the paper one day, give them
a call and complain; it might do some good. Not to suggest that Tiger is
my favorite strip — in fact I almost wish I had suggested they leave him
out and replace him with Tumbleweeds, a strip whose absence from the Boston
papers I sorely feel.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #272, from morganfox, 92 chars, Wed Mar 14 19:56:13 1990
This is a comment to message 271.
There are additional comments to message 271.
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I just *knew* something was missing! Great! I am glad you called. And glad
it will be back!
==========================
animation/comics #273, from tom.white, 913 chars, Wed Mar 14 20:26:18 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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The comics available greatly depends on which syndicate the paper deals with.
In Boston, the two papers buy from different syndicates, hence there is
no comic strip in common. I forget exactly what happened in Dallas, but
I recall that the media giant who owned the syndicate the Times-Herald
bought comics from purchased the rival paper, the Morning News, and soon
afterwards, the T-H’s comics pages were ravaged. Their contract was broken
and they had to buy from someone else. The M-N’s comics pages doubled.
Slimy, sleazy move. This isn’t
spot-on accurate, but something like that.
Through the good auspices of another Bixen, I got my hands on a copy
of The National, the new (since January) daily sports paper. It’s
presently distributed only in NYC, LA, and Chicago. Tucked way in the
back is a reprint strip of Joe Palooka, from who knows when. Makes a
good sports alternative to Tank McNamara.
==========================
animation/comics #274, from hmccracken, 1166 chars, Wed Mar 14 21:45:28 1990
This is a comment to message 273.
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Well, not *quite* right, Tom: the big syndicates will generally sell strips
to all the papers in town, but (in general) they do it on an exclusive
basis. If the Boston Herald has Peanuts, the Globe won’t be able to get
it. And so forth. (There are exceptions — at one time there were two
St. Louis papers that carried Archie. Don’t know why.)
I hadn’t heard about the Dallas situation, but something similar happened
here in Boston: Rupert Murdoch, owner of the Herald, purchased the Field
Syndicate, which distributed maybe half the strips carried in the Globe.
When the syndicate’s contracts with the Globe ran out, he pulled all the
strips and put them in the Herald, causing a tremndous tempest-in-a-
teapot that provided fodder for the Herald’s news pages and promotional
activities (which are sometimes indistiunguishable) for weeks. (Naturally,
the Globe had to pick up tons of strips to make up for those they lost,
giving Boston comics fans *a lot* of comic strips. The situation has
abated a bit; the Herald dropped some of its strips eventually, and announcements
both papers made at the time of *even more* strips didn’t come to be.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #275, from sstaton, 179 chars, Thu Mar 15 00:47:42 1990
This is a comment to message 274.
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The move by the Dallas Morning News was just one more brick in the wall
towards their goal of a one paper town; wait until the advertisers see
the new rates when that happens. 🙂
==========================
animation/comics #276, from davemackey, 378 chars, Thu Mar 15 20:23:01 1990
This is a comment to message 268.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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No, but my brother was. When he went to college, one night he found a
microfilm copier that had the coin box bypassed, and he must have made copies
of about two and a half years of “Smith Family” dailies from whatever
newspaper up that way carried it. He brought up the subject the other night
and he said he thought it had been discontinued.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #277, from jenn, 168 chars, Thu Mar 15 22:59:49 1990
This is a comment to message 273.
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Something that I thought was hilarious about the L.A. Times,
was that they did a huge story in their View section
praising Bloom County. But they never carried it….
==========================
animation/comics #278, from dave.f, 911 chars, Fri Mar 16 12:31:45 1990
This is a comment to message 271.
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re:
hadn’t noticed it was missing from the Globe ’til you mentioned it, Harry. I
think it’s Blake’s art that gets me. It’s a rather muddled looking mishmash
that somehow is very legible when you look closer. It appears that he uses a
Sharpie or other sort of marker. The ends of his lines have that distinctive
dot that indicates a type of ink that spreads into the surface of the board
if you stop before lifting the tip.
I miss TUMBLEWEEDS, too. The Middlesex News carries it, but I don’t get that
paper on a regular basis. I don’t even get the Worcester Telegram and
Gazette, and I live just across the line from Worcester. It’s just too
painful to read articles by people who don’t have a very good command of the
language. The one thing in the T&G that I miss is THE FAR SIDE, but I’m not
going to buy it just for that.
D=
==========================
animation/comics #279, from richard.pini, 67 chars, Fri Mar 16 17:57:52 1990
This is a comment to message 277.
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How glorious it is to be trendy, without expending any conscience!
==========================
animation/comics #280, from hmccracken, 263 chars, Fri Mar 16 19:00:05 1990
This is a comment to message 278.
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Agreed: Bud Blake’s art is quite nice, despite the strip being kind of
ordinary…Something it shares in common with Dennis the Menace, which
at its best is a beautifully-drawn strip. (The daily panel, that is;
the Sunday has been ghosted for years.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #281, from hmccracken, 608 chars, Sun Mar 18 21:11:39 1990
This is a comment to message 276.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Gee whiz. When I was in college, I did much the same thing with some of
my spare hours at the library: I’d sit at a microfilm reader and read
old comics. One of the interesting things you learn from doing that
is that there are a lot of comics so obscure they never get mentioned
in books or articles. Two animation-related ones I discovered that way
were “Terr’ble Thompson,” a strip which was definitely a precursor of
Calvin and Hobbes, which was done by the animator Gene Deitch; and
Barker Bill, a strip featuring an obscure Terrytoons character which
was credited to Paul Terry himself.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #282, from jimomura, 1376 chars, Sun Mar 18 22:27:54 1990
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TITLE: Recent Acquisitions
I dropped into the Comic Den these week after a long delay and
found a few titles waiting for me.
Both versions of the 1st issue of the new “Lensman” comicbook
were set aside for me. Both are actually going to be collectors
items, but I bought the one that’s a “Collector’s Edition”. It has
a semi-hard cover and mine is serial numbered #6051. They put
a completely different picture on this cover and used gold embossed
lettering. Ironically, when I looked inside, I felt that the regular
edition was printed on a slightly better quality paper. Both were
printed on fairly inferior quality paper overall though. One thing
nice is that the writer explains the situation wherein this comicbook
comes from a license of the Japanese anime movie and TV show and
that it is not going to follow Doc Smith’s work. Fair warning for
Doc Smith fans.
“Outlanders” #14 was interesting because it makes clear that
Kahm and Tetsuya didn’t wait to get married to start, uh, procreating.
Well, it was interesting for more than just that, but, well, that
was interesting too. 🙂
“Dominion” #3 has the Puma sisters on the cover. The story
is essentially a “bad day” for Leona and Al, though at the end of
the day they have it brightened by the appreciation of people they
helped.
“Captain Harlock” #4 and #5 introduce Emeraldas.
==========================
animation/comics #283, from switch, 159 chars, Sun Mar 18 23:12:55 1990
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TITLE: Charlie Brown fans…
…will want to check out poetry.prose/long.messages #48. Make sure there’s
plenty of space on your floor so you can roll on it.
==========================
animation/comics #284, from hmccracken, 896 chars, Mon Mar 19 06:55:57 1990
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TITLE: The seventh volume of Kitchen Sink Press’s ambitious plan to reprint
the complete _Li’l Abner_ is out, and should be a must-be for folks who
want to see how good and how funny a comic strip can be. Capp’s greatest
period was probably a few years after the 1941 strips reprinted in this
book, but by ’41 he was already awfully fluent as a humorist and storyteller —
probably the greatest humorous storyteller there ever was in comics. (There
were greater humorists, and greater storytellers, but I can’t think of
anyone who did both on as high level as Capp.)
The Kitchen Sink volumes are also worth examining as excellent examples of
how good a reprint series can be; the strips are large and crisply reproduced,
and the introductory material is informative (although I somehow wish there
was more of it). Anyway, the series does a great comic strip justice.
Check it out.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #285, from hmccracken, 1039 chars, Mon Mar 19 07:02:08 1990
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TITLE: Kitchen Sink also has a series of Ernie Bushmiller’s _Nancy_
books out, which is also worth a look. Apparently, people interested
in comics either love _Nancy_ or despise it — and neither group really
understands it. I fall into the former category, I guess. At least
once I pick up a book of Bushmiller stuff, I find it hard to put down.
It’s not funny, the characters aren’t memorable — and yet there’s
something compelling about Nancy’s odd world and its internal logic
that’s fascinating. I’d be worried about my like for the strip if hip
folks like Roy Blount, Jr., Bill Griffith, and Art Spiegelman didn’t
feel the same way.
Kitchen Sink’s Nancy books (_Nancy Eats Food_, _How Sluggo Survives_,
_Nancy’s Dreams and Schemes_) are attractive, but their format of
reprinting only strips relating to a particular theme is perhaps a
mistake. I’d rather read a variety of strips — which one can do with
_The Best of Ernie Bushmiller’s Nancy_, another _Nancy_ book by another
publisher which is also available.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #286, from davemackey, 175 chars, Mon Mar 19 23:02:46 1990
This is a comment to message 281.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I had heard that “Terr’ble Thompson” acted as the direct inspiration for
Deitch’s series for Terrytoons in the late 1950’s, Tom Terrific.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #287, from hmccracken, 520 chars, Tue Mar 20 06:22:34 1990
This is a comment to message 286.
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From what I’ve seen, it was similar in flavor but not a direct inspiration.
Terr’ble was a kid who daydreamed himself into history and adventures —
as I say, it was a lot like Calvin and Hobbes.
One of the few things lacking in conversing by telecommunications is
that you can’y really upload an image of a printed thing in any
straightforward, easy, usable-by-all fashion. I’d love to put a
Terrble’Thompson strip online as an example.
— Harry
(Ah well, it might violate the copyright laws to do that anyway.)
==========================
animation/comics #288, from mingrassia, 57 chars, Tue Mar 20 06:44:26 1990
This is a comment to message 269.
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Schulz in the Louvre? Hope they spelled his name right!
==========================
animation/comics #289, from hmccracken, 983 chars, Tue Mar 20 19:02:31 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Even though it’s based an a comic strip, there may be better places
on BIX than here to discuss the upcoming _Dick Tracy_ movie, which
seems to be shaping up as this Summer’s equivalent of last year’s
_Batman_. But there’s one aspect of the film which sounds fascinating
and relevant to its origins in the funny papers: if the rumors are right,
the production designers for the film have restricted their color choices
to *one* shade of red, *one* shade of yellow, and so forth, in an attempt
to make the thing look very much like a comic strip come to life.
Combined with everything else they’re doing, it does sound like the movie —
starring Warren Beatty, Madonna, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Mandy Patinkin,
et al — should be worth checking out for its novel approach to adapting
a comic strip to film. Of course I thought that ten years ago about _Popeye_,
which turned out to do a very poor job of capturing Segar’s work once past
the bang-up makeup jobs.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #290, from bsoron, 360 chars, Tue Mar 20 22:54:36 1990
This is a comment to message 289.
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I thought the adaptation of the Dick Tracy movie was great, but I’m
a sucker for Kyle Baker’s art. He was a bit understated here — none
of the ears and noses you see in the classic Cowboy Wally, for instance
— but it still looked great. (Now that I think of it, I’m pretty sure
it was full process color, so apparently they did take some liberties…)
==========================
animation/comics #291, from hmccracken, 352 chars, Wed Mar 21 18:14:16 1990
This is a comment to message 290.
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Apparently a lot of Chester Gould fans are outraged that those Dick Tracy
comics aren’t drawn in Chester Gould’s style. This presumably relates to
the fact that Kyle Baker’s style is in its own way as stylized as Gould’s;
if somebody like Neal Adams had drawn the comic, rendering likenesses of
the film actors, there wouldn’t be a problem.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #292, from jimomura, 315 chars, Thu Mar 22 10:08:56 1990
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TITLE: “Five Star Stories” coming in English
I recently got word on the Net that there’s going to be a
translation of some of the “Five Star Stories” manga. This is a
big hit in Japan right now. Unfortunately, they are going for the
“premium” audience with hard cover and sticker prices up around
$40.00 US.
==========================
animation/comics #293, from jimomura, 1482 chars, Wed Mar 28 16:58:09 1990
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TITLE: “Outlanders” 13 – 15, “Cobra”, “Sentinels”
I dropped into the Comic Den today while doing other things, and
picked up “Outlanders” #15. The series of issues from #13 – #15 make
up a trio of “must get” issues. There are so many twists and turns
to this story that you really can’t say that one is a turning point
anymore than another, but there are some really significant happenings
in each to make them special. In #13, Kahm and Tetsuyo and Battia
make good their escapes. We find out a bit more about the Sourceress
Jihler and Kahm and Tetsuyo prepare for their “evening”. #14, as I
mentioned above brings us to “the morning after” and brings Tetsuyo
and Kahm back to Battia and Geobaldi, and Geobaldi gets shot by the
usurping clergyman. In #15, we find out a bit about how strong
Geobaldi really is, and then Tetsuyo fights for the safety of Earth.
His fighting spirit in the face of death moves Geobaldi. But even
death cannot hold Tetsuyo — not while Kahm lives!
“Cobra” #1 is another “high priced spread” package with semi-
hard cover. Maybe I should call it a “stiff” cover? I dunno.
Cobra is a futuristic tough guy with cigar. It was really popular
in Japan. I don’t expect to buy it though. The artwork is really
good and somewhat atypical for manga. I guess it’s one of the most
“western” looking manga produced.
Another issue of “Sentinels II” was also out, but I didn’t
get a chance to look at it. I might buy it, or I might not.
==========================
animation/comics #294, from jimomura, 1943 chars, Mon Apr 2 01:25:06 1990
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TITLE: Dirty Pair II and Appleseed
I have 2 Adam Warren covers in front of me as I type this
and I really don’t like either of them.
Dirty Pair II part 5 thankfully got the numbering right
this time. It says Part 5 of 5. This winds up the story,
though a return engagement with Shasti looks likely. The cover
is a bit brighter and cleaner than most of the previous efforts.
The artwork overall is much the same inside though.
Appleseed Book 3 volume 5 marks the end of that book
and the immediate storyline. It’s the most acceptable place
to break, and I don’t mind so much that we’ll have to wait till
the “Black Magic” series runs its course before we pick up
on the next volume. Most of the issue follows Fang’s stocking
and capture of “Artemis”, the Wolfgirl. Of the rest, the next
more prominent story is Deunan’s training and unrest. But
watch out for the 3rd plot snuck away in the corners so to speak.
This is the overall plot of what Athena’s doing and the information
that Poseiden’s been after. Artistically, Shirow is in top form
with some of the best renderings of Deunan and Hitome done so
far. But this issue abounds with the “little” bits that Shirow
revels in that make the character and the world rich and full.
The two pages of Artemis waking up in the park are almost reminicent
off Disney’s work or early movies.
But back to the cover. Adams’ cover is really bad. It
misses the sharp features of Fang completely making him look
fairly ordinary, and Artemis looks unbalanced and unco-ordinated.
One thing you see in Shirow’s pages of Artemis is that she
is certainly not that. Her appendages flow naturally to where
the should be for her to accomplish what she has in mind in
a half cat/half simian “artless” fluidity. I don’t know why they
used this cover.
Oh, and another surprise for me was that it seems that we
see the last of Doric. Somehow, I don’t expect its true though.
==========================
animation/comics #295, from hmccracken, 473 chars, Wed Apr 4 18:35:52 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: If Berke Breathed’s _Outland_ is looking more and more like
_Bloom County_ to you, there’s a reason. According to an article in
the _Hartford Courant_, newspaper editors were not very pleased with
_Outland_’s Krazy Kat-like surrealistic art and rather obscure story-
line. The return of Opus, Bill the Cat, and company was in response
to this, and last Sunday’s strip is so Bloom Countyesque that it might
as well have been an episode of the old strip.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #296, from davemackey, 573 chars, Wed Apr 4 20:54:39 1990
This is a comment to message 295.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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My brother and I have been knocking this around. We think the reasons that
Outland has so reverted to a weekly Bloom County are (1) the possibility
of legal ramifications stemming from the continued use of the Mickey Mouse-
like character Mortimer Mouse (remember the Air Pirates?), and (2) the
fact that Bill The Cat, not originally slated to be in the strip, soon
began appearing to somewhat take Morty’s place. Opus was intended as a
fallback character and some sort of peg of familiarity~r to the
likes of Ronald-Ann and the others.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #297, from sharonfisher, 150 chars, Wed Apr 4 21:19:02 1990
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I haven’t bothered reading Outland after about the first three weeks. It
was stupid. It reminded me of the Bloom County cartoons I liked the least.
==========================
animation/comics #298, from hmccracken, 215 chars, Wed Apr 4 22:27:32 1990
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You might check it out again; it definitely is moving more and
more in a Bloomy Countyish direction. Breathed is breaking
no new ground, but he only has to draw one strip a week and
is presumably happy.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #299, from bsoron, 273 chars, Sat Apr 7 17:01:11 1990
This is a comment to message 298.
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I’ve noticed the change in Outland and I’m sorry to see it happen; not
all of the early strips were gutbustingly funny, but at least he was
trying to do something different from the rest of the Sunday fare…
maybe no one wants to see anything like Krazy Kat any more?
==========================
animation/comics #300, from jimomura, 413 chars, Thu Apr 12 20:30:14 1990
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TITLE: Around the Stores
I finally received my #1 of Captain Harlock! I’m very happy about
that. Apparently it’s a first print since Eternity marks it’s reprints.
The title is “An Exchange of Futures” and it picks up the history of the
Captain immediately after “My Youth in Arcadia”.
Also in the stores I saw “Cobra” #2 and “Crying Freeman” #6.
people following those stories will rush to get them.
==========================
animation/comics #301, from jimomura, 856 chars, Thu May 3 21:13:50 1990
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TITLE: Masamune Shirow’s “Dominion”, original Japanese Maki
Yup, I bought it! Copyright is 1986, ISBN4-592-13098-7 C0079 P880E.
The publisher is Jet Comics and the price is 880 Yen. I paid $25.00 Cdn.
On a cursory flip through, I’d say that the English translation by
Eclipse is complete. There isn’t anything in this volume that I looks
different from what I saw in the comicbooks. That’s in part due to
the fact that this book doesn’t have any nudity and the violence is
relatively clean by Japanese standards. As such, there wasn’t any
problem showing everything. Oops! I forgot. There is *some* nudity
in this book, but it was all included in the English version. It’s
the scenes with Crolis Greenpeace of course. She rarely wore clothes.
But then *she* never noticed she didn’t have clothes on, so after
a while, I stopped noticing it.
==========================
animation/comics #302, from hmccracken, 930 chars, Sat May 12 01:12:49 1990
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TITLE: I’m always pleased to pick up the newspaper and find a new comic
strip, even when the strip itself isn’t a masterpiece. This week the Globe
dropped the unusual-but-tedious Norb in favor of Phoebe’s Place, by Bill
Schorr, and I’m not sure yet whether it was a change for the better.
Schorr’s art is quite nice in a Disney-inspired way, and the idea — the
strip’s about a cat who runs a boarding house and has a professorish
owl as a boarder — is interesting. (And surprisingly experimental: ever
notice how few strips with talking — as opposed to thinking — animals
there are?) The strip hasn’t been especially funny yet, and judging from
Schorr’s other strips — Conrad (about a talking frog, from a few years
ago) and The Grizwells (about a bear family) it may never be much more
amsuing. I will be reading it, though — the concept has real potential,
and Schorr’s artwork is always worth seeking out.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #303, from davemackey, 246 chars, Sat May 12 01:54:02 1990
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TITLE: Bugs Bunny #1
Anyone else pick up this new DC title, in direct sales shops this past
Friday? Looked pretty good from here, enough new story ideas and rehashing
of past mythos to provide a good balance.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #304, from hmccracken, 439 chars, Sat May 12 16:14:48 1990
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That Bugs comic isn;’t bad, although I like the current Bugs comic *strip*
better. I think the writer of the comic book is skating on the edge of
in-joke excess, though some of the in-jokes aren’t bad. Chuck Fiala’s
art style is an acquired taste — which I acquired long ago, happily, enough
so that I’m willing to forgive the way the characters keep going off-model.
I’ll be picking up the other issues of the mini-series.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #305, from davemackey, 96 chars, Sat May 12 16:56:12 1990
This is a comment to message 304.
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That too was running through my mind: why couldn’t the art in the book
be as good as the strip?
==========================
animation/comics #306, from bsoron, 333 chars, Sun May 13 16:54:43 1990
This is a comment to message 303.
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Wasn’t that happy with it. A few too many in-jokes for me (a small
problem but one that grates on me because, even if I get ’em, I know
someone somewhere doesn’t, and the work remains that much less accessible
to them), and in places it seemed like “Interesting Characters In Search
Of A Plot.” But I’ll read the rest of ’em.
==========================
animation/comics #307, from jimomura, 566 chars, Sun May 13 19:27:20 1990
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TITLE: “Captain Harlock” #6
Dunn’s artwork is passable. But the story in this issue is exceptional.
The title is “The Truth Behind Miracles” and though it is a piece of the
whole Harlock story, I think there’s enough in it that someone who has
not followed the story will pick up on what’s going on and the significance
of the story standing alone.
I hope I remember it when it comes time to vote for this years awards.
It may well be the most beautiful story that’ll appear in any single
issue of any comicbook this year. It’ll be very hard to top it.
==========================
animation/comics #308, from jimomura, 680 chars, Sun May 13 19:50:17 1990
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TITLE: Time for the 1989 Fan Awards
The “Comic Buyer’s Guide” awards voting is come up again and I’m
giving thought to what I liked in 1989. Most of it won’t come as
a surprise. I’ll probably vote heavily for Shirow’s Appleseed again.
I may included a vote for Takahashi’s “Lum” series, or “Fire Tripper”.
Nausicaa will fit into ’89. So will “Outlanders”. “Captain Harlock”
probably squeaks into ’89, but off the top of my head, I don’t know
that I’d vote it in any category. It’s “historically important” to
me, but generally hasn’t really been one of my preferred titles.
Those are just thoughts off the top of my head. I’ll probably post
my votes and reasons later.
==========================
animation/comics #309, from rfranzen, 865 chars, Sun May 13 21:56:43 1990
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TITLE: Good time to sale-out?
Back in the 70’s I was pretty heavy into collecting current and “recent”
superhero comics. I have about 3000 total, covering all US lables in the
decade (Marvel, DC, Atlas, some of the “ground-level” labels). I was serious;
each is individually bagged and graded (but the ones I have from the 60’s are
generally “good” to “fine” in quality (I was broke, what can I say?)). I
haven’t looked at them in 5 years.
So, is this a good time to sell-off my collection? I’m more into computers
nowadays, and I’d love to make almost enough money from the comics to buy
an Amiga 3000. If it is a good time, how do I go about doing it without
getting taken. I know I have to be reasonable, and that _Buyer’s_Guide_
prices reflect what dealers charge, not what they pay. But I don’t really
have any interest in them any more.
Rich
==========================
animation/comics #310, from switch, 776 chars, Sun May 13 22:29:23 1990
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————————–
Speaking as someone who is also selling some of his collection (partially
to help offset the cost of a new Amiga 2000/2000HD), I’d say the best bet
is to go about asking comic collectors first. Hunt around at comic cons.
If you’ve got a small con running at your area and the cost is minimal
enough, get a table (or share one) and put your comics on display. I’d
generally avoid dealers until you’ve exhausted any other possibilities.
To backtrack to your first question: any time you’re not interested in
your collection is a good time to sell. If there are any titles you feel
may make a comeback in some way, shape, or form, though, you might
consider holding on to them: I know I regret selling my Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles comics a few years back (ouch!)…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #311, from rfranzen, 236 chars, Sun May 13 23:29:16 1990
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Thanks for the advice, Emru. I’m down here in Florida, about 70 miles
from Orlando (Mickey’s home-away-from-home). Maybe they have some conventions
there occasionally. I’ve been so out of the comic scene, I don’t even know!
Rich
==========================
animation/comics #312, from switch, 117 chars, Mon May 14 00:06:10 1990
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Check sf/sources for SF con info. There’s usually something going on there.
There are also the Creation cons.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #313, from tom.white, 946 chars, Mon May 14 03:08:54 1990
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Selling has two basic ways: do it yourself or sell them to the local
store and forget about it. You can make more doing it yourself, either
at the local con or with an ad in the CBG’s Comics Trader section, but
then you have to think of the time involved stuffing envelopes with the
merchandise (or possibly, packing up the whole bunch) and maybe even
refunding $ for unsatisfied customers. The local store should pay 50%
of Guide, 60% if the owner is cool and you’re a good customer. Last year,
unemployment and perfect timing enabled me to offload many years worth
of Batmans to my then-local retailer, and I made several hundred, which
helped a lot.
Batman is no longer nova-hot. Best item to sell right now is probably
TMNTurtles, and expect a lot of your comics to go cheap. Anything older
than 1980 is good though, older than 1975 really good, anything drawn by
Neal Adams is, for whatever reasons, immortal at getting good prices.
==========================
animation/comics #314, from jimomura, 1031 chars, Mon May 14 10:54:29 1990
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It’s a matter of opinion, but I’ll say yes.
First, comicbooks are printed on cheap paper and we now know that
it’s probably acid paper. As such, it’s not going to last no matter
what precautions you took. I don’t know of anybody trying to neutralize
the acid, but it would be necessary. As such, comicbooks have a limited
life span. I’m personally not keeping the pulps very long for that
reason.
Second, many of the better comics are coming out in “trade paperback”
form with much better quality paper. These dilute the market and
mean that the potential investment value is capped to an extent anyway.
Don’t expect to make much more on them than what you can get today.
Third, because of the “trade paperback” reprints, if you ever
want to read one again someday, it’s starting to look likely that you’ll
be able to. No big deal keeping them around anymore.
The exception is of course, that you might want to keep issues
that might not be popular enough to get into “trade paperback” reprints.
==========================
animation/comics #315, from rfranzen, 233 chars, Mon May 14 20:22:13 1990
This is a comment to message 313.
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Thanks for the tips, Tom. I “got out of” comics before the Turtles
arrived, so I don’t have any of those to sell. On the other hand, I have
all the new X-Men up until 1980 or so (along with 3000 of their closest
friends).
Rich
==========================
animation/comics #316, from rfranzen, 114 chars, Mon May 14 20:25:10 1990
This is a comment to message 314.
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Jim, thanks for the info and advice. Selling them now certainly would
free up a lot of closet space…!
Rich
==========================
animation/comics #317, from bcapps, 573 chars, Tue May 15 22:13:39 1990
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Rich,
As a bit of public service for a fellow Amigoid, I looked up Florida
in the What, Where, and When column for local cons for you:
(figuring you’re “near” Orlando, such that Ocala and Tampa wouldn’t
be too far.)
5/20 Orlando – Maitland Civic Center 10a-5p. Ph 407-260-0017
5/27 Daytona – Ocean Center 10a-5p. Ph 904-441-6395. Mark Gmuer
6/02 Ocala – Rodeway Inn 9a-5p. Ph 904-687-2318. Charlie Cook
These are coming up fairly recently [the sooner to pay for a 3000 with!]
and are listed in the CBG 5/25/90 issue. Hope this helps.
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #318, from hmccracken, 1146 chars, Tue May 15 22:42:22 1990
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TITLE: Anybody else out there a fan of Doug Marlette’s comic strip
_Kudzu_? I’ve recently purchased and read a very large, nicely-done
collection of the strip (_A Doublewide with a View_), and it’s
really improved my regard for Marlette’s work. (A lot of strips
read better day-to-day in the paper than in collections — despite
the popularity of the _Far Side_ books, I find it to be one —
but Kudzu’s sometimes quite intricate storylines and complicated
running gags work better in book form.)
Marlette doesn’t get mentioned in the same brearth as a Trudeau
or Breathed, but his stuff tackles similar topics in its own
sometimes-hilarious way, and is better drawn to boot. The
ongoing chronicle of Nasal T. Lardbottom’s attempt to get a
race change operation really skirts on the edges of bad taste —
and prompted a letter or few to the Boston Globe by offended
readers. But Nasal’s struggle seems to me at least a healthy
and honest examination of stereotypes that’s also very amusing
satire.
Anyhow, Kudzu fans should pick up the book, and those who
arent fans may well turn into ones by the time they finish
reading it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #319, from rfranzen, 118 chars, Wed May 16 00:27:16 1990
This is a comment to message 317.
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Wow! This is what I call service. Thanks, Bob, for the comic con.
info. Now I just gotta get organized…
Rich
==========================
animation/comics #320, from davemackey, 378 chars, Wed May 16 06:46:10 1990
This is a comment to message 318.
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I used to keep up with it when it was in the New York Daily News in the early
part of the last decade. After the News had dropped it, it started to
spotlight the Rev. Will B. Dunn more at the time of the Bakker-Swaggart
religious scandals. Marlette is a potent cartoonist and his work deserves
a wider showcase (and space in the Daily News).
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #321, from switch, 78 chars, Wed May 16 11:31:13 1990
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Oh, _good_! I never get to read Kudzu ‘less I go down to the States…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #322, from jenn, 32 chars, Wed May 16 20:49:32 1990
This is a comment to message 312.
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Or sf/calendar, eh, switch?
🙂
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animation/comics #323, from switch, 97 chars, Thu May 17 01:31:01 1990
This is a comment to message 322.
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Oops. I meant ‘calendar’. (Boy, I seem to have made a _lot_ of mistakes
Monday night…)
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #324, from switch, 131 chars, Thu May 17 09:50:17 1990
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TITLE: Hagar
I’ve been meaning to ask this for a looooong time — how long ago did Chris
Browne start doing Hagar? And why?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #325, from davemackey, 258 chars, Thu May 17 18:48:32 1990
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Chris Browne had been helping his father, Dik Browne, on the “Hagar” strip
for a number of years. Last summer or fall, I forget which, Dik Browne passed
away. Only recently has Browne begun signing the strip in his own name.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #326, from switch, 198 chars, Fri May 18 09:11:54 1990
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Hey, that’s interesting! Around November, I pointed to a Hagar strip and said,
“Is it just me, or is something kind of _wrong)g_ with this?”
Is the younger Browne also doing Hi and Lois?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #327, from davemackey, 155 chars, Fri May 18 18:21:56 1990
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No, Hi and Lois is being done by Chris Browne’s brother, Chance, and I believe
Mort Walker is still doing the strip too.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #328, from hmccracken, 244 chars, Fri May 18 18:44:35 1990
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Oddly enough, as of the last time I looked, Dik Browne was still signing
_Hi and Lois_, even though _Hagar_ was being credited to Chris.
Of course Carl Anderson signed _Henry_ for thirty years after he died,
so anything is possible.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #329, from bcapps, 937 chars, Sat May 19 00:55:43 1990
This is a comment to message 318.
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Kudzu is great! Marlette currently works for the Charlotte News & Observer
in NC and also does the editorials there. Pick up Bull’s Eye or a Comic
Review (or was it express?). Need to find it… Anyhoo, he also does some
very pointed politico bashing. And is highly amusing.
I have recently found several of his books in WaldenBooks $$$ bins for
as low as 99 cents. His work is often farcial, many times even satirical,
which many people _JUST_ don’t get! It takes intelligence, along with a
bit of some emotional control (Now wait, let’s think about what this comic
says before we go flyin’ off the handle. Wouldn’t be prudent! Not very
friendly-like.), to even recognize satire. Harlan Ellison gets misunderstood
more times that he would probably care to realize. But, the fact is, today’s
society, bred by a saccharine teat, full of mindless pap, just has a very
difficult time with the stuff. Satire, that is.
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #330, from davemackey, 330 chars, Sat May 19 06:58:22 1990
This is a comment to message 328.
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I checked yesterday’s, and Hi and Lois is now being signed simply “Browne.”
(Though my local paper, which prints the creators’ names above the strips,
gets about half of them wrong, spelling some names wrong and leaving out
“insignificant” people like Stan Drake. They still list Dik Browne.)
–D.
==========================
animation/comics #331, from jimomura, 275 chars, Sat May 26 10:55:17 1990
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TITLE: Dominion #4, “Chapter 3: Intervention”
In this issue of Dominion the Puma sisters go on a little romp
that almost kills Al and Leona. It’s a fast paced issue that’s
sort of “just for fun.” It provides some insight into the world
in which Al and Leona operate.
==========================
animation/comics #332, from jimomura, 271 chars, Thu May 31 10:26:22 1990
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TITLE: “What’s Michael?” by Eclipse
This is advertised on the back of “Dominion”. It’s a 120 page
graphic album which features a cat. I’ve seen pieces of it in the
magazines before
and wondered whether it would sell in North America.
It’s sort of strange humour.
==========================
animation/comics #333, from sharonfisher, 50 chars, Thu May 31 12:32:49 1990
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It’s *hysterical*. The author really knows cats.
==========================
animation/comics #334, from jimomura, 126 chars, Thu May 31 14:50:01 1990
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You know, I don’t have a cat. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t really
make sense to me. I look at it and sort of say “huh?”
==========================
animation/comics #335, from switch, 117 chars, Fri Jun 1 01:24:19 1990
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I blew up one _What’s Michael?_ cartoon where the “Bad” video is spoofed and
put it up on my wall. Hilarious.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #336, from bcapps, 265 chars, Sat Jun 2 00:23:04 1990
This is a comment to message 335.
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I saw it in the shop, glanced at the price, balked!, put it back down, got
my other stuff, picked it back up while waiting in line, keep reading,
finally decided: “Damn, but this is funny!” and bought it. And it was the
last copy in the store. What a find!
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #337, from jimomura, 1430 chars, Sun Jun 3 14:37:29 1990
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TITLE: “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Vol. 1” (Trade Paperback)
ISBN 0-929279-58-1, Miyazaki, Hayao, Trans. by Lewis and Smith, Viz Comics
I’ve called these “English Makis” before and effectively that’s
what they are. This series presents a problem. The first set of
individual issues is on relatively high quality paper with approx.
50 pages per issue and with very good quality inks and semi-hard
covers. My first issue is priced at $3.50 Canadian. These Makis
cost $13.95 US / $18.95 Canadian and this first volume has only
135 pages of main material and a couple of pages of essay material
by Miazaki and a single colour plate of one of the watercolor
“poster” pictures (small). The ink isn’t really the best either
(not a particularly good black density).
So, why buy it? I guess the only reasons I can point to
is if you missed it the first time around, or if you like having
“everything produced” as a collector, or alternatively, if you
really prefer saving a bit of space. Only you won’t save much
space even. The first volume is about as thick as 2 individual
volumes, but it only holds about 2 1/5 volumes worth of material,
and it’s not much smaller in page size either. So you don’t save
much space, and you lose the beautiful covers and pay almost twice
as much.
So I guess it mainly boils down to people who missed it the
first time around? I don’t know which I’m going to keep now.
==========================
animation/comics #338, from jimomura, 1236 chars, Thu Jun 7 16:47:54 1990
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TITLE: Masamune Shirow’s “Black Magic”, Book 1, April 1990
Eclipse International says April, I say June. The local
store just got this in, so what’s the point of calling it an April
issue? $3.50 US, $4.20 Can is the sticker price for roughly 60 pages.
Each store has its own page numbering, and I just added them up.
There are 2 stories. The first is “Prologue” and then the first
*chapter* is “Bowman”. The “Prologue” is longer than the earlier
one that published. The translators are Toren Smith and Alan
Gleason, L. Lois Buhalis did lettering and retouching and Greg S.
Baisden is down as editor.
I think I like this better than “Dominion”. It’s not as
fast paced as “Appleseed”, but it’s definitely closer in feeling
to “Appleseed” than “Dominion”. You can see Shirow’s writing style
and art style, not just developing, but already in a very high
state of development. That’s the big surprise. If you look at
Typhon’s portrayal in the prologue and look at all the expressions
and emotions Shirow used, and the shading techniques, it leaves
you with a sense of “well, that’s about all that most of the
better artists are capable of doing, now what’s he going to do
next?” But we already know what he did “next”.
==========================
animation/comics #339, from switch, 407 chars, Sat Jun 23 16:07:54 1990
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TITLE: dBase IV QuickStart
No, you didn’t misread the title. I’m at work, and I was just helping a
customer with his selection of computer books. I happened to glance at the
cover of _dBase IV QuickStart_, and noticed that the cover was a rainbow of
computer labels. The one that caught my eye read:
Oliver Queen
6452 Sherwood Ct.
Insianapolis, IN
Another one reads:
Barbara Gordon
4556 Gotham
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #340, from steven_edwards, 547 chars, Sat Jun 23 22:16:31 1990
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Several years ago I had an Intel-produced looseleaf text used for one
of their developer courses for one of the iAPX86 family processors. In the
many pages of microcomputer arcana was a little comic relief: an occasional
Jay Ward character (Snidely Whiplash comes to mind) made its appearance to
point out the more devious of the various chip design ramifications.
I myself have slipped in references to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
in documentation for software I’ve designed. It does tend to lighten up the
paperwork burden.
— Steve
==========================
animation/comics #341, from switch, 161 chars, Sun Jun 24 00:12:12 1990
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Some of my old physics teachers used to illustrate the principles
of gravity or momentum with various Warner character falling or
being pushed off cliffs.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #342, from bsoron, 1243 chars, Sun Jun 24 00:22:24 1990
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TITLE: If You Read Only One…
… well, you’ll have to choose between two — both the new Doom
Patrol and Kyle Baker’s “Why I Hate Saturn” both had me rolling on
the floor. DP #34 has Robotman’s body gaining independent sentience
and having a philosophical discussion with his disembodied brain.
Meanwhile, M’sieu Mallah and The Brain are doing much the same as
they prepare to attack DP headquarters. The setup is great on its
own, but the page in which The Brain and Robotman’s disembodied brain
fight is just wonderful. The ending’s very clearly foreshadowed, but
it’s got a great twist.
“Why I Hate Saturn” isn’t as funny as Baker’s “The Cowboy Wally
Story,” but it’s close, with Anne, her sister Laura, and her friend
Ricky debate relationships in the ’90s as a crazed ex-boyfriend
hunts Anne and Laura across the country. It’s more low-key than
“Cowboy Wally”; its laughs are less frequently but last as long as
those in Baker’s first book. The payoff is that “Why I Hate Saturn”‘s
characters aren’t the broad caricatures that “Cowboy Wally” featured;
each of them has eccentricities, but I know people like all three of
the main characters. This is a 200-page graphic novel from Piranha,
which has yet to publish a loser.
==========================
animation/comics #343, from tom.white, 191 chars, Sun Jun 24 11:23:54 1990
This is a comment to message 341.
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In a similar vein, I remember a PRIME manual for some application or other
that made extensive use of bookkeeping on Magrathea, along with other
references to the creations of Douglas Adams.
==========================
animation/comics #344, from jimomura, 336 chars, Mon Jun 25 00:19:21 1990
————————–
TITLE: Dominion 5 and Outlanders 18
I’ve just picked these up and both are moving along nicely.
Dominion finds Buaku attempting to kidnap babies and reveals a plan
for the future of his gang. Outlanders finds Kahm’s rebels beginning
real negotiations with the surviving Earth forces. The Sorceress
Jilehr confronts her destiny.
==========================
animation/comics #345, from jimomura, 290 chars, Tue Jul 17 00:04:28 1990
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————————–
TITLE: “Alien Nation”
There’s a new “Alien Nation” comic book coming out. I don’t know
how it’ll turn out. The ad I saw looked like it had good artwork, but
that’s just one page, and it was probably specifically for the ad, so
you can’t count on it being of that quality throughout.
==========================
animation/comics #346, from switch, 107 chars, Tue Jul 17 11:43:52 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Star Trek
Anyone read the issue of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” written
by John deLancie?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #347, from dave.f, 80 chars, Tue Jul 17 14:35:04 1990
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————————–
re:
D=
==========================
animation/comics #348, from dave.f, 167 chars, Tue Jul 17 14:35:07 1990
This is a comment to message 346.
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re:
DECnet is that it’s fairly good, but not exceptional.
The issue is ST:TNG Annual #1
D=
==========================
animation/comics #349, from tom.white, 123 chars, Tue Jul 17 19:40:26 1990
————————–
For fans of Fox Trot (like me), the second collection is now in stores.
Ask for “Pass The Loot” at your local Waldenbooks.
==========================
animation/comics #351, from jimomura, 105 chars, Fri Jul 20 12:09:44 1990
This is a comment to message 347.
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Alien Nation is going to be published by “Adventure Comics” which
is a division of Malibu Graphics.
==========================
animation/comics #352, from davemackey, 410 chars, Sat Jul 21 06:24:24 1990
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————————–
TITLE: “Little Mermaid” comic
Disney’s comics division is going to be putting out a “Little Mermaid” one-shot.
This will not be an adaptation of the movie, rather an original story, and
Disney is especially concerned with keeping the characters on model (especially
Ariel) so they’re going to be using artists who worked on the film to draw the
book. Anyone hear who?
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #353, from jimomura, 1476 chars, Sun Jul 22 18:25:46 1990
————————–
TITLE: Crying Freeman #8, Ninja High School Perfec Memory 1 and Black Magic
Starting with the last, no, the next issue of the English version
of Black Magic isn’t out yet. I finally bought the original Japanese
Manga. The publication dates are 1985/12/20 and 1988/11/10. The price
on the back says 850 Yen, but I paid $33.00 Can. I can sort of understand
enough to see where this one’s going and I like the story. The next
issue in English should have “Open Up” and “Booby Trap” in it. The
“Booby Trap” story is the one that seems to have give rise to the
story in the “Black Magic M-66” video.
Crying Freeman #8 is the last in the first series of English
translations by Viz. However, response seems to have been pretty good
because Viz announces in this volume that another series is coming.
The Ninja High School Perfect Memory is a strange publication.
A “Perfect Memory” is usually produced for an anime series and it
covers all kinds of information about the series. One expects to see
a synopsis of all the stories, the official artwork, interviews with
the artists and performers. That pretty much describes the content.
The form though, is the same low cost pulp as the comicbooks. It’s 96
pages and a gloss colour cover. If you’ve just bought your first
issue of Ninja High School recently, this will be a must to help you
get into what’s going on. For instance, you may not have realized
that the Salusian race was patterned on skunks!
==========================
animation/comics #354, from hmccracken, 352 chars, Thu Jul 26 18:30:20 1990
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————————–
I understand that the art on the _Little Mermaid_ comic will be handled
by one of the European “studios” that does much of the art for the
Disney comics. The actual artists may still be ones who worked on
_Mermaid_, of course, though I’m unaware of any that jump between the
animaton department and the European comics side of the business.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #355, from steven_edwards, 826 chars, Thu Jul 26 23:48:28 1990
This is a comment to message 354.
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Disney had already produced a hardcover book in 1989 titled
_The Little Mermaid_ (Gallery Books ISBN 0-8317-5606-5) that is based of the
movie storyline. This book is apparently the most recent of the _Disney
Classic Series_, all of which are based on full length animation films and
aimed at the 10 and under set. With only 96 pages and text suitable for the
younger ones, some of the film’s contents have been either abbreviated or
deleted. Still, quite entertaining for the children.
The artwork is fairly close to that in the motion picture. The
backrounds are mostly pastels and fill the entire area of the pages. When one
considers the amount of work that went into the film, one wondered why they
didn’t just reuse some of the cels, at least for tracing purposes.
— Steve (my niece really loves this stuff)
==========================
animation/comics #356, from mstoodt, 4614 chars, Fri Aug 3 22:20:53 1990
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TITLE: OLFO #1
This topic has not been too active recently, so in a blatent
attempt to get things going, I am going to start what will hopefully
be a weekly series of reviews of some of the titles that I get. My
inspirations in this are two members of another online service (which
shall remain nameless (but whose initials are CIS)), Patrick Mullet
and Paul “Zeus” Grant, whose columns IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) and
TVFO (The View From Olympus) (respectively) are uploaded on a regular
basis to the Comics Forum on that unnamed service. So I choose to
name my column OLFO (One Life Form’s Opinion)…
My tastes aren’t exactly in the mainstream (I currently get
exactly _one_ Marvel (non-Epic) title: Dr. Strange), but I hope that
I’m mainstream enough to be interesting to those people while exotic
enough to be interesting to the other end of the spectrum as well.
(This wasn’t a very exotic week, though…)
Note: I’m not going to go out of my way to spoil endings of
stories, but neither will I make much effort to avoid spoilers, so you
may want to consider this series as having a ****SPOILER WARNING****
on each entry.
So what’s out there for this life form to have an opinion about?
Legion of Super-Heroes Annual 1: Charade
Tom & Mary Bierbaum: Script; Dougie Braithwaite: Pencils;
Hazelwood & Mahlstedt: Inks; Todd Klein: Letters;
Tom CcCraw: Colors; Michael Eury: Edits
This is the best Legion story since the “Five Years Later…” of
number 1. We actually learn something about the characters (Jo Nah,
Ultra Boy, is a _lot_ smarter than he looks), it shows how some of the
new continuity fits in with the old, it fills one fairly big plot hole
from quite some time ago, and (cheap shot time) there’s none of
Giffen’s blasted nine panel layouts.
It’s not perfect; the art isn’t great (though it’s better than
Giffen’s — I started collecting the Legion at the time of the
Darkseid saga _because_ of Giffen’s art, which at that time was as
good as that of Perez or Byrne; now he’s on the bottom of my list),
and in some places (Jo’s street life) it’s not easy to determine whose
voice the colored balloons is supposed to represent; but the plot is
strong and tight, so I’d give it an eight on a one-to-ten scale (and
that scale is definitely bell-shaped, so an eight is quite good).
Grimjack 76: Battle Rock
John Ostrander: “Lyrics”; Flint Henry: “Music”;
Gary Fields: “Backup Vocals”; Martin Thomas: “Ambient Sound”;
Anina Bennett: “Producer”
plus Youngblood:
John Ostrander and Kim Yale: Writers; Steve Pugh: Artist;
Gary Fields: Letterer; Martin Thomas: Colorist;
Anina Bennett: Editor
This issue is a literal “Battle of the Bands”, a true “Ragnarock
and Roll” show. It’s a good reminder of how weird Cynosure and its
connected dimensions are, and Flint’s art is (if possible) more
chaotic than it was in the Demon Knight graphic novel (that’s a
compliment). But the story doesn’t really mean anything, to the
characters or to the readers, and it keeps us from seeing what we want
to see: Scuzzy getting what’s coming to him. So this story gets only
a five, pretty low for one of my favorite series. (The Youngblood
backup story is good, showing the event that cemented the hatred
between John Gaunt and his brother Nick. So raise the average for the
issue to a six.)
Detective Comics 621: Rite of Passage Part Four: Trial by Fire
Alan Grant: Script; Norm Breyfogle: Penciller;
Steve Mitchel: Inker; Adrienne Roy: Colors;
Todd Klein: Letters; Dan Raaspler: Assoc. Editor;
Dennis O’Neil: Editor
When Tim Drake was introduced, I knew his parents’ life expectancy
dropped to next to nothing; there was no way he’d be able to work
full-time with the Batman if he still had close living relatives. But
I hoped that they would die in a purely accidental plane crash, or
killed by a drunk driver, or anything that would keep Tim from having
the revenge motive that the Batman and both of the previous Robins
had. Oh well, can’t win ’em all… Breyfogle is not one of my
favorite artists, and Grant’s script doesn’t show anything special, so
call it a five: a turning point for one of the characters which is
handled adequately, but not exceptionally.
Also received (no comment on these, I just want to show what I was
choosing from while selecting the above titles to comment on): Akira
23; Captain Harlock 8; Dreadstar 60; Hellblazer 33; High Society 14;
Star Trek 12.
That’s it until the next batch of four-colored ink hits paper…
==========================
animation/comics #357, from switch, 493 chars, Fri Aug 3 22:30:22 1990
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————————–
Hey, no fair! I was gonna do the same (when I have time to sit
down and type 🙂 On my agenda are Ark #32, Comic Relief #14,
Cheval Noir #9, and the rest of the stuff I haven’t had a chance
to check out yet…
I agree on Tim’s parents, tho – it’s part of the Batman mythos that
one’s parents must die in order for Batman to identify with him
(IMHO). The only problem I had with Carrie in _Dark Knight_ was
that her parents seemed largely unconcerned that she was out at
all hours…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #358, from tshim, 74 chars, Sat Aug 4 22:51:27 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Bugs Bunny Comic Strip
Where in NYC or nearby does this strip run?
==========================
animation/comics #359, from davemackey, 249 chars, Mon Aug 6 22:01:16 1990
This is a comment to message 358.
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————————–
It is definitely not in any of the major New York newspapers. Nor is it in
The Asbury Park Press and possibly not in the Star-Ledger. If you find out,
let me know — Brett Koth and Shawn Keller are doing the job.
–D.
==========================
animation/comics #360, from tshim, 239 chars, Mon Aug 6 23:02:12 1990
This is a comment to message 357.
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————————–
Welp, maybe Carrie thought that, as much as they cared, her parents were
just about as good as dead.
Carrie’s parents in
types that Miller must have tossed in to throw some “balance.”
==========================
animation/comics #361, from tshim, 40 chars, Mon Aug 6 23:04:53 1990
This is a comment to message 359.
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————————–
Is it possibly in the Record, Dave Mac?
==========================
animation/comics #362, from tom.white, 155 chars, Mon Aug 6 23:12:55 1990
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————————–
I heard one interesting theory that Commissioner Yindel is Carrie’s
mother. I doubt that was Miller’s intention, but there’s no clear
flaws in this idea.
==========================
animation/comics #363, from switch, 264 chars, Mon Aug 6 23:30:58 1990
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————————–
Ummmmm, I don’t know about you, but I’d recognize my sister in
a robin outfit, with or without the mask. Probably from a distance.
I’m reasonably sure the Comissioner would have recognized the voice,
the hair, or just the build if she were Carrie’s mother.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #364, from davemackey, 90 chars, Wed Aug 8 09:54:15 1990
This is a comment to message 361.
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————————–
I’ll try to pick one up in my travels and check it out.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #365, from tom.white, 111 chars, Wed Aug 8 10:11:09 1990
This is a comment to message 363.
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Ah! But! Reread Dark Knight and see how often the Commissioner
gets a good look at Robin or hears her voice.
==========================
animation/comics #366, from tshim, 170 chars, Wed Aug 8 23:56:05 1990
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————————–
Wait, Yindel is one of those by-the-book cops who happens to side
with Bats at the end.
How can this be the grass-smoking ex-libber that is made out to be
Carrie’s mom?
==========================
animation/comics #367, from tshim, 458 chars, Wed Aug 8 23:59:41 1990
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————————–
Thanks, you seem to get around (nothing implied here) more than I, so
if you can see some Jersey rag covering the Bugs strip, alert us! (read: me!)
I hope they come out with a trade paperback with this stuff. I saw one
artwork in the Mus. of Cartoon Art with the Monster tied up. Bugs goes:
“Luckily, we use the latest in pain-relief,” with dentist garb. BOOM!
Last panel with the monster konked out; Bugs with a broken mallet: “Feel
any numbness yet?”
==========================
animation/comics #368, from tom.white, 188 chars, Thu Aug 9 09:50:17 1990
This is a comment to message 366.
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I don’t recall all the points the author of this theory made, but
they were all valid. When I read Dark Knight again I’ll try to
make a list of reasons why Yindel COULD be Carrie’s mom.
==========================
animation/comics #369, from davemackey, 257 chars, Thu Aug 9 22:57:14 1990
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I dunno of any reprint compilation of the Bugs comic strip. Possibly
the comic books used some of the strip material. But this is the first
time the Bugs strip has deserved such attention, IMAO (in my arrogant
opinion).
–D.
==========================
animation/comics #370, from hmccracken, 246 chars, Fri Aug 10 18:27:16 1990
This is a comment to message 364.
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The best place to looks for the Bugs comic strip is in small-time
suburban papers. The strip is bundled as part of a package
(with _Frank and Ernest_, _The Born Loser_, _Alley Oop_ et al)
which is sold primarily to itsy-bitsy clients.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #371, from hmccracken, 216 chars, Fri Aug 10 18:28:43 1990
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I’m told, by the folks who do the Bugs strip themselves, that Warner’s
is thinking about a collection of the strip; it may even include
examples that were refused by the syndicate as being too outrageous.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #372, from tshim, 189 chars, Mon Aug 13 23:53:55 1990
This is a comment to message 371.
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I find it a little paranoid to bar >any< use of firearms in the strip.
I mean, Elmer is >supposed< to carry a gun.
Without one, he's a throwback to the fat "accountant-on-vacation" Elmer.
==========================
animation/comics #373, from tshim, 62 chars, Mon Aug 13 23:55:20 1990
This is a comment to message 364.
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--------------------------
A friend says that the Poughkeepsie Journal seems to have it.
==========================
animation/comics #374, from switch, 1547 chars, Tue Aug 14 00:10:14 1990
--------------------------
TITLE: Mini-comics review
Well, not really. I intended to do more, but my stack's getting
high. So I decided to just say what I could while time permits...
CHEVAL NOIR #9 (Dark Horse):
Haldeman & Marvano's "The Forever War", Book One, Chapter Two: Was the
original _Forever War_ this depressing? I don't think I've come across
this much hopelessness and despair in any medium for some time. Almost
everyone looks dead as well, which doesn't help...
Bolland's "A Really Good Book": Heh heh.
Andreas' "Coutoo": The story here isn't picking up too much; a lot is
fairly predictable. On the other hand, Andreas' "camera" angles (some
of which are reminiscent of Miller's _Dark Knight_), layouts, and
imaginative lights and shadows is fascinating.
Shuiten & Peeters' "The Tower", I: Apparently, some old tower is slowly
crumbling and all these people are hired to keep watch over certain
areas to make sure they remain secure. The main (only?) character,
Giovanni Battista, doesn't have anything for me to latch onto.
I can't like or hate him as a character. Too talky for me.
Technically masterful, though. Wonderful use of straight lines, light,
and shadow.
Druillet & Lob's "Delirius", Chapter III: The adventures of Lone
Sloane just do nothing for me. It's standard sword & sorcery fantasy
in SF trappings, with a number of artistic eyeball benders. But that's
all...
Campbell & Hillyer's "The Eyeball Kid", Episode IV: This wacky story
of the gods continues. Too weird to describe in the few minutes I
have. Sorry.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #375, from richard.pini, 103 chars, Tue Aug 14 09:09:37 1990
This is a comment to message 373.
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--------------------------
The Journal?!? Who's your friend - local to us'ns here in Poughkeepsie, home
of all good things elfin?
==========================
animation/comics #376, from davemackey, 234 chars, Tue Aug 14 20:39:18 1990
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--------------------------
TITLE: B. Kliban
Cartoonist Bernard Kliban died on Sunday at the age of 55. A contributing
cartoonist to Playboy, Kliban found his greatest fame with his cat
drawings, including the book "Cat".
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #377, from hmccracken, 259 chars, Tue Aug 14 21:41:26 1990
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--------------------------
Gary Larson should wire a *very* large wreath to the Kliban funeral,
methinks. I don't think there would be a _Far Side_ without
Kliban's work. Jim Davis should contribute a smaller wreath
for Kilban's influence on _Garfield_, also considerable.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #378, from tshim, 723 chars, Wed Aug 15 01:00:39 1990
This is a comment to message 375.
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--------------------------
Wow -- first I "meet" you and now I discover you're from Poughkeepsie.
I used to live (from '74-'81) in Dutchess Cty., in the village of Wingdale
to be exact. (Between Dover Plains and Pawling, on the Connecticut border.)
I went to Poughkeepsie many times, mostly for movies as an elementary
school student.
Anyway, a schoolmate of mine commented during a chat that the Bugs Bunny
strip >might< be in the Journal, but he hasn't gotten back to me. Can you
shed some light on this?
P.S. When my family and I left for the city, Poughkeepsie, notably the
downtown area (is the cobblestone walkway still there?) seemed to be
going for the worse. How are things there?
(I mostly remember the Sears mall, and little else.)
==========================
animation/comics #379, from richard.pini, 1101 chars, Wed Aug 15 12:39:16 1990
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--------------------------
I know the Wingdale area a bit - have some acquaintances in Dover Plains -
and since I grew up in CT, I'm familiar with that side of the border through
osmosis.
I don't get the Journal as a matter of course (we have a slightly different
name for it here, but hey, that's regionalism!) but I will take a look at one
and see if the BB strip is in it.
Downtown seems to have hit bottom a few years back and they're trying, so
far with little success, to rejuvenate it. Yes, the pedestrial walk is still
there (the Main Mall) but it seems half the shops are empty. Now there's some
talk of taking the walkway out, reopening Main Street through, putting in
diagonal parking, and seeing if that doesn't perk things up. It all is of
little impact here, though. The Sears mall is still there, though suffering
because of the opening a couple of years ago of a big, 2-story Galleria mall
right next door. But now, even the new kid on the block has some vacancies.
By the way, if you haven't already done so, I hope you'll check out the
elfquest conference - some new and weird stuff going on in there!
==========================
animation/comics #380, from switch, 758 chars, Wed Aug 15 17:02:28 1990
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--------------------------
TITLE: More stuff
LOVE & ROCKETS #30: I honestly regret not picking up L&R #1 oh-so-long
ago. Jaime's style of depicting ordinary people in real life and making it
interesting is incredible. How could I have missed this for all those
years? Two things that struck me about "Ninety-Three Million Miles From
the Sun", Jaime's story: how he draws realistic people in a comic-book,
simplistic style, and an interesting depiction of sex on page 21's
last panel -- gets the feeling and intensity across without being
even remotely pornographic. I wanna draw like this when I grow up.
Gilbert's second chapter of "Poison River", about life in South
America, was compelling and disturbing. I really can't put what
I felt about it into words, I'm afraid.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #381, from tom.white, 635 chars, Wed Aug 15 17:44:14 1990
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--------------------------
Love & Rockets is an excellent comic (said the proud owner of
the entire series). Problem is, I read so much and it comes out
so infrequently, I cannot remember the issue-to-issue storylines.
Oh well.
If you're really hot to read the whole series, Fantagraphics has
made sure you can. Earlier issues are being reprinted in graphic
novel format, two issues (or so) per volume. It's up to around
volume 8 at this point. I say "or so" because some of the stories
are reprinted complete in a single volume, whereas they first appeared
over several issues of the comic. Don't worry, you won't miss a thing.
The latest issue was #33.
==========================
animation/comics #383, from hmccracken, 436 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:11:47 1990
This is a comment to message 380.
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--------------------------
I haven't read _Love and Rockets_ is a long time, but when I was a
regular reader, I always preferred Gilbert's work over his brother's
for both the narrative *and* the artwork. Less flashy, but more
realistic and multi-dimensional. Or so I thought three or four
years ago -- even the few letter-writers who liked Gilbert's work
better kind of apologized for it and didn't come right out and
say he was a better cartoonist.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #384, from switch, 203 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:28:08 1990
This is a comment to message 381.
--------------------------
Actually I got #33 before I got #30. I just happened to pull #30
out of my bag of Things To Mention Really Briefly first.
I intend to get the reprints one of these days, like everything
else...
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #385, from switch, 54 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:28:45 1990
This is a comment to message 383.
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--------------------------
Tonight we will be talking about deja vu...
🙂
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #386, from hmccracken, 123 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:36:54 1990
This is a comment to message 385.
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--------------------------
Only those of us who can read my screwed-up messages before I
delete them and replace them with corrected versions...
;=)
==========================
animation/comics #387, from davemackey, 199 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:38:43 1990
This is a comment to message 377.
--------------------------
The author of "101 Uses For A Dead Cat" should also pay his regards, too.
That book was probably a direct backlash to the cat craze that Kliban was
responsible for.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #388, from davemackey, 131 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:40:15 1990
This is a comment to message 383.
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--------------------------
Me too for the vote for Gilbert Hernandez... I was much impressed with
his work on the early issues, particularly Errata Stigmata.
==========================
animation/comics #389, from tom.white, 847 chars, Wed Aug 15 19:16:27 1990
This is a comment to message 383.
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--------------------------
Ah yes, the old Xamie-v.-Gilbert debate. Who's better?
The entire question is nonsense. They are both top-notch creators
with their own distinct styles whom happen to be brothers. Except
for the occasional in-joke, mostly back in the early days, the other's
characters do not (and could not) appear in one's stories.
Liking Gilbert's work better than Xamie's work, or the other way around,
is a very personal and subjective judgement that's best described
as being a coin toss. I like whichever is doing a better story at
the time. I think Gilbert's "Human Diastrophism" was superb. Xamie
has done work on a par with it.
Sat in on a panel they had at the Dallas Fantasy Fair last month and
they were easily the two most lucid, interesting creators at the Fair.
Others were friendly and enjoyable to listen to, but these guys are thinkers.
==========================
animation/comics #390, from richard.pini, 12 chars, Wed Aug 15 20:56:24 1990
This is a comment to message 385.
--------------------------
Again..?
😉
==========================
animation/comics #391, from switch, 254 chars, Wed Aug 15 21:24:27 1990
This is a comment to message 383.
--------------------------
I liked Gilbert's work on "Poison River", but I much preferred "Ninety-Three
Million Miles From the Sun" _because_ of the more simplistic style. "Poison
River"'s characters were too angry or downcast for me to do anything other
than be depressed.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #392, from tshim, 466 chars, Thu Aug 16 23:57:49 1990
This is a comment to message 379.
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--------------------------
I'll try to make some time for elfquest, but it's getting hard!
That’s too sad about the stores and all up there.
nearby Wappingers Falls (which I always considered a synonym with Pough-
keepsie) had that nice incident with Tawana Brawley. Not the kind of way
I wanted to see my “town” exposed on television.
Do check out the BB strip in the Journal — and who exactly are
your acquaintances in Dover Plains? I probably know them!
==========================
animation/comics #393, from demo7, 561 chars, Fri Aug 17 00:10:05 1990
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————————–
TITLE: comics
Somebody up there on the flying screensful of type mentioned B. Kliban and his cat
cat craze. I’m sorry to report we have just learned (through Freak Brothers cart
cartoonist Paul Mavrides) that Kliban died on the operating table during heart
sugery a couple of days ago. He was a crusty and not very old curmudgeon who
wa appalled at the popularity of his cat book and might, one thinks, almost
be supected of having secretly contributed to the “101 Uses” book. Adoration
from little old ladies drove him up the wall. He will be missed.
?
==========================
animation/comics #394, from r0xane, 74 chars, Fri Aug 17 09:24:30 1990
This is a comment to message 393.
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————————–
“Demo7” is currently being used by Fred Todd, owner of Rip-Off Press.
==========================
animation/comics #395, from richard.pini, 256 chars, Fri Aug 17 13:41:00 1990
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————————–
I did look in the Urina… I mean, the Journal, and nary a hare. And the
Dover Plains folks are Jack Zander and his wife, all the more appropos to
this conf, because he was involved with the Tom and Jerry cartoons out of MGM
in the 40s and 50s, I believe.
==========================
animation/comics #396, from davemackey, 359 chars, Fri Aug 17 18:16:28 1990
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————————–
Jack Zander goes back even further… he was one of the original Harman-Ising
animators in the early 30’s and moved over to MGM with Hugh and Rudy when
they left Warner Bros.
Additionally, Zander had his own animation house in New York City
called Zander’s Animation Parlour. It is nice to know that he’s still
around.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #397, from hmccracken, 139 chars, Fri Aug 17 18:46:05 1990
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————————–
Isn’t Zander’s Animation Parlour alive and well and busily
producing animated TV spots? I believe so, though I may
be mistaken.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #398, from hmccracken, 649 chars, Fri Aug 17 21:37:03 1990
This is a comment to message 393.
————————–
Welcome to BIX and the animation conference, Fred. Hope you get an
account and stick around — I’m sure you know a lot of interesting
stuff about the underground world we’d enjoy hearing.
I don’t know that much about Kliban, but there was always that
undercurrent in his work that suggested he had no desire to become
the next marketing giant, as he could have. That no doubt explains
why he did very little with his cat drawings after that first
book, except for a few calendars, and why his later books are all
quite strange and uncommercial. Oddly enough, he has some sort of
new cat book out just now, although it may be reprints.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #399, from switch, 2955 chars, Fri Aug 17 23:11:18 1990
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————————–
TITLE: More “new” stuff
LOVE & ROCKETS #33: Actually the first _L&R_ I ever read. Not much to say
about “Wig Wam Bam”, except how much I liked how the story conveyed that
meandering, relaxed style of multiple parties on Saturday nights. “Poison
River” Part 4 is more interesting now that I’ve gone and read the first
part in #30, but I’m lost — can someone tell me what happened to Luba in
parts 2 and 3? Same thing with “Love and Rockets” Part 3 — HUH? Interesting,
but I get the feeling I’m missing something. Anyone care to fill me in?
THE TICK #8: Ben Edlund’s style is getting tighter and more, well,
controlled. It’s interesting to watch an artist evolve so quickly
over the space of 8 issues, but he seems to have hit a comfortable
style. Some of the absurd humor (“I’ve only seen that look in the eyes
of that critter one time before. That cow’s tasted human blood! It’s
a man-eater!”) and really horrifying puns (“All right! Bovine
intervention!”) are just as good as when I first picked this comic
up five issues ago, but it doesn’t seem quite the same without
those wacky ninjas. I think Edlund’s forcing it a bit.
In this issue, a _Paul the Samurai_ mini-series is announced. Wonder
how this will turn out…
COMICS EXPRESS #5-8: If you don’t get this comic magazine, get it
now. Published by Comics Interview, this is a monthly collection
of such newspaper strips as _Bizarro_, _Shoe_, _Mother Goose & Grimm_,
_Ernie_, and more recently, _Pogo_. There’s also a section dedicated
to up-and-coming talent called _The New Breed_; most of these are
groaners, but there are some real sparklers in the middle of it all.
(Wish 90% of them didn’t seem to borrow from _Far Side_, though.)
This mag’s convenient for me, since I don’t get _Ernie_ or _Mother
Goose & Grimm_ in my local paper, and the one that did folded.
DETAILS #1: Interesting mag for two bucks. This isn’t strictly
a comic magazine… roughly 75% of it is fashion ads, and most of
the articles are semi-trendy semi-serious discourses on, well,
anything. However, at the end are three comics. “Miracle Pets:
‘Duchess'” is about a dog trained to catch nuclear weapons in its
mouth by Mark O’Donnell and Dean Rohrer. It’s one of those two-
page, chuckle-but-not-guffaw funny strips you’d find in _Heavy
Metal_ or the late and lamented _Epic_. “Wild Palms”, sort of a
“dark side of yuppyism as seen by a yuppie” where the main character,
Harry Wyckoff, seems to be more an observer than a participant in
his life, seems to be something right out of _Heavy Metal_. Each
panel is precisely one-ninth of the grid layout, and each has at
least one caption on the top with the character’s thoughts — no
speech balloons. Vaguely interesting until things took a bizarre
turn in the last panel. “That Guy!” by Drew Friedman reminds me
of that one page strip (whose name escapes me) in _HM_ with Tor.
Much like that, “That Guy!” fails to do anything for me.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #400, from davemackey, 334 chars, Sat Aug 18 07:18:24 1990
This is a comment to message 399.
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————————–
The Friedman Bros. (Drew and Josh, sons of Bruce Jay Friedman) did
a number of homages to Tor Johnson, most of which are reprinted in
their giant size compendium “Any Similarity…”
Comic strips in “Details”? Seems to be a growing trend. I’ve
seen some Kyle Baker satirical stuff in “Spy” as well.
–D.
==========================
animation/comics #401, from switch, 81 chars, Sat Aug 18 09:52:37 1990
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————————–
Really? Maybe I have reason to get _Spy_ (at store discount) after all…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #402, from tshim, 431 chars, Sat Aug 18 10:52:27 1990
This is a comment to message 395.
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————————–
No kidding! Holy smokes — Jack Zander lives nary a few miles from
my hometown! And I find out that Jerry Beck used to live in Flushing,
and that you live in Poughkeepsie. Ah, from a rich heritage am I.
Anyway, a lot of rich and/or famous seem to live in Pawling. Dr. Joyce
Brothers, James Earl Jones.
Is it possible for you to forward a letter to Zander if I ever get a hankering
(or the time) to write something up?
==========================
animation/comics #403, from tshim, 296 chars, Sat Aug 18 13:01:16 1990
This is a comment to message 221.
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————————–
Please, when you come to NYC, Emru, bring some old Peanuts books.
I remember them fondly, before I left elementary school and lost
access. Now all I see being printed are the vapid new Peanuts,
the one where Snoopy’s schnozz is out to >here<.
Are there any old classic Peanuts being published?
==========================
animation/comics #404, from tshim, 102 chars, Sat Aug 18 13:02:54 1990
This is a comment to message 168.
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--------------------------
What happened to Bloom County? (as the author shows his complete
ignorance of the comic strip scene)
==========================
animation/comics #405, from hmccracken, 216 chars, Sat Aug 18 15:36:10 1990
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--------------------------
There is a series of paperbacks called "Peanuts Classics" or somesuch
which reprint some of the early strips. A high percentage of all the
Peanuts books ever published are in print in one form or another.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #406, from hmccracken, 245 chars, Sat Aug 18 15:37:30 1990
This is a comment to message 404.
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--------------------------
Breather got tired of the seven-day-a-week grind and quit doing
_Bloom County_ last year. He replaced it with a strip called
_Outland_ which runs only on Sundays but which has essentially
become _Bloom County_ under a different name.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #407, from tshim, 312 chars, Sat Aug 18 16:50:05 1990
This is a comment to message 405.
--------------------------
The trouble is, one can't tell which are old and which are new from
the titles they give in BOOKS IN PRINT. Many newer printings of
old Peanuts stuff get new titles, and thus new copyright dates.
In the words of a certain sandlot pitcher: ARGhhh.
As for the shelves, as I mentioned, most seem to be new stuff.
==========================
animation/comics #408, from switch, 131 chars, Sat Aug 18 20:20:14 1990
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--------------------------
I still have a box with every Peanuts book I ever had. I'll drag some down
on my next trip (which may be in about a month).
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #409, from mstoodt, 6013 chars, Sat Aug 18 21:04:37 1990
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--------------------------
TITLE: OLFO II
Sorry for missing last week, but MacWorld Expo threw my
schedule out of shape, so I'll cover two weeks worth this time.
Aside to switch: I'm glad you've gone ahead to do your own
commentaries; it looks like our interests don't overlap too
much, so let's each do our own things. (And I've not read Cheval
Noir, but I have read Haldeman's Forever War novel, and yes it is
fairly depressing; Joe H. shows a lot of sympathy for his main
characters, but none at all for the war they are in.)
So here's the second batch of One Life Form's Opinions:
Grimjack Casefiles 2: Buried Past parts 3 through 5
(Reprints of the GJ backup stories from StarSlayer 14 - 16)
John Ostrander, Timothy Truman
This series reprints the earliest stories in this series
about the city of Cynosure, where dimensions phase in and out,
and where blasters work on one side of a street while magic works
on the other (but swords and a bad attitude work just about
everywhere), and about one of the best swords-and-bad-attitude-
men in the city, John Gaunt a.k.a. Grimjack (or more recently,
Gaunt's reincarnation, Jim Twilley).
This reprint series is very convenient, at least for me,
since I had picked up back issues to number 9, but finding
earlier issues has been almost impossible. So by about issue 10
of this series, my collection will be complete.
The thing about Grimjack which makes a full collection
mandatory is that John Gaunt has had a wild and complex past
which starts coming out in bits and pieces as early as the
stories in this issue, but which weren't told in full until the
Demon Wars series-in-a-series in issues 66 to 69, and the
Youngblood backup series starting in 70. It's interesting to try
to figure out how much of this John Ostrander had before the
character ever appeared on paper, and how much he made up as he
went along, patching it together into final form for those recent
stories...
I've not seen much of Truman's work outside of Grimjack, but
his gritty style is perfect for Grimjack. Give this one a nine
(on my one to ten scale).
Nexus 75: Blowout!
Mike Baron, Hugh Haynes, Arne Starr
This is the final confrontation between Horatio Hellpop, the
original Nexus, and Stan Korivitsky, the new Nexus.
The bad news is that the only thing Steve "the Dude" Rude did
for this issue was the cover. The reason that is bad news is
that when you've got a battle between two similarly costumed
people, who both throw around huge amounts of energy, it takes an
exceptional artist to be able to handle it; the Dude is
exceptional (as can be seen in the Steve Rude Sketchbook, which I
just received), while Haynes is merely "pretty good". At the
battle's critical moment, I found it tough to tell who had done
what to whom until I had turned the page. For an issue this
important to the series, the absense of the Dude is a major
disappointment.
Call this one a five.
Suicide Squad 45: The Jerusalem Serpent
John Ostrander, Kim Yale, Geof Isherwood
This issue is the start of a story involving Kobra's
operation in Jerusalem to trigger the Age of Chaos. This is just
setting the stage; I haven't seen Kobra often, and I don't know
if the Israeli supers are appearing for the first time or if
they're just new to me; but I trust John O. to make sense of
this enough to give it a six.
2001 Nights 1: Earthglow, Sea of Fertility, Maelstrom III,
Posterity
Yukinobu Hoshino, Fred Burke
This series is a set of short science fiction stories, set in
sequence in the same universe. Unlike Marvel's Open Space
series, a single creator gives this better consistancy, at least
so far.
The first story, Earthglow, is about a shuttle mission during
a threatened outbreak of WWIII; the story's been done before, I
think, but I've not seen it from this point of view. The end of
Sea of Fertility, which is set on an appropriately named location
on the moon, poses questions that may (or may not) be answered
later in the series. Maelstrom III is a "How do I survive this
accident in space" story, a good puzzle with a good solution.
Posterity shows one of the few ways to start interstellar
colonies without faster-than-light drives.
I saw the anime of this last year (Nolacon) and wasn't
impressed, but some of that was probably due to the lack of
translation; this issue was good enough to earn a seven.
Wild Cards 1: Heart of the Matter
Lewis Shiner, Melinda Snodgrass, Howard Waldrop, Walton Simons,
Harry Kitson, Harry Candelario, Keith Williams, Jackson Guice,
Marshall Rogers, Fred Fredricks
Set in the universe of the Wild Cards shared-world anthologies
(and written by the authors of those books), this issue is mostly
flashbacks to the stories of Dr. Tachyon and Jetboy from the
first book, with a framing story of "Popinjay" Ackroyd's
investigation of the destruction of Jetboy's tomb.
There's not much new material for those who've been following
the books, and people new to the series may be in for some
initial confusion (especially since characters like Golden Boy
and Peregrin are mentioned but not shown yet; hopefully next
issue they'll show why GB's so despised); but Guice's art on the
Tachyon story, and Rogers' on Jetboy, are both good, and Jay (one
of my favorite characters from the books) is handled well. It
shows enough promise, and the source material is good enough,
that I'll give this one an eight. (I am wondering if events from
this series will be refered to in the books; this is set before
books six and seven, but I don't recall either of them mentioning
anything about the bombing of Jetboy's tomb...)
Also received: Badger 66; Baoh 8 (last issue); Black Magic 3;
Cerebus High Society 15; Cobra 6; Dirty Pair III: A Plague
of Angels 1; Dr. Strange 21; Groo the Wanderer 70; Horobi 5;
Nexus Legends 20 (the last issue I need to complete my Nexus
collection); Stalkers 7; Swamp Thing 99.
That's it until the next batch of four-colored ink hits paper...
==========================
animation/comics #410, from davemackey, 213 chars, Sat Aug 18 21:17:07 1990
This is a comment to message 401.
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--------------------------
As a matter of fact, there's a new book coming from the Friedman boys,
and Kyle Baker has a page in the Sept. issue visualizing scenes from
Judy Jacklin Belushi's memoir "Samurai Widow." Baker has a wicked
style.
==========================
animation/comics #411, from davemackey, 290 chars, Sat Aug 18 21:19:11 1990
This is a comment to message 403.
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--------------------------
I remember the Holt, Rinehart and Winston paperbacks, which were larger
than a regular paperback, and the Fawcett regular size paperbacks which
each reprinted half a HRW edition. Those collections included material
from the earliest days of the strip, when everyone's heads were more
oval.
==========================
animation/comics #412, from tshim, 53 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:13:24 1990
This is a comment to message 408.
--------------------------
Your pack-rattedness is much appreciated ... thanks!
==========================
animation/comics #413, from tshim, 105 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:14:31 1990
This is a comment to message 411.
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--------------------------
I wonder if a "every Peanuts ever" collection would be feasible
after Schulz departs for a better world.
==========================
animation/comics #414, from tshim, 288 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:19:13 1990
This is a comment to message 409.
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--------------------------
By the way, speaking of coloring comic books (I've been away for
quite the while), is that new process that put brighter colors
in comics in the mid-80s dead or alive? I remember the yellows
were so bright that it ruined anything else.
(However, the old way really got on your hands.)
==========================
animation/comics #415, from hmccracken, 363 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:30:44 1990
This is a comment to message 411.
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--------------------------
The early Peanuts strips were great. They were so *simple*...
sort of a Nancy for highbrows. Peanuts reached its greatest
heights in the sixties after Schulz got more sophisticated
and imaginative, but those early, Thurberesque years are
some of the strip's best.
-- Harry
(Who more and more, when reading the current Peanuts, doesn't
even understand it.)
==========================
animation/comics #416, from tshim, 68 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:52:20 1990
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--------------------------
The running-gag strips were enormously funny. Remember Fuzzy-Face?
==========================
animation/comics #417, from tom.white, 81 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:59:20 1990
This is a comment to message 414.
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--------------------------
I havent seen a comic printed with the Flexographic in quite a while.
No loss.
==========================
animation/comics #418, from hmccracken, 222 chars, Sat Aug 18 23:25:37 1990
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--------------------------
Have they stopped using Flexographic presses or just worked the
bugs out? I think maybe the new Disney comics are printed
Flexo, and they're beautiful. The first Flexo stuff of five
or so years ago *was* awful.
- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #419, from tshim, 159 chars, Sat Aug 18 23:27:27 1990
This is a comment to message 417.
--------------------------
The reason I ask is because after a brief perusal of current comics,
it >seemed< Flexographic, but toned down.
Maybe the current process was just punched up.
==========================
animation/comics #420, from bsoron, 432 chars, Sun Aug 19 00:06:16 1990
This is a comment to message 410.
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--------------------------
Kyle Baker's a favorite of mine, too... those Shadows were really
twisted (Helfer gets a lot of credit for those, of course), and The
Cowboy Wally Story is one of the funniest things I've ever read; I
often drag it out for another read. Why I Hate Saturn is also good,
but not lung-bustingly funny like Cowboy Wally; it has characters
rather than caricatures. Still KB artwork anywhere is a good enough
reason to buy something.
==========================
animation/comics #421, from switch, 31 chars, Sun Aug 19 00:07:04 1990
This is a comment to message 416.
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--------------------------
Yeah! And Dime-a-Dozen.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #422, from bsoron, 318 chars, Sun Aug 19 00:08:59 1990
This is a comment to message 406.
--------------------------
The new Bloom County book is out, BTW -- "Classics of Modern
Literature" or some such. The last four years of the strip with
a couple pages from Breathed's sketchbook and a few strips from
Academia Waltz. With any luck, the next book will include the
-first- four years; Bloom County Babylon skipped around a lot.
==========================
animation/comics #423, from tshim, 130 chars, Sun Aug 19 15:01:45 1990
This is a comment to message 421.
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And the Rhinoceros in the Jungle one-shot has got to have the biggest
payoff I've ever seen, just in its simplicity of execution.
==========================
animation/comics #424, from davemackey, 136 chars, Sun Aug 19 18:50:58 1990
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--------------------------
What was the upshot of that sequence a few weeks ago when Charlie Brown was
at camp and this little girl wanted him to kick a football?
==========================
animation/comics #425, from davemackey, 153 chars, Sun Aug 19 18:51:54 1990
This is a comment to message 418.
--------------------------
Mainly because the colorists were not properly compensating for it. That's
why everything looked so garish, that and technical bugs in the press itself.
==========================
animation/comics #426, from tshim, 181 chars, Sun Aug 19 18:58:12 1990
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I think the little girl is a Virginia clone.
As for the sequence, I can only guess (not having read it), that he's
reluctant to kick the ball lest she pull a Lucy Van Pelt on him.
==========================
animation/comics #427, from switch, 96 chars, Sun Aug 19 21:30:04 1990
This is a comment to message 426.
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--------------------------
She then felt that "Brownie Charles" never did really trust her and went
home. Poor guy.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #428, from hmccracken, 59 chars, Sun Aug 19 23:26:12 1990
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--------------------------
Typical of latter-day Schulz, I am afraid. Sad.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #429, from rfranzen, 434 chars, Sun Aug 19 23:47:51 1990
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--------------------------
But, but, but, you guys are leaving out the reunion on the pier! Charlie
and Snoopy were there, with Charlie lamenting how much he missed her. Just
as you reach the last frame (well, the fourth, but it is the last :), she
comes back, thoroughly surprising them both. In the next strip she says
something about never being able to stay mad at her "Brownie Charles". Of
course then Charlie & Snoopy have a bus to catch...
Rich
==========================
animation/comics #430, from bfitz, 213 chars, Mon Aug 20 01:30:49 1990
This is a comment to message 420.
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Does anybody have a Kyle Baker lexicography? I love his work, and even
bought stuff like the recent Dick Tracy 3-issue because of his work.
What is "the Cowboy Wally Story", for example?
-- Brian Fitzgerald --
==========================
animation/comics #431, from tom.white, 387 chars, Mon Aug 20 05:08:02 1990
--------------------------
The newest, and probably last, Bloom County book, "Classics of
Western Literature" has arrived. Reprints 1986-1989. Possibly complete,
I'm not sure. I kinda doubt it. There's also an introduction
by Breathed, sixteen of his Academia Waltz strips from his University
of Texas days, and a couple of sketchbook pages. Bring $12.95 with you,
and be prepared, it is massive, 10" by 11".
==========================
animation/comics #432, from switch, 78 chars, Mon Aug 20 08:04:36 1990
This is a comment to message 429.
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--------------------------
(This is what happens when you miss the comics three days out of four.)
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #433, from richard.pini, 584 chars, Mon Aug 20 19:41:46 1990
This is a comment to message 397.
--------------------------
You are correct, Harry - they are still up and running. Truth be told, they
were the "local talent" that we took with us to CBS when Elfquest was in
development for Saturday morning there. (There's much more to that story, but
hey, I gotta be faithful to the elfquest conference...;) ) But both Jack and
his son Mark are still producing. Jack, just to show the kinda guy he still is,
did a storyboard for us which is a savage and delicious parody of a certain
advertisement for a certain feminine product - not to put down women, but to
illustrate the absurdity of the original ad.
==========================
animation/comics #434, from richard.pini, 71 chars, Mon Aug 20 19:42:25 1990
This is a comment to message 402.
--------------------------
No problem. (BTW, I hear that Yul Brynner's son lives in Pawling, too)
==========================
animation/comics #435, from davemackey, 298 chars, Mon Aug 20 20:53:31 1990
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--------------------------
I don't know if I've been the only one who's noticed this, but for the
last couple of years, "Peanuts" has not always been four panels in length.
For many years it was always four, no more, no less. Now it can be one, two,
three, four or more as events warrant.
One less thing we can count on.
==========================
animation/comics #436, from tom.white, 379 chars, Mon Aug 20 21:19:38 1990
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--------------------------
Schultz announced a couple of years ago that he was switching
to a mostly three-panel format. His eyesight and motor control
aren't what they once were.
Take what comfort you can in that, when he goes, so does the strip.
No syndicate can hire an artist and writer to take over and wreck it.
Schultz owns all the creative rights, and has sworn that no one will
continue Peanuts.
==========================
animation/comics #437, from hmccracken, 501 chars, Mon Aug 20 21:58:01 1990
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--------------------------
He also said that he likes the freedom that a variable panel length
provides. While the new format has provided him with an opportunity
to do some gags he couldn't have before, it's also proven that that
four-panel tempo was important to Peanuts's flavor, as it is to
Doonsbury's, Bloom County's, and Calvin and Hobbes's.
(BTW, Schulz's motor-control problems spring from his heart surgery
of a few years ago. His hand is quite shaky, which is especially
apparent in some Sunday strips.)
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #438, from bsoron, 984 chars, Mon Aug 20 23:04:18 1990
This is a comment to message 430.
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--------------------------
The Cowboy Wally Story was a book Baker did for a real publisher --
don't have my copy handy, but I think it was Berkeley -- featuring
Cowboy Wally, an all-American sleazebag. The premise of the book is
a behind-the-scenes movie about Cowboy Wally, America's favorite kid's
show host until he had half-naked bubble dancers on his show; the
ratings went through the roof, and he got moved into a prime-time spot.
(He got his show when he took some photos of a network executive playing
with his niece. Shortly after Cowboy Wally got his show, the photos were
mysteriously lost.)
The book's full of clever and outrageous humor, including Cowboy
Wally's version of Hamlet (filmed while he was in prison) and "Sands
of Blood," his Foreign Legion adventure movie.
I haven't seen the book in stores in a long time, but a well-stocked
comics shop might have it; I've also heard that Bud Plant has it cheap.
The Comics Journal reviewed it some time ago if you want an advance
look.
==========================
animation/comics #439, from bfitz, 206 chars, Mon Aug 20 23:27:18 1990
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--------------------------
I don't need an advance look - your description was good enough. How do
I go about getting it from Bud Plant? (the local stores are none too
good about non-mainstream stuff).
-- Brian Fitzgerald --
==========================
animation/comics #441, from tshim, 71 chars, Tue Aug 21 00:01:48 1990
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That's sad in a way ... someone might be able to restore the lost wit.
==========================
animation/comics #442, from tshim, 24 chars, Tue Aug 21 00:02:12 1990
This is a comment to message 429.
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And then ... and then?!
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animation/comics #443, from tshim, 107 chars, Tue Aug 21 00:03:05 1990
This is a comment to message 437.
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The jaggedness of recent strips I thought was an attempt at more
artsy a rendition. Little did I know ...
==========================
animation/comics #444, from tshim, 281 chars, Tue Aug 21 00:06:29 1990
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--------------------------
TITLE: GIVE ME LIBERTY and 'MAZING MAN and WORLD'S FINEST: WORLDS APART
Any comment on these three? I haven't gotten around the former and latter,
but I just found out that 'MAZING MAN is printing annually. I loved this
comic when it was monthly, and weeped when it died.
==========================
animation/comics #445, from richard.pini, 289 chars, Tue Aug 21 08:57:22 1990
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Couldn’t be done with Harriman’s Krazy Kat and they didn’t even try. Pogo?
That’s very much a matter of taste/opinion – the continuation might be
charming in its way, but it’s not Kelly. IMO, no one after Segar really got
Popeye “right.” And let’s not even discuss Mutt & Jeff or Nancy…
==========================
animation/comics #446, from tshim, 95 chars, Tue Aug 21 20:11:49 1990
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True, but out of the much wider pool exposed to Peanuts, I would think
there might be a first.
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animation/comics #447, from davemackey, 235 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:26:57 1990
This is a comment to message 444.
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I don’t weep for “Mazing Man. I rather liked the book when it was first
out, when Brenda, K.P. and the rest of the humans looked more like people
and less like the grotesque characters they are now.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #448, from davemackey, 156 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:27:56 1990
This is a comment to message 445.
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Bobby London is darn close, but he puts too much of his own personality in
the strip and that gets in the way sometimes.
–D.
==========================
animation/comics #449, from tshim, 414 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:40:14 1990
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I still haven’t seen the three annuals I picked up, but yes,
the flavor of the comic was more “cleaner” in its original
Rosakis-DeStefano work. Janson didn’t help things, a first
for the usually talented inker.
Still, issue #12 (the one that wanted to get the Dark Knight
crowd into buying ‘Mazing Man!) was still decent when it died,
and I’m glad those two guys are still working sometimes with
their creation!
==========================
animation/comics #450, from bsoron, 349 chars, Tue Aug 21 23:53:01 1990
This is a comment to message 439.
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I don’t have any info on Bud Plant — you might see if your local
comics shop can order it from him (he used to be a wholesaler, but
I think he does both wholesale and mail order now). If not (and use
big puppy-dog eyes… it always works :-), and if no one else here
can supply his address, let me know, and I’ll see if I can dig
something up.
==========================
animation/comics #451, from bsoron, 143 chars, Tue Aug 21 23:54:25 1990
This is a comment to message 447.
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I agree. MM was a lot of fun during its first run, but everything
they’ve done since that was cancelled has been a parody of the original.
==========================
animation/comics #452, from tom.white, 356 chars, Wed Aug 22 01:11:17 1990
This is a comment to message 450.
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Bud Plant
Box 1689-B
Grass Valley, CA 95945
Send $1 for postage. Or, call 916-273-2166 (M-F, 9-5 PST)
for fast and friendly service.
I’ve never ordered anything from Plant but his reputation is
impeccable. His mail-order business perpetually wins the Comic
Buyer’s Guide Service Award.
The catalog is 160 pages, so schedule an afternoon for browsing.
==========================
animation/comics #454, from hmccracken, 147 chars, Wed Aug 22 01:15:51 1990
This is a comment to message 453.
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His service is excellent and the selection is even better.
Great stuff! He’s the Whole Toon Catalog of comics and
related publications.
— Harry
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animation/comics #455, from tshim, 149 chars, Wed Aug 22 23:21:15 1990
This is a comment to message 451.
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I wonder why, since the two creators are still doing the script.
Someone should write them and tell them to get back to their
roots re: ‘Mazing Man!
==========================
animation/comics #456, from richard.pini, 247 chars, Thu Aug 23 08:50:53 1990
This is a comment to message 450.
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Bud Plant Comic Art, 13393 Grass Valley #7, Grass Valley CA 95945. He has
gotten out of comics distribution, and handles non-comic books (which is to
say, he *does* carry paperback and hardcover reprints of comics in addition
to other art books).
==========================
animation/comics #457, from bcapps, 189 chars, Sat Aug 25 22:43:58 1990
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Hear, hear. The original ‘Maze was the best! The scripts are still good,
but I think the artistic rendering of the characters has gone into realms
past where the Pander Bros. dwell.
Bob
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animation/comics #458, from tshim, 117 chars, Sat Aug 25 23:33:28 1990
This is a comment to message 457.
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I think the original ‘Mazing’s combined the best of Calvin
and Hobbes wit and the chumminess of early Breathed well.
==========================
animation/comics #459, from tshim, 133 chars, Sat Sep 1 11:15:45 1990
This is a comment to message 357.
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By the way, can anyone tell me the logic behind Batman
killing Alfred with a stroke-inducing response (at the
end of
==========================
animation/comics #460, from richard.pini, 143 chars, Sat Sep 1 13:39:41 1990
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It’s always been my impression that it was a natural stroke – in a sense
Alfred almost shutting himself off in his final, most ironic gesture.
==========================
animation/comics #461, from switch, 49 chars, Sat Sep 1 14:21:22 1990
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As he said, it was the proper thing to do.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #462, from tom.white, 72 chars, Sat Sep 1 14:51:07 1990
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Yes, more like his life ending with stately Wayne Manor.
Tres symbolic.
==========================
animation/comics #463, from bcapps, 583 chars, Sat Sep 1 23:29:01 1990
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after all, Bruce wouldn’t be needing him anymore. What would he do? Go
over to that “Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children” issue that had all the
butlers running around looking for someone to wait on? 🙂
I don’t think Bruce killed him. He just left him with instructions to
destroy the place, not himself. That he died, is just another body to
chalk up for the count in Batman’s career. Hmm… Wonder how many
“friends” have died that Bruce/Batman have known? Would probably make a
good trivia question, provided that you have the complete Batman run to
verify it.
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #464, from tom.white, 342 chars, Sun Sep 2 02:23:39 1990
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Why would you need the complete run? The continuity has been utterly
trashed by DC, who seems only to want to please this year’s 13-year-olds.
Next year they’ll redo everything to please the next batch of 13-year-olds.
My list of DCs that I read is steadily shrinking, due to their general
incompetence and disregard for their own products.
==========================
animation/comics #465, from switch, 207 chars, Sun Sep 2 09:49:23 1990
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Same here. I think I’m down to the three Bat titles and the two Justice
League titles for DC, and that’s it for the Big Two (unless you count
Epic’s Akira as Marvel). It’s gotten horribly infantile.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #466, from tshim, 388 chars, Mon Sep 3 13:11:22 1990
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Well, Alfred notes: “Of course, how appropriate …” And I thought
he meant how carefully planned it all was, ie., Wayne’s plan.
If it was natural, well, that’s a bit hokey, but that’s one
man’s opinion. However, contemplate if Bats did it — I mean
okay, not much use for the guy since there ain’t no more manor,
but sheesh, what a reward? Didn’t Bruce ever hear of job
relocation?
==========================
animation/comics #467, from tshim, 149 chars, Mon Sep 3 13:12:09 1990
This is a comment to message 461.
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But to kill your best friend? C’mon — you find him something
to do in that new underground cave, maybe babysit for the new
mutants (pun intended).
==========================
animation/comics #468, from tshim, 177 chars, Mon Sep 3 13:13:46 1990
This is a comment to message 463.
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Okay, I guess your and Richard’s idea that it was fate sort
of makes a >bit< more sense.
Bats killing him, which was implied, intentionally or not,
didn't make too much sense.
==========================
animation/comics #469, from bcapps, 1321 chars, Mon Sep 3 13:37:42 1990
This is a comment to message 464.
--------------------------
Tom, kinda read my last comment with a bit of sarcasm. Verily, I, too, am
tired of the crud being pumped out of the marketing machines (Anyone here
buy Digital Justice? - ha! I have better use for that 24.95 - some indies
that are _worth_ reading!). But, in a way, I was kinda approaching some
comment on "filler" stories and no, I don't mean where
is on vacation, so let’s let the copy boys from the mail room write an issue!
I mean, conjuring up a “friend,” associate, man/woman on the street, SOMEONE
who is about to die so Batman can feel sorry about not being able to save
everyone and nearly get himself killed chasing down some murderer with a
marketing hook. Granted, there may only be 4 or 5 original plots in the
world with everything else being derived from them, but some of this
“everything else” just seems to boggle the mind with its worthlessness.
Continuity? You mean writers have to write by rules?!?!? Some writers
know how to use it, others only know of it. Batman, as a legendary figure,
is open to interpretation, unfortunately in some instances. Be glad there
are at least a few folks in the field who can handle the material well,
such as Miller.
Bob
(“Whaddya mean ‘Am I gonna buy this book?’ Are you kidding? I just wanted
to see how low it’s sunk by now!”)
==========================
animation/comics #470, from richard.pini, 323 chars, Mon Sep 3 16:06:02 1990
This is a comment to message 466.
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Of course, Miller (and everyone else since him) made – and bludgeoned – the
point that Alfred was a crusty old SOB, fully tanked up on his irony
rations, and given that, it always seemed to me to be within Alfred’s won
character (that is, “own”) to note the appropriateness of his own passing
along with everything else’s.
==========================
animation/comics #471, from hmccracken, 541 chars, Tue Sep 4 21:51:16 1990
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TITLE: Are there any other fans of Herge’s great Belgian/French
comic strip _Tintin_ out there? I have always loved the strip —
learned to read French from it eons ago — and recently picked up
a fine book, in English, which details the history of the strip.
(I can’t recall the exact title, and the book’s upstairs — it’s
something like _The World of Tintin and Herge_.) There are *lots*
of French books about the strip — probably as many as there are
about Disney here — but this is the only one in English that I
know of.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #472, from switch, 171 chars, Tue Sep 4 21:55:23 1990
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————————–
Used to read it (as well as Gaston Lagaffe, Spirou, and a good
many more) almost daily during my younger years. My only problem
is Herge’s portrayal of minorities.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #473, from davemackey, 266 chars, Wed Sep 5 00:28:19 1990
This is a comment to message 471.
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All I remember about Tintin is that one of the local New York stations
used to show the old Tele-Hachette animated cartoon series based on
the strip. Wish I could see some of those again. (As I grow older,
my wish list of things I’d like to see again grows longer.)
==========================
animation/comics #474, from mstoodt, 9427 chars, Wed Sep 5 00:44:38 1990
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TITLE: OLFO 3
Another two weeks worth of One Life Form’s Opinions:
Detective Comics 622: “Dark Genesis”
John Ostrander, Flint Henry, Mike McKone, Jose Marzan
This issue starts with the origin of the Batman, a hell-spawned
creature that makes
of a Batman comic book, which has hit the streets of Gotham City. (Of
course, Bruce never trademarked the name or costume…) So when
someone slices up a small time criminal, and says on a call-in radio
show that he’s the Batman, the real one starts having PR problems…
The art from the comic (including one page of pencils) is done by
Flint Henry (Ostrander’s co-conspirator on Grimjack), and his
inimitably chaotic style is perfect for this. The real-world art by
McKone and Marzan is adequate. The plot is a nice twist on a fairly
standard Batman impersonator story; I’d bet about two to one that the
creator of the comic is the impersonator, but I trust John Ostrander
to come up with enough twists to keep it interesting. I’ll give it an
eight on my one-to-ten scale.
(BTW: My comments on Detective 621 in my first OLFO have turned
out to be not quite accurate; Batman 455 shows that though Tim
Drake’s mother is dead, his father is still alive, but confined to a
wheelchair. One out of two isn’t too bad…)
Hellblazer 34: The Bogeyman
Jamie Delano, Sean Phillips
All of John Constantine’s life of pain, both inflicted and
received, seems to be catching up with him. He stumbles across Marj
and Mercury, looking for some sort of comfort; Marj takes him in, but
her daughter Mercury, certainly the wiser of the two, wants nothing to
do with him.
This issue seems to be mostly a set up for next issue, a tale of
John’s youth; the dark and rough art matches the darkness of the
story and the roughness of John’s life and his soul. This issue gets
a seven in anticipation of the next issue.
Legion of Super-Heroes 12: no title; cover: “Rebirth!”)
Keith Giffen, Tom & Mary Birbaum, Al Gordon
Good points: We actually get some plot movement. Roxxas is
captured, characters and news reports start to talk about the return
of the Legion, and we get our first look at legionnaire Kent
Shakespeare, who can hold his own (for a short time, at least) toe to
toe with the Persuader.
Bad points: Giffen’s interminable nine panel art. Some people
have made the mistake of comparing Giffen’s use of this device to that
of Gibbons in Watchmen. Gibbons used the nine panel layout as a
basis, but knew when a panel that size wasn’t appropriate, so that
less than half of the pages are straight nine panels. (I counted;
only 71 pages out of the first six issues of Watchmen are nine panel
ones. Closer to half than I had expected, but still less.)
But things are still moving painfully slow in some ways; Cham
talks to Rokk about new Legion uniforms, but no one is wearing them;
we get a couple of clues about the green ball of light and Celeste
Rockfish, but no real answers; and I’d guess that the odds are at
least two to one that Jo Nah will still be considered dead (but
actually in Khund territory) six issues from now…
I want to like the Legion; I’ve been collecting it in its various
incarnations longer than any other series I’m currently getting. But
Giffen is making it awfully difficult, with his painfully slow plots
and his awful art. This issue is lucky to get a six.
Maze Agency Annual 1: A Night at the Rose Petal, Moving Stiffs,
Murder in Mint Condition
Mike W. Barr; Rick Magyar, Darick Robertson, Wm. Messner-Loebs;
Allen Curtis, Keith Aiken, Jim Sinclair; Adam Hughes, Rick Magyar
Maze Agency 16: If Books Could Kill
Mike W. Barr, Mary Mitchell, Don Martinec, Paul Worley
A more than double dose of the Maze Agency this time (triple for
me, since I didn’t get issue 15 until this week); I wanted to cover
it well because there’s been talk on another service that it might be
coming to an end soon, but that appears not to be correct (nobody’s
told Mike Barr that it’s been cancelled).
This is a series of who-dun-it’s in the classic style, where
usually a single easily overlooked clue, correctly interpreted, lets
Jennifer Mays and/or Gabriel Webb determine who the murderer is. The
first story in the Annual, “A Night at the Rose Petal”, is an
exception to this; it works OK as the Spirit pastiche it’s intended
to be, but it is not what a Maze Agency story should be. “Moving
Stiffs” is a more standard story; the art seems (appropriately for
the title) somewhat stiff, but the story and mystery are OK. “Murder
in Mint Condition” is a three page story which was the first MA done;
it’s blessed by Adam Hughes art, but not much else.
The mystery in issue 16’s “If Books Could Kill” is rather strained
and obscure, depending on a major coincidence in the characters’
names. The subplot, of Gabe’s chauvinistic feelings when Jennifer
gets a better offer for the book she wrote than Gabe did for his, is
better. The art by newcomer Mary Mitchell shows promise, but she
needs quite a bit more work.
Both issues get a six.
Ms. Tree Quarterly 2: The Devil’s Punchbowl, Shakedown (Midnight),
Ghost Dance (Butcher)
Max Allan Collins, Terry Beatty; Ed Gorman, Graham Nolan; Mike
Baron, Shea Anton Pensa
On the other hand, we have the hard-boiled type of “mystery”, in
which Ms. Michael Tree tends to do her thinking with her gun; here,
she’s investigating the death of a member of a Satanist cult. Collins’
writing is average for this series; Beatty’s art hasn’t changed one
bit since the first Eclipse issue.
Midnight, a Spirit-like character who doesn’t speak, did little
for me last issue and less this time. “Ghost Dance”, the text piece,
was my first exposure to the Butcher; I found the Native American
background interesting, but this is only the first half (third?
there’s no indication…) of the story.
Call this one about a seven, mostly on the strength of the Butcher
piece.
Open Space 4: Ghosts, Empath, The Montana Rift, Let’s Go To The
Tape
Joe Clifford Faust, Ray Lago; Charles de Lint, Ken Meyer, Jr.;
Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, Louis LaChance, Richard Howell;
Laurence M. Janifer, Jaxon Renick, Doug Hazlewood
This issue of Marvel’s shared universe anthology series shows a
bit more consistency between stories than previous ones. “Ghosts” is
about a law enforcer bending the laws to accomplish his goals; a
story with a similar theme appeared in issue two, but this one at
least suggests that there’s a price to be paid for it (unfortunately,
it’s a fairly cliche’d price). “Empath” raises the possibility of
adding telepathy into the series; having one element like the “Smoots”
FTL drive is reasonable suspension of disbelief, but adding in another
may go over the edge. “The Montana Rift” tries to do too much, but is
mostly an excuse for setting up a corporate “hidey-hole” for future
stories. The gimmick in the final story doesn’t appear reasonable
(too much effort for too little reward). Art-wise, the first story is
the best.
Not promising; call this one a four, and a drop from my reading
list.
Star Trek 13: The Return of the Worthy, Part 1: A Rude Awakening
Bill Mumy, Peter David, Gordon Purcell, Arne Starr
The legendary crew of the Enterprise encounter a group they
consider legendary: a team of explorers known as “The Worthy”, in
suspended animation for three hundred years. Every indication is that
they live up to their name and reputation… until the last two
panels of the issue…
Peter David’s work on this series has always been good; this
time, working with Bill Mumy, is even better. The dialog, and the
characters’ reactions to The Worthy seem right on the money; and The
Worthy appear to be the kind of team legends (or TV series or comics
books) would be written about.
An interesting story. This one earns a nine.
Tales of the Beanworld 17: The Mystery Pods Must Go!
Larry Marder
This is without a doubt the strangest comic series ever created.
The characters are a group of animate beans, who are involved in odd
ecological relationships with the other creatures in their world. In
this issue, Mr. Spook tries to get rid of the Mystery Pods which have
been bothering him since they appeared, with unpredictable results.
Things move slowly in this series (especially considering its
quarterly frequency!), but it’s obvious that every move is carefully
planned. Larry Marder’s minimalist art style helps to emphasize the
unreality of the Beanworld.
(One warning: don’t judge this series the first few issues,
reprinted in the Beanworld graphic novel. The first three issues have
a greatly different “feel” to them than later ones; the slow pace of
the later issues lets things feel natural, but the first few issues
are so fast-paced that the unreality becomes silly.)
My highest recommendation for this series, and a ten for this
issue.
Also received: Aliens: Earth War 2, Aliens Vs. Predator 2, Batman
455, Breathtaker 2, Cerebus 137, Cerebus High Society 16, Cyberpunk:
The Seraphim Files 1, Dr. Strange 22, Elsewhere Prince 6, Elfquest:
Kings of the Broken Wheel 2, Fish Police 23, Interface 6, New Titans
70, Power Factor 2, Vampire Lestat 6, World’s Finest 2.
Be seeing you….
==========================
animation/comics #475, from hmccracken, 265 chars, Wed Sep 5 03:38:06 1990
This is a comment to message 472.
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That’s one of the things the book covers — several of the
Tintin books had sections rewritten and/or redrawn to
tone down racial stereotypes. From what I saw, what was
left wasn’t all that much more enlightened than what
was started with in some cases.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #476, from tshim, 213 chars, Mon Sep 10 14:48:10 1990
This is a comment to message 470.
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————————–
By the way, does anyone know how Batman and Superman got to know eachother’s
identity? I’m talking about >both< the previous universe (Bats and Supes
are friends) and the new one (where they're grudging allies).
==========================
animation/comics #477, from richard.pini, 435 chars, Mon Sep 10 17:19:59 1990
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--------------------------
In the previous (read: real as far as I'm concerned) universe, they were both,
in their civilian identities, on the same cruise ship. A crisis came up,
they both ducked into the same dark cabin to change, a flash of light
(lightning, explosion, flames, whatever) lit the cabin and they both got
caught by each other. In the new...well...have no idea. DC stopped sending
me comp copies so I don't tend to read a lot of DC comics... 🙂
==========================
animation/comics #478, from switch, 65 chars, Mon Sep 10 17:51:01 1990
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...and in the new universe it just happened. No idea how.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #479, from switch, 89 chars, Mon Sep 10 17:51:29 1990
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--------------------------
TITLE: Speaking of...
...Bats and Supes, has anyone read the new "World's Finest"?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #480, from hmccracken, 528 chars, Mon Sep 10 18:31:10 1990
This is a comment to message 477.
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--------------------------
When I was a kid living in England, I had two thick reprint books,
one of Batman stories and one of Superman stories, and that
tale was in one of them. I think my distaste for DC's attempts
to modernize their old-line heroes results in part from how much
I loved those junky old stories: I read those two books until
they fell apart, and can probably still remember most of them
despite having not read them in eons. (I knew in an *instant*
that Superman and Batman found out each others' identities on that
ship.)
- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #481, from tom.white, 452 chars, Mon Sep 10 18:41:41 1990
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--------------------------
The very first time the characters met (regardless of which continuity)
was waaaay back in Superman #76. Kent and Wayne were stuck sharing
a cabin on a cruise (it was overbooked). While checking in and unpacking,
a fire broke out. Both used the sudden power loss and subsequent darkness
to change into costume, when an explosion at the fire lit up the cabin
through the porthole. Ta-da! An awkward moment for each, but they did
put out the fire.
==========================
animation/comics #482, from tom.white, 275 chars, Mon Sep 10 18:44:36 1990
This is a comment to message 479.
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--------------------------
Yes, and it is worth buying for Steve Rude's artwork alone.
As with many Superman/Batman stories, it geographically shifts
Metropolis and Gotham City to fit the story (are they really
neighboring cities, or separated by an hour's drive?).
Story is okay, nothing spectacular.
==========================
animation/comics #483, from richard.pini, 41 chars, Mon Sep 10 20:05:42 1990
This is a comment to message 481.
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--------------------------
Ah, I remember now, and stand corrected.
==========================
animation/comics #484, from tom.white, 4677 chars, Mon Sep 10 22:25:08 1990
This is a comment to message 483.
--------------------------
OK, OK, I went and pulled down Bonanza Books' "Superman: From the 30's to
the 70's" and checked out the story.
No issue number is given, so I might be wrong about Superman #76, and
there's no credits listed, but the artwork smacks of Wayne Boring to me.
"The Mightiest Team in the World!" has a splash page that has nothing to
do with the story: Superman is poised to do his famous one-handed stop
of a speeding train while Batman swoops down to pluck Lois from the tracks,
where she's managed to catch her foot, like usual. What the Bat-line might
be attached to is beyond me....
Anyway, Batman and Robin wrap up the latest crime wave in Gotham, and
Commissioner Gordon suggests a vacation, which appeals to them (a far
cry from the obsessed Batman of today). Robin decides to visit relatives
upstate, while Bats plans on a cruise. Superman has decided to take
a vacation on the same cruise for no particular reason.
While checking in, with Lois there to see him off, Clark is told he has
to share his stateroom with Bruce since they are overbooked. Clark avoids
making too much fuss so as not to arouse Lois's suspicions.
Purser: "I'm sure you gentlemen will get along splendidly!"
Clark: "Er -- yes! (But what if he should find out I'm Superman?)"
Bruce: "Uh -- certainly! (What if he discovers I'm Batman?)"
At that moment, out on the dock, some guy shoots a tank truck, starting
a fire, so he can steal a shipment of diamonds while wearing an asbestos
suit. Lois, while trying to cover this story like a good reporter, gets
trapped by the flames. Our Heroes hear commotion outside; Bruce kills the
lights under pretense of bedtime, and Clark doesn't argue. A quick switch,
and... the flames light up the cabin, giving away their secrets.
Superman flies the truck up into thinner atmosphere, where the flames die,
while Batman saves Lois ("I knew you'd save me, Superman! But -- but wait,
you're not Superman!" "I'm only Batman, Lois -- subbing for Superman while
he's busy!") Superman returns and douses the remaining flames.
Finding the asbestos suit, Our Heroes determine the thief must be on
board the ship since no one has left the pier (the cruise is on
a ship called Varania). Realizing the danger to their identities
if they suddenly appear on the cruise while in costume, they tell the
captain that they want to sail on the cruise in order to track the criminal.
The captain gives them his cabin (so where is he gonna stay on an overbooked
ship?). Lois is aboard too, having gotten permission from Perry for the
sake of the story. She lucked on to a last-minute cancellation. Lois
goes to find Clark, so the guys zip down to their cabin for a quick
switch.
Clark, of course, feigns seasickness, and Bruce claims he'll have to
stay cabinbound to care for him.
Superman asks Batman to start paying affectionate attention to Lois,
to keep her out of his hair, but Lois overhears and gets revenge by
fawning all over Batman. Superman flies the ship a few miles to get
out of choppy seas, and uses his X-ray vision to find a suspect, a man
who's carrying a pistol.
Batman questions the suspect, and realizes he's lying, but without the
diamonds as evidence, can't do anything. Lois asks Batman to escort her
to the ship's dance that night.
Batman puts on a display of his athletic prowess for entertainment that
night, and Superman follows suit by juggling some tiny icebergs. Lois
plays being fascinated by Bats but bored by Supes. Unaware of her
counterplan, Superman concedes Batman a better man, not that he cares.
The suspect, having sabotaged the ship's engines, makes his getaway by
helicopter, taking Lois hostage. Busy towing the ship, Superman tosses
Batman to the helicopter, where he captures the two criminals and rescues
Lois. ("Oh, Batman -- I knew you'd come to save me!")
In port, Batman reveals where the diamonds are -- in the lead bullets.
He figured it out when the crook didn't fire at him when he had the chance,
and of course Superman couldn't see them through lead.
Their job finished, Batman and Superman leave the cruise. After repairs,
the cruise continues, and Bruce and Clark (having recovered) reappear.
Lois gets suspicious, but Superman flies Batman home to Gotham, where
he makes a quick appearance. Mention of this in a radio broadcast is
enough to convince her Bruce isn't Batman, but Clark is another story.
Bruce saves the day: he disguises himself as Clark while Superman greets
him and Lois.
Batman and Superman decide to find out Lois's affections by both
asking her to dinner, but too late! She's going out with Robin. (hahaha)
This story is from the "1950's" chapter.
==========================
animation/comics #485, from dave.f, 425 chars, Tue Sep 11 11:07:59 1990
This is a comment to message 482.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
I have not yet picked up #2 of the Worlds Apart story, but enjoyed #1.
I really like the portrayals by Rude. Supes really looks like the
Fleisher cartoon handling and Bats seems to be of the same vintage.
I even like the way the characters have been polarized in the
current continuity. The story is OK. The Joker gave me a few good
laughs. Don't really like the portrayal of Lois. Seems too
ditzy and air-headed.
D=
==========================
animation/comics #486, from r0xane, 261 chars, Tue Sep 11 11:54:41 1990
This is a comment to message 485.
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--------------------------
Dave, what do you expect of a woman who is madly in love with a man (Superman)
but if she sees him out of costume, with a suit and glasses on, doesn't have
a clue who he is? I often wondered how an ace reporter like Lois could have
missed that for so long.
==========================
animation/comics #487, from switch, 134 chars, Tue Sep 11 16:43:54 1990
This is a comment to message 486.
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--------------------------
Overwhelming evidence -- in old continuity, there were more
simultaneous-Clark-Kent-and-Superman-appearances than I can count.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #488, from hmccracken, 454 chars, Tue Sep 11 18:46:37 1990
This is a comment to message 486.
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--------------------------
I believe some years ago they ran a rather silly story which claimed
that the glass in Clark Kent's glasses had som sort of hypnotic power
which convinced people that he was dumpier and less handsome than
he really was.
That's nonsense, of course: Lois and everybody else don't realize
that Clark and Superman are the same guy for the simple reason that
the whole conceit of the strip would collapse if they did. No other
explanation needed.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #489, from dave.f, 584 chars, Tue Sep 11 19:04:50 1990
This is a comment to message 486.
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--------------------------
Actually, I scoffed at the idea of glasses and combing of a curl as a
disguise until I saw Chris Reeve actually believable look like two
different people in SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE. Not to the point that people
who were close to both would be fooled for long, but enough to help
suspend my disbelief.
I guess what got me is how much Lois looked like a fashion manequin,
rather than a seasoned reporter. She always seemed to stand in the most
awkward positions and with her hair usually across her face. 'course,
the fact that the artist is male may have something to do with it.
D=
==========================
animation/comics #490, from switch, 143 chars, Tue Sep 11 20:32:32 1990
This is a comment to message 486.
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--------------------------
According to a Superman trivia book I picked up in '78 when I was in
LA, Clark (old continuity) slouched and raised his voice an octave.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #491, from rfranzen, 73 chars, Wed Sep 12 00:20:52 1990
This is a comment to message 486.
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--------------------------
Roxy, you don't understand! He combs his hair differently, too! 😉
==========================
animation/comics #492, from r0xane, 25 chars, Wed Sep 12 10:04:30 1990
This is a comment to message 491.
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Oh! *That* explains it.
==========================
animation/comics #493, from bcapps, 282 chars, Fri Sep 14 00:06:55 1990
This is a comment to message 477.
--------------------------
In the new universe, I believe that Batman became aware of Superman's identity
when he recovered Ma Kent's scrapbook, that was stolen by some "memorable"
(read: I can't remember this person) villain/[ess]. As to Superman finding
out Batman's identity, I don't know that one.
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #494, from davemackey, 484 chars, Sun Sep 16 21:24:47 1990
--------------------------
TITLE: Mighty Mouse
Issue #2 of Marvel's "Mighty Mouse," in comics shops this week, includes
a four-page featurette which briefly chronicles Mighty's film and comics
career. However, one little bit of misinformation: "Mighty Mouse: The
New Adventures" was said to "last only one season -- but what a season
it is!" The show ran for two seasons before CBS cancelled it.
Also, the final issue of the Bugs Bunny miniseries shipped this week.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #495, from richard.pini, 475 chars, Tue Sep 18 11:55:22 1990
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--------------------------
TITLE: A FAVOR...
Could any and everyone who reads this topic please check out his/her local
WaldenBooks store? I need to know what the '
"Waldens Recommends" recommendation is for this week (9/16-22) - this is the
title that is showcased up at the cash register counter on that little blue
plastic holder. I know what the title is *supposed* to be, but am looking
for independent verification. All replies will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Reply by email if you prefer.
==========================
animation/comics #496, from r0xane, 84 chars, Tue Sep 18 14:31:14 1990
This is a comment to message 495.
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--------------------------
At the Waldenbooks here in Houston, the recommendation is "Kiss The Boys
Goodbye".
==========================
animation/comics #497, from richard.pini, 92 chars, Tue Sep 18 15:55:08 1990
This is a comment to message 495.
--------------------------
CORRECTION TO #495
I have just found out that what I need is *next* week (9/23-29). Sorry.
==========================
animation/comics #498, from tshim, 411 chars, Fri Sep 21 12:08:46 1990
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--------------------------
TITLE: Supes and Spidey
How many of these were there? I have the giant-sized edition, youknow, the one
where they fight Lex Luthor and tDr. Octopus. I also know there was a Bats=
Hulk shindig, and an X-Men-Teen Titans thing. Were there any others?
Any others planned but that never came about?
I ask because there seem to be rampant rumors that there was a second
Spidey-Supes issue. What was that about?
==========================
animation/comics #499, from tom.white, 991 chars, Fri Sep 21 17:38:53 1990
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--------------------------
There was a second Superman/Spider-man team-up. It was tabloid size
(I kinda miss those gigantic comics) and the featured villians were
Dr. Doom and the Parasite. Plot was something silly in its scale:
Doom holds several major cities around the world hostage by threatening
to let his fusion reactor meltdown (something like this). He needs
Parasite's energy-eating abilities to control the reactor anyway.
The good guys win, of course; but toward the end, while Doom is trying
to excape, Superman casually scoops him up. Doom panics, ranting about
getting off-planet, but is told "Calm down, I just need your glove".
Superman yanks it off with ease. Nice to see Doom in over his head for once.
There was a planned Justice League-Avengers team-up, back in the early
80's, but it was stillborn due to editorial changes at one or both companies.
Too bad, because many of the pages had been pencilled when it was
cancelled, and this team-up had been a long-time dream of George Perez.
==========================
animation/comics #500, from switch, 82 chars, Fri Sep 21 20:12:03 1990
This is a comment to message 498.
--------------------------
Spidey-Supes vs. Dr. Doom and... and...
Er, anyone wanna help on this one?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #501, from mstoodt, 7540 chars, Fri Sep 21 22:00:06 1990
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--------------------------
TITLE: OLFO 4
Yes, it's been three weeks; you thought it was gone forever,
but it's back again: still another in the series of One Life
Form's Opinions!
A.R.M. (Larry Niven's) 1: Death By Ecstasy
Bill Spangler, Terry Tidwell, Steve Stiles
This is the first part of a three-issue adaptation of the
classic Larry Niven SF-detective story. As an adaptation, it's
competently done, and the source material is an excellent story,
part of that rare category of cross-genre material; but why
adapt it? It isn't an exceptionally visual story; there's none
of Niven's marvelous aliens (the setting is early in Niven's
Known Space series, before any permanent contact with aliens have
been established), and the only "special effect" is Gil
Hamilton's "imaginary" (telekinetic) third arm. Many other Niven
stories would be a much more natural fit to the comics medium, so
why did they choose this one?
Whatever. I'd call it a six on my one-to-ten scale, but if
you're not familiar with the source material, raise that number
to a nine; I've not been impressed by Niven's solo work since
the mid-seventies, but he was one of the best in the SF field
(and his collaborations since then also rate quite well), and his
A.R.M. stories are among his best work.
Bratpack 1 (untitled)
Rick Veitch
Early press compared this examination of kid sidekicks to
Moore's treatment of superheroes in Watchman, but I don't see any
real comparison. Moore took the Charlton characters (modified
slightly) and rebuilt our world around them; Veitch took the
characters he targeted and mutated them almost beyond
recognition, producing a mean-spirited work which I regret having
read. All this rates is a two.
a book for reading, it’s a book for laying down and avoiding.
Crying Freeman Part 2 #1: The Tiger Orchid parts 1,2,3
Kazuo Koike, Ryoichi Ikegami
The start of a new story for the reluctant assassin and his
bride. Ikegami’s art is excellent as always (the other series he
worked on that’s been translated, Mai the Psychic Girl, is my
favorite of all the translations done so far). My only complaint
is that I’ve just gotten the anime version of Crying Freeman (on
laserdisc), so I know (approximately) where this story is going
(and the next story as well), and these stories aren’t as good as
the first… Give this a seven.
Dreadstar 61: People Who Hate Papal; plus Fallen Angel:
Conclusion
Peter David, Angel Medina, Bill Anderson, Tim Tyler; Peter
David, John Calimee, Jim Nelson
Vanth’s early foe, the Lord Papal, has been brought back from
the dead (“Junior”‘s parting shot last issue). A good non-stop
battle issue. In the backup, we finally get a good explanation
for Iron Angel’s switch-hitting eye patch. This issue gets a
seven.
Elementals 15: The Conversation
Bill Willingham, Mike Leeke, Mike Chen
Long time no see! This is a real “talking heads” issue, but
the topic of conversation is an important one for the characters
(and the series): Are the Elementals and their opponents part of
human society, and should those opponents be judged by the human
community, or should they take matters into their own hands? The
art is adequate, but basically inconsequential in this issue;
the plot and script are everything, and they’re pretty good.
Call this one an eight, with hopes that Comico can it get back to
a regular schedule.
Grimjack 77: Final Payback; plus Youngblood
John Ostrander, Fint Henry, Hilary Barta; John Ostrander, Kim
Yale, Steve Pugh
I rated the last issue of Grimjack fairly low because it lost
track of the Skuzzy storyline. This one gets back to that story,
and concludes it (and Skuzzy) with a vengence. Along the way,
Jim learns a lesson about responsibility for his actions; and
the good karma Jim earned when he took the fall for his friends
is returned with interest, in the happiest ending this series has
had in a long time. And take a good long look at the cover….
A definite ten here.
Groo The Wanderer 71: Laughingstock
Sergio Aragones, Mark Evanier
Groo is one of the most consistently funny comics on the
market. Last issue, a writer (who looks remarkably like Mark
Evanier, and whose scribe looks a lot like letterer Stan Sakai)
wrote a book describing Groo as a hero; but anybody who knows
anything about Groo knows that concept is ridiculous. This
issue, the writer writes a comedy about Groo; unfortunately,
this is less than successful as well, since people who don’t know
Groo start to want to see him in action, but the minimum safe
distance for observing Groo doing what Groo does best is about a
light-year….
A nine for this and just about every other issue of the
series.
Hard Boiled 1 (untitled)
Frank Miller, Geof Darrow
For this I paid five dollars (minus a nickel and my discount
at my dealer)? No plot whatsoever. A lot of ultra-violence, a
lot of pseudo-technology. Darrow’s art is good enough to justify
the nine full page panels and three two-page spreads (plus an
anti-wraparound cover — the front and back are one scene, but
the edges of the picture are at the spine of the book), if you
like ultra-violence and pseudo-technology. But it looks to me
like Frank Miller phoned this in from a payphone with only one
coin. Three.
Legends of the Dark Knight 11: Prey part one
Doug Moench, Paul Gulacy, Terry Austin
The first two stories in this series were mediocre, but just
when I was about to stop getting it, this story makes me sit up
and take notice. Jim Gordon is assigned to the head of a
“vigilante” task force to handle this Batman person; he has to
tread carefully between looking effective and actually being
effective. Meanwhile, Hugo Strange is developing some
interesting theories about the psychology of the Batman. (Then
there’s the woman in the cat suit…) Gulacy’s art has always
seemed stiff to me (prime example: what’s that blonde in
Strange’s apartment on page 18 there for?), but this storyline is
worth getting. Make it a seven.
Sandman 19: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Neil Gaiman, Charles Vess
William Shakespeare directs a production of his play for a
very unusual audience. “The price of getting what you want, is
getting what once you wanted.” This is only my second issue of
Sandman, the first being last issue’s cat story; but this is
going onto my “buy” list, and I’ll be starting a back issue hunt
soon… This is an eight.
Usagi Yojimbo 25: The Bridge
Stan Sakai
This series is another consistent performer, about a rabbit
ronin (lord-less samurai). This issue, Usagi confronts a demon
inhabiting a bridge. Sakai’s art is always good (although seeing
skulls in balloons over the heads of people (or demons) as they
die gets a bit tiresome). Call this issue a seven.
Also received: Akira 24, Badger 67, Batman 456, Cadillacs and
Dinosaurs 1, Cerebus High Society 17, Cobra 7, Dark Horse
Presents 43, Deathlok 4, Fish Police 24, Give Me Liberty 2,
Grimjack Casefiles 3, Hellblazer 35, Horobi 6, Nexus 76,
Outlanders 21, Stalkers 8, Suicide Squad 46, Swamp Thing 100,
2001 Nights 2.
A final note: Is anyone reading these things? I don’t seem
to be getting too much of a reaction from you out there…. Do
you like them? Do you agree with me? or disagree? Has anyone
bought (or avoided buying) anything based on my recommendation?
Are you glad (or sorry) that you listened (or didn’t listen) to
me? Is it worth my time and effort to keep doing this?
==========================
animation/comics #502, from switch, 105 chars, Sun Sep 23 22:24:14 1990
This is a comment to message 501.
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————————–
I’m reading, but it’s hard for me to comment since I’m usually
gettin my comics late these days 🙁
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #503, from bcapps, 1560 chars, Mon Sep 24 22:04:56 1990
This is a comment to message 501.
————————–
I’m reading them also. I kinda have to agree with you on the BratPack, in
that it’s extremely vindicative. One would think that it’s Veitch’s revenge
for the Swamp Thing controversy and that he’s pointing out the absurdity of
kid sidekicks (now, why do you suppose they call them that?) although in a
heavy-handed sort of way. It reminds me of a comment a co-worker said about
kids today: “Were we ever like that? I don’t think we were ever _that_
obnoxious. Gawd! I don’t want to be around if kids today are going to run
the world. These kids are _stooopid_!” Now, he was just talking about kids
in general. He doesn’t read comics.
I’ve definitely enjoyed Sandman since it came out. It is well worth the
trips to the back issue bins. Groo has also been one of my favorites.
I’m also something of a rabid Cerebus fan and every so often like to pull
out the “phone books” (the large, reprint volumes) and review what has
happened ’til now. There’s almost always some little clue or reference
that seems totally out of place back then, but makes perfect sense now.
Hard Boiled was wierd! One of those dream sequences that never seems to end.
It’s a wait and see. Give Me Liberty is one that is really good. Nice to
see some more of Gibbons’ work. Course, then again, I almost expect to see
Dr. Manhattan pop out and start observing things. Shade is another title
that’s in the strange-reality vein (like Animal Man, Sandman, Hellblazer,
et al.) that is proving to be an interesting work.
Bob (don’t worry, we’ll have more comments later)
==========================
animation/comics #504, from richard.pini, 82 chars, Tue Sep 25 11:23:18 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Favor redux
Still looking for any/all help with msgs 495 and 497 – thanks!
==========================
animation/comics #505, from r0xane, 39 chars, Tue Sep 25 21:52:36 1990
This is a comment to message 504.
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In Houston, its “Return to Centaura”.
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animation/comics #506, from davemackey, 277 chars, Tue Oct 2 06:57:02 1990
————————–
TITLE: Happy anniverary
It was forty years ago today that the comic strip PEANUTS first appeared
in newspapers. Good ol’ Charlie Brown, Sherman and Patty appeared in the
first strip, written and drawn by Charles Schulz — as it is today. So
happy birthday to the Peanuts gang.
==========================
animation/comics #507, from hmccracken, 976 chars, Sun Oct 7 19:01:15 1990
————————–
TITLE: _Fearless Fosdick_ (Kitchen Sink Press) is a fantastic new
book of reprints of the strip-within-a-strip that brilliantly
satirized _Dick Tracy_ within Al Capp’s _Li’l Abner_. Fosdick is
the world’s stupidest, most violent policeman (as well as Abner’s
“ideel”), and the stories in this book surely rank among the funniest
comic strips ever done. I am particularly fond of the story which
relates Fosdick’s reaction to a criminal’s planting of a poisoned can
of beans somewhere in the city: Fosdick procedes to run around the
city knocking off every citizen he spots about to open a can of beans,
so as to save them from possibly devouring the poisoned ones. (This
amounts to several hundred people.) A plot description can’t hope to
do justice to this story, which is both hysterically funny and an
allegory which often comes to my mind as I read of other folks out
there who rampage and destroy in Fosdick-like attempts to save the
world from itself.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #508, from steven_edwards, 2239 chars, Fri Oct 19 22:52:32 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: _Disney Adventures_ Issue #1
[This is not a Byte review]
The first issue of _Disney Adventures_ (ISSN 1050-2491) dated 12 Nov 1990
is on the newsstands with a cover price of US$1.95 with an annual subscription
rate of $29.95 (introductory discounts available). The publisher’s address:
W.D. Productions, Inc.
500 South Buena Vista St (Tower Building, 29th fl.)
Burbank, CA 91521
The magazine is 128 pages long with dimensions of about 13 cm x 19 cm.
The contents include several full color comic stories about the Disney
Afternoon characters and a Roger Rabbit piece. A number of text/photo pieces
and a brief interview with Rick Moranis are present and make up about half the
issue. The reading level varies with an approximate mean of about 11 years.
The magazine contains advertising for both Disney and third party products.
All articles have author credits and all comic artwork has author and artist
credits. There’s a cute closing photo on the last inside page that reminds
one of the old _Life_ magazine’s Miscellany feature; below the photo is a
quarter page list of third party photo credits for the issue with sources
ranging from the Wyoming State Museum to _Playboy_ magazine.
Well, if I had a kid in the 7-14 target bracket, I’d get a subscription
for him/her. The artwork is very good and quite close to that which appears
on the television programs. There are a few continuity faults such as the
varying color of Dale’s (the chipmunk) forelock (gray, black, and brown).
Also, in an article about time-variant TV linguistics, a photo of Dobie Gillis
(Dwayne Hackman) is misidentified as Maynard G. Krebs (Bob Denver). There
is an interesting article on a US/Soviet joint Siberian land bridge journey
and another article on the religious origins of Halloween; both are written
so as to be informative while cleverly sidestepping any potentially offending
political or religius views.
For aspiring animators, there is also a contest where the grand prize
winner gets a chance to spend a day with the current top Disney animators and
actually create some to-be-used artwork. The five first prize winners get
collector’s cels from past Disney features.
— Steve
==========================
animation/comics #509, from hmccracken, 138 chars, Sun Oct 21 19:11:03 1990
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————————–
In what area of the newstand did you find this? (Comics section or
regular magazine section?) And how often is it published?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #510, from steven_edwards, 420 chars, Sun Oct 21 19:29:15 1990
This is a comment to message 509.
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————————–
I saw this in the regular magazine section at a local supermarket. I
later checked a small comic store and was told that they weren’t currently
carrying the title. The comic store proprietor said that it wasn’t received
with the usual batch of Disney Comics (like _Chip ‘n Dale’s Rescue Rangers_).
I think it’s published monthly. There is a coupon inside for an
introductory rate of 12 issues for $19.75.
— Steve
==========================
animation/comics #511, from steven_edwards, 59 chars, Sun Oct 21 19:55:12 1990
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————————–
Oops – that’s $17.95 for 12 issues – ^%#$@&! keyboard 🙂
==========================
animation/comics #512, from richard.pini, 125 chars, Sun Oct 21 21:38:31 1990
This is a comment to message 511.
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It was announced that the magazine would be available in non-comics spots –
an attempt to get those non-comics spots buyers.
==========================
animation/comics #513, from dave.f, 247 chars, Mon Oct 22 12:18:01 1990
This is a comment to message 509.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Harry, I haven’t picked it up yet, but I saw it the other day at the
checkout counter at the Super Stop & Shop in Westboro, on the same
rack with TV Guide. I really don’t think they’re trying to pick
up the usual comics buyers with this one.
D=
==========================
animation/comics #514, from cmattern, 266 chars, Tue Oct 23 17:23:29 1990
This is a comment to message 513.
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————————–
I’ve seen it on a number of supermarket checkout counters myself.
Chris
P.S. But I *haven’t* seen it at my usual comics stores. I agree with Dave–
this is pitched as a magazine for kids in general, not the comic trade.
==========================
animation/comics #515, from aturn, 455 chars, Wed Oct 24 18:13:59 1990
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————————–
I have seen it in supermarkets, convenience stores, _and_ in the
comics shops I go to.
But why should its availability, or lack thereof, in comics
speciality shops be meaningful? Just as well that it is available
other places, since comics shops are notoriously bad at attracting
any “walk-in” trade that isn’t already familiar with comics. Let’s
face it, a store window with a life-size poster of Wolverine won’t
mean anything to an average person.
==========================
animation/comics #516, from hmccracken, 524 chars, Wed Oct 24 18:52:25 1990
This is a comment to message 515.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I haven’t seen it yet — I’m obviously not looking in the right places.
I agree wholeheartedly that it shouldn’t really matter whether the
magazine is in comic shops or not. From what I hear this is a
magazine unreservedly aimed at the youth of America as a whole, and
the youth of America is more likely to find it in a convenience store
or supermarket than a comics store. I’m suprised that Disney’s comic
book line is as collector-oriented as it is (references to Carl Barks,
ads for expensive books, etc).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #517, from aturn, 76 chars, Thu Oct 25 00:04:49 1990
This is a comment to message 516.
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Well, that was even more a problem under the Gladstone
imprint, wasn’t it?
==========================
animation/comics #518, from bcapps, 691 chars, Fri Oct 26 23:43:10 1990
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TITLE: Clark/Supes & Lois!!
As many of you are probably aware by now, Superman, disguised as mild-
mannered Clark Kent, has proposed to Lois Lane, the well-known newspaper
reporter, and she has accepted.
The Washington Post covered this item today in the Style section and went
on to disclose that they may not be able to have kids and probably would
adopt. They also went for a bit of humor in the piece, by playing on
Robert Wuhl’s bit (a comedian often on HBO) about Superman’s “The Look.”
As in, “can you imagine Lois having to put up with that?”
Looks like they’re trying to do more to “update” the heroes, in much the
same manner that Marvel put Peter and Mary Jane together.
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #519, from hmccracken, 402 chars, Sat Oct 27 17:04:50 1990
This is a comment to message 510.
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I finally saw a copy of _Disney Adventures_ magazine, at a local comics
shop, oddly enough. The format — digest-sized on good paper with lots
of high-quality color — and the content — a mixture of comics and
kid-oriented articles — reminded me very much of the Italian Disney
comic books, such as _Topolino_. I’ll bet Disney was influenced by
their success in launching this magazine.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #520, from hmccracken, 1044 chars, Sat Oct 27 17:12:02 1990
This is a comment to message 518.
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Gee, Superman and Lois marrying. (Assuming of course, that the
proposal and acceptance will indeed result in marriage.) Does this
mean that Lois knows that Superman and Clark Kent are one and the
same? (Please forgive me, I’m not a current reader of any of the
Man of Steel’s exploits.) If she doesn’t, is there any way on earth
that she won’t know, given that she’s married to the guy?
Of course, this Superman and Lois, according to DC’s convoluted
history, aren’t the ones who most of the characters’ stories have
pictured. And the Superman and Lois of the 1940s — aka Earth-2
(or is that Earth-1?) were married for years, before they ceased to
exist. Thinking of all this makes me wish that DC had done the right
thing and never, ever suggested that there was more than one Superman
or Lois Lane or Batman or anybody. By such petty “logic” are
cultural myths destroyed. No doubt someone here will remind me of
which great man (I always forget who) told us that foolish consistency
is the hobgoblin of little minds.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #521, from steven_edwards, 382 chars, Sun Oct 28 00:49:42 1990
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Yesterday I made a beer run to the supermarket where a week ago I saw
a big stack of _Disney Adventures_ #1 in the magazine section. They’ve all
been sold. Looks like a collector’s item, folks; perhaps it was the big, red
“FIRST ISSUE” on the cover that did it as I recall no formal advertising but
rather just a small wire service filler article in a local newspaper. — Steve
==========================
animation/comics #522, from bcapps, 251 chars, Sun Oct 28 23:10:27 1990
This is a comment to message 520.
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Do you think we’ll see an editor’s note stating that “This is NOT an
imaginary story?” The blurb I saw stated that Clark will let Lois know
the truth before the wedding. Let me dig it out and I’ll do a few quotes
from the source article soon.
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #523, from hmccracken, 377 chars, Thu Nov 1 18:22:26 1990
This is a comment to message 522.
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A radio report this morning confirmed with DC editor Mike Carlin
that A) It’s Clark Kent who’s proposing, and B) he will do the right
thing and inform Lois of his secret. The report said that the issue
containing these events was published today, and I will buy my first
issue of _Superman_ since the John Byrne takeover several years ago
in order to find out more.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #524, from davemackey, 623 chars, Fri Nov 2 06:59:39 1990
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TITLE: Annual trip to Hell
Every year about this time, Matt Groening makes available a choice
selection of “Life In Hell” strips in a mini-jumbo compendium. But
this year, he’s gone like a bat out of hell, so to speak, and compiled
many “Hell” strips, some never reprinted, in “The Big Book Of Hell.””
Priced at $15.95, it’s in larger format than his previous books and
includes a handy index so you can find some of your favorites. He even
directs you to a few strips that have an early version of Bart Simpson
in them.
Groening has also produced a book of Simpsons postcards.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #525, from switch, 53 chars, Thu Nov 22 00:32:55 1990
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TITLE: Hey!
Anyone else ’round here read Zot!?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #526, from davemackey, 194 chars, Fri Nov 23 19:28:19 1990
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Emru–
I can’t claim to get every issue, but I do enjoy Zot on those
occasions when I do get to read it. So the answer to your
question is “yes.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #527, from hmccracken, 935 chars, Fri Nov 23 19:45:09 1990
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TITLE: What is it abut Mickey Mouse…
that he is the exact double of not one but *two* royal monarchs? One of
them, of course, is the Prince whom he swaps places with in Disney’s
current _Prince and the Pauper_ featurette. But more than fifty years
ago, the same thing happened in an excellent story in the MM daily
comic strip entitled _Monarch of Medioka_. Mick switched places with
one Prince Michael in that one, in a story clearly inspired, like the
new featurette, by Mark Twain’s original story. (I wonder if the
authors of the screenplay to the _P&P_ cartoon were aware of Floyd
Gottfredson’s nifty 1930s strip sequence.)
Gottfredson’s version of the Mickey-takes-the-throne story should
still be available in a nicely-done comic album published by Gladstone
not too long before they lost the Disney comics license. (I took a
local comic shop’s 50%-off-everything sale today as an excuse to pick
up a copy.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #528, from hmccracken, 140 chars, Fri Nov 23 22:12:30 1990
This is a comment to message 527.
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(Just remembered that I should have noted that _Monarch of Medioka_
was even more directly inspired by _The Prisoner of Zenda_.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #529, from steven_edwards, 403 chars, Sat Nov 24 02:14:04 1990
This is a comment to message 521.
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Then again, there may be circulation problems elsewhere. I just got
issue #2 from a comic store, and I note that the special offer subscription
price has dropped from $17.95 to $14.95 (single issue cover price is $1.95).
On the other hand, the Gladstone imprint lines seem to being doing quite well
with a subscription price of $18.00 per year equal to the monthly cover price
times twelve. — Steve
==========================
animation/comics #530, from bcapps, 100 chars, Sun Nov 25 01:25:26 1990
This is a comment to message 526.
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I, too, read Zot! But I haven’t seen an issue in a long while. Since maybe
around 22 or so?
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #531, from switch, 480 chars, Wed Nov 28 11:48:56 1990
This is a comment to message 530.
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Issue #33 was the last, and #34 is due out soon. Apparently the question
of sex is going to pop up. Given the sensitive handling of teenage
romance in previous issues and lesbianism in the last issue, I’m interested
to see how this goes.
The author (I can’t believe his name escapes me!) has such wonderful
insights into the way teenagers think, and the dialogue is believable
enough that I could latch right on to it. Of course, I’m also fond
of the slight manga feel.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #532, from dave.f, 857 chars, Thu Nov 29 11:30:49 1990
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TITLE: Billy Mumy in Worcester
For those in the eastern Massachusetts area, “That’s Entertainment”, a
comics and collectibles shop in Worcester, is going to have Billy
Mumy make an in-store appearance tomorrow, Friday 30-Nov, from 4:00
to 7:00 pm. Billy played Will Robinson on LOST IN SPACE. He is
still acting and is writing comic books for Marvel (among others) and
is in a rock band called “Seduction of the Innocent” along with
Miguel (Albert Rosenfield, Beau Jack Bowman) Ferrer.
On Saturday they’ll be hosting a visit from Mike Mignola, penciller on
Epic’s “Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser”. He’ll be in the Worcester store
from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and in their Fitchburg shop from 3:00 to 5:00 pm.
The shop can be reached at (508) 755-4207 for directions. This is
not an official endorsement of “That’s Entertainment”, just a note
of interest.
D=
==========================
animation/comics #533, from morganfox, 209 chars, Thu Nov 29 16:18:48 1990
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And Billy Mumy as well will be in Boston Sat and Sunday at the Collectables
Show, Fans 90. That will be held from noon on Sat and Sun. at the Baystate
Expo. I will get the closing times up in a later message.
==========================
animation/comics #534, from morganfox, 455 chars, Thu Nov 29 17:02:19 1990
This is a comment to message 533.
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More and better infor.
Northeast Collectibles Extravaganza(Hey…I didn’t name it) including Fan
Fair ’90. With Eddie Munster and the cost(sic) of Lost in Space. Sat Dec1
Noon to 6PM, Sun Dec2 10AM to 5PM. Bayside Expo. Reportedly 600 tables of
stuff. Also there it seems at the same time is Jolly Jim’s Indoor Street
Festival. 350 vendors of holiday goodies and the best of street performers.
Sounds like the whole thing might be worth a giggle or two!
==========================
animation/comics #535, from bcapps, 218 chars, Sat Dec 1 15:13:27 1990
This is a comment to message 531.
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Howzabout Scott McCloud? 34? The last issue that I remember reading was
the one in which Zot became stuck on our Earth. Was that anytime recent?
Seems I’m gonna have to go fishing through the back issue bins!
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #536, from hmccracken, 1115 chars, Sat Dec 1 20:05:47 1990
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TITLE: It didn’t seem to me that _The Sorceror’s Apprentice_ was a very
suitable candidate for being adapted into comics form. How do you
put a story that’s told largely with music, has no dialogue, and
features some of Disney’s most spectacular animation on the printed
page?
The current issue of _Mickey Mouse Adventures_ comics actually does a
very good job of doing just that. The art, by Stephen DeStefano and
Gary Martin is *extremely* faithful to the cartoon — so faithful, in
fact, that I wonder if they somehow traced frames from the film into
comic form. The comic’s script takes the clever approach of having
the story narrated by the old Sorceror himself in captions, rather than
saddling the story with dialogue. While the narration reads a little like
an overly-verbose superhero comic — which isn’t surprising, since it
was written by Marv Wolfman, writer of just that sort of comic — it
actually works quite well.
Kudos to Mssrs. Wolfman, DeStefano, and Martin, for producing a comic
that *almost* makes you want to see them try adapting all of _Fantasia_
into comic-book form.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #537, from mstoodt, 712 chars, Sun Dec 2 00:45:27 1990
This is a comment to message 535.
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Zot got stuck on Jenny’s Earth in issue 27, so yes, you’ve missed a few.
And they are definately worth the back issue bin search. It was only a
couple of months ago that I completed my search for back issues of the
color series.
There aren’t many titles which can transform a week’s batch from average
into a major event simply by coming out that week. Zot! is one. (About
the only other titles I have that kind of reaction to are Groo and Tales
of the Beanworld.) Unfortunately, there won’t be too many more reactions
of that type in the near future; after 36, Scott McCloud is putting Zot!
on hiatus for a while, as he did between issues 10 and 11 (or 10.5, if you
count that one).
MaS
==========================
animation/comics #538, from switch, 99 chars, Sun Dec 2 11:07:02 1990
This is a comment to message 535.
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Yeah, Scott McCloud (silly me). Zot got stuck on our Earth maybe
five or six issues before.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #539, from davemackey, 620 chars, Mon Dec 10 18:04:42 1990
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TITLE: Kings Of The Comics
The World Financial Center will present “Kings Of The Comics”
tomorrow afternoon. Guests will include Bil Keane, Dean Young,
Mort Walker and Hank Ketcham.
More information on this event can be had by calling (212)
945-0505. The World Financial Center is holding this event in
conjunction with the “Masters Of Cartoon Art” exhibition from the
Museum of Cartoon Art, on display at the WFC (which is in New
York) through February 15.
Irony: this info is from an ad in the “New York Times,” a
newspaper that does not publish a single comic strip!
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #540, from hkenner, 94 chars, Mon Dec 10 18:54:55 1990
This is a comment to message 539.
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The Times likes you to know that it knows that comics exist, out there
in the plebeian press.
==========================
animation/comics #541, from hmccracken, 1527 chars, Mon Dec 10 19:38:39 1990
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TITLE: A comics-reading friend at the office broke the bad news to
me today: the _Boston Globe_ had replaced _Tiger_ with a new comic
strip based — inevitably — on _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_.
Now, I am not really a _Tiger_ fan, although I do like Bud Blake’s
art, and I sort of like the _Reg’lar Fellas_-_Just Kids_ comic strip
tradition that it perpetuates. And while I don’t care for the Turtles,
I am willing to give their strip a chance.
Anyhow, I was moved for some reason to call the _Globe_ about this.
(In a previous message of a few months back, I recounted my call to
the _Globe_ when they dropped _Tiger_ for a few days to see if anyone
cared.) I asked what had happened to Tiger, and was told that they
had replaced him with the Turtles based on a desire to add a children’s
strip to the paper. I registered my preference for Tiger — which is
a real, albeit modest one — and the person I spoke to recorded my wish
and said that they were tracking response to the change. While I don’t
expect to see Tiger return, anything can happen. During the 1970s,
the _Globe_ went through a long cycle of carrying _Tumbleweeds_ (at
its best one of finest contemporary comics), dropping it (I have always
suspected because of its portrayal of Native Americans), running a series
of letters to the Editor decrying its loss, then bringing it back. And
then dropping it all over again. So while I doubt that there are legions
of Tiger fans out there, if there are their complaints may have some
effect.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #542, from bsoron, 148 chars, Mon Dec 10 20:26:09 1990
This is a comment to message 541.
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————————–
My reaction parallels yours pretty closely — Tiger’s funny every
once in a while, and Bud Blake draws kids well. I’ll call the Globe
tomorrow.
==========================
animation/comics #543, from hmccracken, 258 chars, Mon Dec 10 20:35:34 1990
This is a comment to message 542.
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Gosh, if I’d known other BIXen would call, I’d have mentioned BIX —
if the _Globe_ switchboard was swamped with calls from angry BIXen,
they might open a comics page vendor-support conference here.
(Okay, they wouldn’t. But it is a neat idea.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #544, from bsoron, 268 chars, Mon Dec 10 22:50:55 1990
This is a comment to message 543.
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Incidentally, the latest story in Pogo has me rolling on the floor
each day. Doyle and Sternecky really won’t ever be Kelly, but they’ve
finally started to get me to read the strip every day, which is more
than I can say for the rest of the strips on that page…
==========================
animation/comics #545, from davemackey, 463 chars, Tue Dec 11 01:03:13 1990
This is a comment to message 541.
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The Asbury Park Press, a fairly large Central New Jersey
newspaper, used its touchtone phone information network to
solicit readers as to which strip it should drop to make room for
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” The winner (or loser, in this
case) was “Annie.”
I think the last word on Ninjaturtlemania was served up by
Jim Reardon and Art Vitello in a segment of today’s “Tiny Toon
Adventures” entitled “Slugfest.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #546, from steven_edwards, 413 chars, Tue Dec 11 10:29:12 1990
This is a comment to message 543.
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Well, I would call, but I gave up on the Globe long ago. By the
way, the New York Times does run a sampler of editorial cartoons in the
Sunday edition.
Isn’t the case that the Times doesn’t carry comics in part because
of the exclusionary clauses in the comic syndicates’ contracts for carving
up markets? I don’t think that there are any syndicated comics in the
nationally distributed newspapers. — Steve
==========================
animation/comics #547, from hkenner, 185 chars, Tue Dec 11 10:54:59 1990
This is a comment to message 546.
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Exclusionary clauses may be part of the reason now, but no-comics was
a Times policy back when it was strictly a local paper. “Dignity,”
I think. We are *serious* around here.
–HK
==========================
animation/comics #548, from hmccracken, 583 chars, Tue Dec 11 18:12:57 1990
This is a comment to message 547.
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Another factor *may* have been that for a long time so many strips
were controlled by the Hearst and McCormick/Patterson empires —
both of which had competing papers in New York. But somehow,
I think the _Times’s_ lack of comics has become such a good emblem
of its seriousness that it wouldn’t add them if it could. The paper
has run the odd one-day-onl strip from time to time. Walt Kelly did
a _Pogo_ for them in 1972, I think.
(And of course in Al Hirschfeld they have an artist who’s been one
of the outstanding newspaper cartoonists of them all for 65 years.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #549, from davemackey, 210 chars, Tue Dec 11 18:20:23 1990
This is a comment to message 547.
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I think the only thing the “Times” has going for it is its
extremely challenging crossword puzzle. Definitely the best of
any paper in the country. Otherwise, forget it.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #550, from davemackey, 403 chars, Wed Dec 19 01:49:37 1990
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TITLE: TV Guide vs. the comics
Another “bang, pow, zap” comic book story — but this time, it’s
on the cover of TV Guide. Flash, Batman and Dick Tracy (I thought
this was TV Guide, not Home Video Guide) are on the cover, and
among the quotees in the article are Stan Lee and Mark Evanier.
Also a short sidebar on the actor who plays The Flash, John
Wesley Shipp.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #551, from dave.f, 400 chars, Fri Dec 21 19:19:33 1990
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Boy, it really galls me to see what has become of TV GUIDE since
Murdock bought it. That article on comic book heroes on the screen
was just about worthless. Nice to see mention of some upcoming
projects, but otherwise talk about content-free jounalism.
And why do we always have to have sound effects as part of the title
of these things???
I found the Shipp sidebar much more interesting.
D=
==========================
animation/comics #552, from aturn, 226 chars, Sat Dec 22 00:16:45 1990
This is a comment to message 551.
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TV Guide sure has gone downhill. Puff Pieces. Ugly, cluttered
covers (when they used to have very appealing ones). The “Grapevine”
section is a good argument for declaring desktop publishing programs to
be deadly weapons.
==========================
animation/comics #553, from aturn, 221 chars, Sat Dec 22 00:18:51 1990
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TITLE: WORLD’s WORST COMICS AWARDS
Anyone else here see Kitchen Sink’s comic of the same name? A
hoot and a half, and well worth seeking out for anyone who ever felt the
urge to forcefeed a comic to its creative staff.
==========================
animation/comics #554, from hmccracken, 161 chars, Sat Dec 22 00:22:16 1990
This is a comment to message 552.
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That they added a horoscope gives an indication of what audience Murdoch
has refocused TV Guide at (not that it was ever Partisan Review, of course).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #555, from hmccracken, 74 chars, Sat Dec 22 00:22:33 1990
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I’ve seen the ads for it and look forward to getting the comic.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #556, from aturn, 53 chars, Sat Dec 22 00:24:33 1990
This is a comment to message 554.
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I had the same reaction to the horoscope, actually.
==========================
animation/comics #557, from mstoodt, 81 chars, Sat Dec 22 00:48:37 1990
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The horoscope is _the_ reason I no longer subscribe to TV Guide.
MaS
==========================
animation/comics #558, from bsoron, 296 chars, Sat Dec 22 18:39:42 1990
This is a comment to message 557.
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It could be worse:
ARIES – Romance may enter your life if you concentrate on reruns. Beware
of housemates who want to subscribe to more than one premium channel.
TAURUS – A message awaits you on The Weather Channel. Watching NBC during
sweeps weeks will enhance your life.
and so on…
==========================
animation/comics #559, from davemackey, 690 chars, Mon Dec 24 00:19:24 1990
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TITLE: Mad 300 cover
If you want to see what the cover to MAD #300 would have looked
like had the crisis in the Persian Gulf not flared up, check out
the January-February 1991 issue of SPY.
In the “Spy Magazine For Kids” feature, there is a photo of
the proposed cover, showing Pres. Bush burning the Mad Flag.
Sensitivity to the events in Iraq forced a last-minute change to
Norman Mingo’s classic portrait of Alfred E. Neuman, the cover
the issue now bears.
This item was recently confirmed when Dick DeBartolo brought
a copy of the suppressed cover during his personal appearances
at two “Steve’s Comic Relief” shops earlier this month.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #560, from davemackey, 193 chars, Mon Dec 24 00:19:36 1990
This is a comment to message 541.
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Who does the TMNT comic strip, anyway? I don’t see any creator
credits on it. Are we back in the days of the Bugs Bunny by Leon
Schlesinger comic strip?
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #561, from davemackey, 291 chars, Mon Dec 24 00:19:46 1990
This is a comment to message 558.
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Actually, I ignore the horoscope. And the crossword. And the
movie guide. And most of the program listings. And anything
Marilyn “I’m told” Beck writes. And the shallow soap opera page.
Yet, I have to renew my parents’ subscription next month…
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #562, from davemackey, 341 chars, Thu Dec 27 19:59:15 1990
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TITLE: Other computer networks and CBG
I notice that a lot of the other computer networks, including
Compu$erve and GEnie getting play in the “Comics Buyers Guide.” I
don’t think it would be a bad idea for one of our moderators to
drop Don and Maggie a little note advising them of our presence
here.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #563, from hmccracken, 122 chars, Thu Dec 27 22:31:15 1990
This is a comment to message 562.
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Good hint, Dave, and something I’ve been planning on doing. Your
nudge is probably what I needed to get going.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #564, from richard.pini, 102 chars, Fri Dec 28 13:03:35 1990
This is a comment to message 563.
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Maybe we both should…seeing as how, even though I’m on all three systems,
90% of my time goes here.
==========================
animation/comics #565, from davemackey, 323 chars, Fri Jan 4 19:06:50 1991
This is a comment to message 560.
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There are credits on the Sunday “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”
strip but they are so darned hard to read, and I’ve never heard
of the guys.
Incidentally, speaking of credits, both sons of the late Dik
Browne are now signing their full names to their strips, Chris
Browne on “Hagar” and Chance Browne on “Hi and Lois.”
==========================
animation/comics #566, from aturn, 87 chars, Sun Jan 6 00:57:00 1991
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But I’ll bet that most papers still have the “by Dik Browne”
slug over their dailies.
==========================
animation/comics #567, from davemackey, 191 chars, Sun Jan 6 08:32:51 1991
This is a comment to message 553.
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I finally got a copy this week… it is extremely clever. I don’t
know which was funnier… Steve Ditko’s fake names or the fake ad
on the back cover.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #568, from switch, 36 chars, Sun Jan 6 15:02:04 1991
This is a comment to message 566.
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Does in the Montreal Gazette.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #569, from hmccracken, 248 chars, Sun Jan 6 22:50:55 1991
This is a comment to message 567.
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Opinion thirded (?): it’s a funny book. Steve Ditko’s character names
are hilarious — as are the Objectivist comics they appeared in.
_The Comics Journal_ once ran a review of one of his comics with
the great title of “Atlas Slugged.”
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #570, from davemackey, 1123 chars, Sat Jan 12 19:57:43 1991
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TITLE: Cracked turning into Mad?
It is noted that Cracked has new editors, a couple of MAD
veterans named Lou Silverstone and Jerry DeFuccio. It is also
noted that the back cover for the March 1991 issue (no. 261) was
drawn by Jack Rickard, longtime “usual idiot” for MAD. It is also
noted in the name of consumer information that Jack Rickard died
about 1983, and the cover appears to have been retouched (by John
Severin?) to include Sylvester and put everyone on the back cover
(a motley lot which includes Dracula, Frankenstein, Charlie
Chaplin and Dizzy Gillespie) into Cracked t-shirts.
The link is that the new press/publicity rep at Cracked is
named Diana Rickard.
Ex-editor Michael Delle Femine brought an awareness of the
rest of the comics world to Cracked, and now it appears that
fannishness (which lately was what distinguished Cracked from
Mad) is gone. It seems like Cracked once again wants to be
content to imitate Mad.
“Twin Peaks” fans might like the “Twin Geaks” board game
included in the inside covers, drawn by Mike Ricigliano.
>>> TINAR <<< --Dave
==========================
animation/comics #571, from hmccracken, 371 chars, Sat Jan 12 22:05:23 1991
This is a comment to message 570.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
Is Don Martin still with _Cracked_? I wonder if there's
some internal strife at _Mad_ which explains the defections
of such long-standing contributors to a much less high-profile
(and presumably poorer-paying) periodical. I haven't read
_Cracked_ in years, but remember wondering why such a splendid
cartoonist as John Severin was wasting his time with them.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #572, from davemackey, 234 chars, Sun Jan 13 07:13:12 1991
This is a comment to message 571.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
Yes he is; and he did the front cover of the issue in question.
Part of the reason that Martin made the switch is that Cracked
allows him to retain ownership of his work, which Mad never
could.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #573, from aturn, 50 chars, Sun Jan 13 08:45:00 1991
This is a comment to message 572.
--------------------------
I presume you meant "would" rather than "could".
==========================
animation/comics #574, from davemackey, 544 chars, Sat Jan 19 13:56:07 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
TITLE: Cal and Tom
"Goofy Adventures" no. 11, which shipped this past week, features
two more submissions from veteran cartoon/comics writer Cal
Howard: "The Return of Goofy da Vinci," which was first published
in 1965, and a brand-new story called "A Goofy Look At Weather."
(I wonder if Cal Howard's Hot Dog Stand is still in business?)
Also, the lead story in "Donald Duck Adventures" no. 11,
"What's For Lunch...Supper?" is written by another name not
unfamiliar to animation fans, Tom Yakutis.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #575, from hmccracken, 69 chars, Sat Jan 19 16:47:41 1991
This is a comment to message 574.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
Unfamiliar to this animation fan, Dave: who's Tom Yakutis?
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #576, from davemackey, 372 chars, Sun Jan 20 07:30:15 1991
This is a comment to message 575.
--------------------------
Tom Yakutis has written and designed cartoons for Hanna-Barbera
and DePatie-Freleng for the last 25 years or so; in fact, at
DePatie-Freleng he designed the first "Inspector" cartoons. He
also worked on some of the Warner Bros. features.
Don't feel bad for not knowing. For every little tidbit I
know, there's a dozen I don't.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #577, from hmccracken, 971 chars, Thu Jan 24 21:03:47 1991
--------------------------
TITLE: New Comic Strip
Has anybody seen a new strip called _Big Nate_, about a little boy
who wants to be a cartoonist? From what little I've seen, it is
drawn in a style so close to Bill (_Calvin and Hobbes_) Watterson's
as to be practically actionable. There are a bunch of strips with
Wattersonesque touches out there, and this is clearly the one that,
artistically at least, owes the most to his work.
The strip is syndicated by United Features, the folks who -- in a
business blunder that ranks with all those publishers who turned'
down _Gone With The Wind_ -- paid Bill Watterson to develop _Calvin
and Hobbes_ and then decided it wasn't worth publishing. They seem
to have been haunted by this ever since, and have introduced a
number of features that seem like attempts to make up for the
error. _C&H_ is now one of the top five strips in the world;
United has probably lost millions because they didn't realize
what a success the strip would be.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #578, from hmccracken, 473 chars, Sat Jan 26 17:12:18 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
TITLE: Comics history enthusiasts should be fascinated
by the first issue of a magazine called _Pure Images_, which is
mostly devoted to a history of the creation of Spider-Man.
Even if you're not into Marvel comics or superheroes in
general (and I'm not) this is an absorbing piece. Did you
know that the very earliest version of the character was
created for a Harvey comic book to be drawn by C.C.
(_Captain Marvel_) Beck in the early 1950s? I sure
didn't!
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #579, from aturn, 217 chars, Sun Jan 27 00:11:51 1991
This is a comment to message 578.
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--------------------------
I havne't seen the article in question, but somehow I think that
the part about CC Beck is either a mistake, or refers to a different
character of the same or similar name. Could you quote the passage in
question?
==========================
animation/comics #580, from hmccracken, 554 chars, Sun Jan 27 11:29:23 1991
This is a comment to message 579.
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--------------------------
Nope, it's not a mistake, considering that they reprint an entire
penciled story by Beck, but it is a complicated turn of events.
Joe Simon came up with a character he called variously Spiderman
or the Silver Spider and had Beck draw a story with it. It was
submitted to Harvey and rejected. From there the path to Marvel's
character seems convoluted but clear. True, the original Simon
character is a vastly different one from the Ditko-Lee one.
The fact that he was a guy who dressed up like a
spider and climbed walls was the constant.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #581, from richard.pini, 367 chars, Sun Jan 27 16:58:45 1991
This is a comment to message 580.
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--------------------------
You might want to look at that book that Joe Simon did just recently with
his son (of course I can't recall the title, and I am away from my library).
It's a history of the comics, with a heavy slant toward what he and Jack Kirby
contributed (but not a bias, if you take my meaning - he slings no mud). And
there's a good bit about the 'original' SpiderMan in there.
==========================
animation/comics #582, from hmccracken, 244 chars, Sun Jan 27 17:22:00 1991
This is a comment to message 581.
--------------------------
I haven't read the Simon book, but this article quotes from it at length.
Simon and Kirby's work at Harvey, and Kirby's later work at Marvel,
is the link between this early version of Spiderman and the one that
Lee and Ditko wrought.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #583, from aturn, 1091 chars, Sun Jan 27 23:34:18 1991
This is a comment to message 580.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
Without actually having read Pure Images, it still seems rather
tenuous to me. After all, DC had a character in the Forties called the
Tarantula, who also stuck to walls. Ideas at that sort of simple level are
a dime a dozen. What made Spider-Man stand out was the execution, not
"Here's a guy who dresses like a spider and sticks to walls". (I speak
here *only* of the Ditko version, by the way. After he left, the book
took a nosedive from which it never recovered, IMHO)
I will take a wild guess here and say that the Simon Spiderman/
Silver Spider was later reworked into the Simon/Kirby Fly. Am I right?
Am I also right in recalling that Greg Theakston, long time Kirby
partisan, is the editor and/or publisher of Pure Images? Rather than
concentrating on the *indisputable* parts of his creatorship problems with
Marvel, Kirby has lately spent a lot of effort trying to prove that
Spider-Man was entirely his creation. I say it was the Ditko input that
made that feature stand out, regardless of who made up the name, and that
is what counts, as far as I'm concerned.
==========================
animation/comics #584, from hmccracken, 322 chars, Mon Jan 28 01:03:21 1991
This is a comment to message 583.
--------------------------
Right, the Silver Spider did become the Fly, and Theakston is the
man behind the magazine. The article seemed pretty convincing
to me -- you probably need to read it yourself to see how
believable you find its evidence. You're right that 99% of
what made Spider-Man a good character was Ditko's contributions.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #585, from aturn, 472 chars, Sun Feb 17 01:28:51 1991
This is a comment to message 569.
--------------------------
The second issue (of 2) of this is out now, featuring such stuff
as a debunking of comic book origins, a countdown if the ten worst comics
of the past twenty-five years, and a quick salute to the worst comic of
1990. Comes sealed in a plastic bag to prevent peeking; a gimmick that
caused at least one shop that I know of to automatically put it in their
"adults only" section (Quite mistakenly. This may qualify as slightly
subversive satire, but hardly salacious).
==========================
animation/comics #586, from hmccracken, 1578 chars, Sun Feb 17 15:43:15 1991
--------------------------
TITLE: The first volume of a planned full-color, complete reprint
series of Cliff Sterrett's _Polly and Her Pals_ is now available.
It's gorgeous. If you're not familiar with Sterrett or _Polly_,
the guy's work has been compared to Herriman's, if
Herriman drew a family strip that was sort of along
the lines of _Blondie_. (Actually, Polly is unmarried
and much of the action revolves around her father, but
the feel is somewhat similar.) Personally, I find
Herriman's work far greater than Sterrett's on a
conceptual basis (and I'm not all that big a _Krazy
Kat_ fan, even so.) But visually, Sterrett's work
is hard to beat. This first volume of reprints is
subtitled "The Surrealist Period," and that's pretty
accurate. Other cartoonists have designed more
beautiful pages than Sterrett, but I can't think of
anyone whose individual panels were as beautifully
creative and funny as Sterrett's. He's probably the
greatest forgotten genius of the comics, although
he's getting less forgotten all the time.
This reprint book is $34.95, which is a hefty price for
a book of around a hundred pages. But it is a hardcover,
and it is all in handsome color -- it's a very good-looking
volume. If $34.95 is a bit rich for your tastes, there are
at least a couple of less-expensive Sterrett reprint projects
going on, although they're in black-and-white and they cut
up the strips and rearrange them to fit their page sizes.
(I haven't quite worked up the courage to buy the $34.95
volume myself -- it's published by Kitchen Sink Press,
BTW -- but probably will.)
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #587, from hmccracken, 854 chars, Tue Feb 26 23:31:34 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
TITLE: The current issue of _The Comics Journal_ is a special
Walt Kelly one. There's an interview with Kelly, done in 1969;
he seems to have been tipsy at the time. There are also several
short Pogo and Kelly articles and some interesting artwork.
This good material is surrounded by the usual combination of
infantile backbiting, mediocre news reporting, and vanity-press
writing that has characterized the Journal for a long time. The
article in this issue by Scott Russo on the recent High and Low
art exhibit is one of the most gratuitously stupid things the
Journal has run. The infantile backbiting has been a part
of the Journal from day one, but the poor quality of much of
the magazine is more recent and, I believe, due to the revolving-door
staff they seem to have.
(Does anybody else out there *read* _The Comics Journal_?)
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #588, from aturn, 465 chars, Tue Feb 26 23:37:47 1991
This is a comment to message 587.
There are additional comments to message 587.
--------------------------
Well, I *used* to read the Comics Journal, but their erratic
publishing schedule finally got to me. That, and "the usual combination
of infantile backbiting, mediocre news reporting, and vanity-press
writing" (good summation, that. Oh, TINAR, of course)...
As for the revolving-door staff, well, I have known, in my time,
many people who worked for Gary Groth at one time or another. Know how
many of them ever had a single nice thing to say about him?
None.
==========================
animation/comics #589, from bsoron, 81 chars, Wed Feb 27 00:12:22 1991
This is a comment to message 587.
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--------------------------
Read 'em? Sure. I even worked for 'em (a summer internship back
in college).
==========================
animation/comics #590, from davemackey, 261 chars, Wed Feb 27 00:47:09 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
TITLE: "Why I Hate Saturn"
Could it be another DC Comics inspired series for CBS? Well, one
of the projects in development over there is "Why I Hate Saturn,"
which is based on a Pirhana Press graphic novel by Kyle Baker.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #591, from aturn, 63 chars, Wed Feb 27 00:56:43 1991
This is a comment to message 589.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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--------------------------
And you're one of the people I was referring to in #588, Bob!
==========================
animation/comics #592, from bcapps, 1333 chars, Wed Feb 27 01:36:21 1991
This is a comment to message 590.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
If you had a chance to see the TV Guide from a few weeks ago, oh, say about
6 weeks or so, which had Batman(Keaton) and Flash on the cover, it talked
about some of the projects currently under development in Tinseltown.
"Saturn" was mentioned as was "Green Arrow(!?!)" (hope it can be done
more along the social issues and less along the violence, although that
is a common thread in social issues these days. 🙁 )[ie, referring to
the numerous complaints lodged against Grell's GA for misogyny].
If you're itching to follow comic-related projects in the film world
, your best bets are Starlog, Comic Scene and CBG. Starlog runs a
MediaLog column which covers SF and Comic related projects. Comic Scene,
though infrequent, has a Comics-only version of MediaLog and it
currently over 50 projects listed in some stage or another. CBG reports
on press releases as it receives them (or finds out about them) and it
has an insider, Darrell McNeill(sp?) doing a column called Animation News,
which covers more than just Animation in H-wood (kinda like a Mark
Evanier scoop on things, but more from just a reporting point of view).
TINAR (The preceeding is a paid (by my sub on BIX, ha!) public-service
announcement for all you information addicts out there.)
Bob (currently doing time in an office somewhere north of Detroit...)
==========================
animation/comics #593, from switch, 106 chars, Wed Feb 27 10:03:28 1991
This is a comment to message 587.
There are additional comments to message 587.
--------------------------
Occasionally. I find the sniping and pretentiousness a bit too much
to read the Journal regularly.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #594, from bsoron, 73 chars, Wed Feb 27 11:47:57 1991
This is a comment to message 591.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
But I *can* say something nice about Gary Groth.
He never hit me.
==========================
animation/comics #595, from richard.pini, 145 chars, Wed Feb 27 15:26:04 1991
This is a comment to message 587.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
I read it, snippets of it, now and again, since they send it to me. Mostly
I like to see whether or not someone's taken a shot at us or EQ... 😉
==========================
animation/comics #596, from hmccracken, 225 chars, Wed Feb 27 21:31:18 1991
This is a comment to message 594.
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--------------------------
I don't know Groth, but I do have a fanzine he published when he
was fifteen or so. He was as unbridled a "fanboy" -- did he
coin that word? -- as anybody ever was. Explains a lot about
the _Journal_, I think...
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #597, from hmccracken, 513 chars, Wed Feb 27 21:38:31 1991
This is a comment to message 592.
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--------------------------
Bob, Darrell McNeil's column is famous among those in the animation
industry for basically reporting months-old, incorrect information
from other trade journals as triumphant scoops. Darrell also devotes
so much of the column to plugging his own projects that I've more than
once heard an animation type say something vaguely self-promoting
prefaced by "I don't want to sound like Darrell McNeil, but..."
CBG also has a better animation columnist whose material they rarely
get around to printing.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #598, from hmccracken, 390 chars, Wed Feb 27 21:42:39 1991
This is a comment to message 589.
--------------------------
When was that? I've read it long enough that I remember when it
was a TBG clone called _The Nostalgia Journal_.
Actually, upon re-reading my comments I see that I was a bit unfair.
The Journal has enough good stuff that I rarely miss an issue.
It's mainly the news section, Groth's editorials and responses to
letters, and the work of one particular columnist that get to me.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #599, from switch, 77 chars, Wed Feb 27 23:07:54 1991
This is a comment to message 596.
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--------------------------
Yes, but weren't we all? I certainly was. (And oh do I regret
it...)
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #600, from hmccracken, 231 chars, Thu Feb 28 00:11:10 1991
This is a comment to message 595.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
Actually one of the nadirs of _TCJ_'s criticism was made in reference to
EQ about five years ago. Have they ever printed anything as silly as
the assertion (I'm paraphrasing only slightly) that "Wendy Pini can't
draw?"
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #601, from hmccracken, 534 chars, Thu Feb 28 00:14:52 1991
This is a comment to message 599.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
We all were, Emru, and most of us still are from time to time. Nothing
wrong with Groth having been a fanboy; I just think _TCJ_'s elitist-or-
whatever critical stances are, in part, shaped by Groth's, er, growth as
a comics fan. That's actually not bad at all that the magazine reflects its
editor so closely. I predict that if _TCJ_ still exists under Groth's
editorship in thirty years, it will be championing _Blondie_ and _The
Family Circus_, or whatever it is that Groth is interested in at that point
in his life.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #602, from davemackey, 275 chars, Thu Feb 28 02:04:28 1991
This is a comment to message 596.
--------------------------
I gave up reading the Journal a while ago due to price; I'm not
aware of its latter deterioration.
I apply the old Voltaire homily towards Groth: I may not
agree with what he says but I'll defend to the death his right to
say it.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #603, from davemackey, 200 chars, Thu Feb 28 02:04:39 1991
This is a comment to message 597.
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--------------------------
Isn't John Cawley was now contributing to CBG? that would be an
immediate improvement over the "Big D" whose information usually
goes in one and out the other.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #604, from davemackey, 100 chars, Thu Feb 28 02:04:46 1991
This is a comment to message 601.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
Or he could further confuse us by becoming a Marvel Zombie!
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #605, from bcapps, 1019 chars, Thu Feb 28 04:31:18 1991
This is a comment to message 597.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
I wasn't aware. I have noticed the rather large amount of "chest-beating"
on his part, but I was kinda chalking it up to over zealous enthusiasm.
Some of it I had noticed to be dated after reading about it earlier
here on BIX. I would imagine that Don and Maggie are happy to
receive editorial content for such a weekly vacumn of a periodical
such as CBG. Be if from folks who can write or "writers" themselves.
Er, that should be it, not if. CGB could certainly use more Anim
coverage and if it were more timely and worthwhile it would be
even better. Unfortunately, if the opinion is as widespread as
it might seem from your comments, it would indicate that CBG
could be held in higher esteem in the industry. And not only in
Anim, but Comics itself. But I still tend to prefer it to the
TCJ, since I usually prefer my news closer to the unbias side
even if it has to be sugar-coated somewhat, than towards the
ranting/raving/hate-everyone-except-who-we-publish-and-like slant.
(TINAR, TINAR, TINAR).
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #606, from aturn, 154 chars, Thu Feb 28 07:42:46 1991
This is a comment to message 594.
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--------------------------
LOL!
Come to think of it, I *have* heard that particular nice thing from
several of Groth's former employees, so I guess my earlier post was too hasty.
==========================
animation/comics #607, from aturn, 739 chars, Thu Feb 28 07:48:19 1991
This is a comment to message 604.
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--------------------------
Well, he used to *be* one, more or less. Before the Comics Journal,
there was the Nostalgia Journal. Everyone knows that, because he will
freely admit it.
But what he won't so freely admit is that before there was the
Nostalgia Journal, there was Fantastic Fanzine (I have a copy of it around
here someplace..), as big a piece of Marvel boosterism as you're likely to
find this side of Marvel Age. This was in the early 70's, if I remember
properly, but it may have been early. Anyway, the point is not merely
fanboyishly enthusiastic Marvel Zombie stuff, but the fact that the use of
language (if you will) is similar to what he does now, thus wrapping the
whole package up in an air of intellectual pretension and horrid elitism.
==========================
animation/comics #608, from bsoron, 566 chars, Thu Feb 28 16:50:59 1991
This is a comment to message 606.
--------------------------
Seriously, though, having worked both for Groth's Comics Journal and
Hal Schuster's Comics Feature, there's no comparison. Because my two
bosses here in Harvard Square were good friends, Comics Feature was more
fun, though we never knew from one week to another if the checks would
arrive from the business offices in Florida -- and, if they did, if they'd
clear. (Our paychecks bounced a number of times.) But for all the fun,
working at the Journal was a *better* experience, for a number of
generally unquantifiable reasons. (Did I just contradict myself? 🙂
==========================
animation/comics #609, from richard.pini, 58 chars, Thu Feb 28 17:45:40 1991
This is a comment to message 600.
--------------------------
Not that *I've* read... ROAR! That *was* so perfect... 😉
==========================
animation/comics #610, from hmccracken, 143 chars, Thu Feb 28 18:11:45 1991
This is a comment to message 604.
--------------------------
Right, _Fantastic Fanzine_ is what I have a copy of. You could not
construct a more perfect example of fanboyishness if you tried.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #611, from davemackey, 370 chars, Thu Feb 28 23:12:57 1991
This is a comment to message 605.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
THe problem I've always had with CBG is that such irregular
columns as Darrel McNeil's are held until they have the space to
run them. Believe it or not, they do like to maintain some
balance of editorial vs. ads, and it's always in the proportion
that maximizes revenue. This is why some of Darrel's "scoops"
appear to be dated.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #612, from hmccracken, 207 chars, Fri Mar 1 00:04:20 1991
This is a comment to message 603.
--------------------------
I don't know if John is continuing his column or not; I know that it
was supposed to be a bi-weekly (I think) one, but CBG built up a
great backlog and then printed stuff after it was out-of-date.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #613, from hmccracken, 116 chars, Fri Mar 1 00:07:14 1991
This is a comment to message 611.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
Don and Maggie say, I believe, that the ad-editorial ratio in CBG is
quite consistent from week to week.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #614, from bsoron, 364 chars, Fri Mar 1 10:21:47 1991
This is a comment to message 613.
--------------------------
The Post Office has rules on the ratio of editorial to advertising
matter in publications, to distinguish them from shoppers and
advertising supplements. I haven't read CBG since it was TBG, but I
wouldn't be surprised if the rag's editorial-to-advertising ratio was
very close to the minimum defined by the Post Office. (I *think* it's
25 percent editorial.)
==========================
animation/comics #615, from mscoville, 360 chars, Sat Mar 2 20:51:28 1991
--------------------------
TITLE: Frederico Fellini
A new comic strip has debuted by Frederico Fellini (director of such films as
8 1/2). The entire article about the strip is in this weeks Entertainment
Weekly on page 7. It is interesting to note that the article states when
Mussolini outlawed comic strips in 1938, Fellini did his own version of Flash
Gordon as a protest. mscoville
==========================
animation/comics #616, from davemackey, 188 chars, Mon Mar 4 19:10:06 1991
This is a comment to message 594.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
The only nice thing I can say about Groth is he printed a letter
of mine once -- it's in issue no. 103, if anyone's desperate
enough to look it up.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #617, from davemackey, 376 chars, Mon Mar 4 19:10:20 1991
This is a comment to message 565.
--------------------------
The guys who do the TMNT strip sound like a law firm: Clarain,
Lawson, Berger and Kelleher. And they only take credit for the
strip on Fridays and Sundays.
Incidentally, the actual story continuity only takes place
on Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday entries are
reserved for crafts, puzzles, or other special features.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #618, from richard.pini, 331 chars, Mon Mar 4 19:52:10 1991
This is a comment to message 616.
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--------------------------
Heh. One of the flames I have against GG is that he printed a letter of *mine*
once - followed by the flaming reply he let the subject of my letter write,
ahead of publication. I know that the power of the press belongs to those who
have one, but I've always felt that that particular practice was manipulative
and grossly unfair.
==========================
animation/comics #619, from hmccracken, 52 chars, Mon Mar 4 20:08:07 1991
This is a comment to message 618.
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--------------------------
They write and draw like a law firm, too.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #620, from davemackey, 308 chars, Mon Mar 4 23:04:36 1991
This is a comment to message 618.
--------------------------
I hear where you're coming from. It seems like yellow journalism
at its best, and perhaps is part of the reason I gave up reading
the Comics Journal (that, and the fact that recent economic
considerations have forced me to cut back on lots of
comics-related reading).
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #621, from davemackey, 64 chars, Mon Mar 4 23:04:46 1991
This is a comment to message 619.
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--------------------------
And are about as funny.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #622, from hmccracken, 19 chars, Mon Mar 4 23:22:52 1991
This is a comment to message 621.
--------------------------
Exactly.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #623, from davemackey, 273 chars, Mon Mar 11 01:50:17 1991
--------------------------
TITLE: New C&H t.p.
T.P. doesn't stand for toilet paper or Twin Peaks -- it's trade
paperback, and C&H, quite naturally, is Calvin and Hobbes. Just
published by Andrews and McMeel: "The Revenge Of The Baby-Sat,"
the eighth C&H book.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #624, from davemackey, 777 chars, Mon Mar 11 19:04:44 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
TITLE: Happy Birthday to you....
Today is the 40th anniversary of the "Dennis The Menace" comic
strip, created by Hank Ketcham. (This is not to be confused with
a British comic strip with the same name, in which Dennis has a
dog named Gnasher.)
With this in mind, one of the tabloids this week had a story
about Jay North, who played Dennis in live action in the 1950's
and later gave voice to animated characters on "Pebbles and
Bamm-Bamm" and "Here Comes The Grump." Jay recently admitted on
the "Geraldo" show that he recently stayed in his room for two
years "and studied dark, horrible books about serial killers and
mutilations." On a happier note, he married on March 2 and cites
therapy for helping straighten his head out.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #625, from davemackey, 409 chars, Mon Mar 11 19:05:10 1991
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--------------------------
TITLE: Family Circus by Jeffy
Be forewarned: today's "Family Circus" panel sets the stage for
another week of strips allegedly drawn by son Jeffy in Dad's
absence. These strips are usually the funniest that the feature
has to offer, since Bil Keane usually goes for sentimentality
more often than not -- the sort of strips Grandma would cut out
and carry in her purse.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #626, from davemackey, 243 chars, Mon Mar 11 19:06:18 1991
--------------------------
TITLE: "Spring Fever"
Disney's "Spring Fever" one-shot is now out, and it features a
lead story reprint by Carl Barks. Animation-related contributors
include Jaime Diaz, Ed Nofziger and Don Christensen.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #627, from hmccracken, 84 chars, Mon Mar 11 20:34:53 1991
This is a comment to message 624.
--------------------------
There is, BTW, another big art book of _Dennis_ reprints coming
out soon.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #628, from hmccracken, 321 chars, Tue Mar 12 23:15:13 1991
This is a comment to message 625.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
_The Family Circus_ is the closest thing we have to an Ernie Bushmiller
_Nancy_ today in many ways. Weirdly formalized drawing, the same
gags driven into the ground 1,000,000 times, etc. I find the sequences
about the family's grandfather lolling around heaven and observing the
family genuinely disturbing.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #629, from davemackey, 177 chars, Wed Mar 13 19:05:34 1991
This is a comment to message 628.
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--------------------------
To me, the worst ones are "Not Me," showing little spectrelike
creatures so labeled being responsible for the kids' mischief.
Oh, yucch.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #630, from davemackey, 377 chars, Wed Mar 13 20:41:22 1991
This is a comment to message 629.
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--------------------------
First of the Billy (not Jeffy -- I can't tell those damn kids
apart) strips ran today. It was his father telling him never to
draw his cartoons on notebook paper. Which he did.
Now I can remember drawing lots of cartoons in my early
years on notebook paper, so I'll probably be cutting that one out
and carrying it in my wallet! 🙂
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #631, from hmccracken, 232 chars, Wed Mar 13 21:48:55 1991
This is a comment to message 630.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
As has probably been mentioned here in the past, the ironic thing
is that Bil Keane's son Glen *is* a cartoons -- one of Disney's
finest modern-day animators, in fact. So if Billy continues with
his artwork he may go far.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #632, from hmccracken, 76 chars, Wed Mar 13 21:49:40 1991
This is a comment to message 631.
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--------------------------
Oops -- read "cartoonist" for "cartoons" in the previous message.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #633, from bsoron, 226 chars, Thu Mar 14 01:25:37 1991
This is a comment to message 631.
--------------------------
Part of me would love to hear that Glen Keane has a Harley, smokes
four packs a day, and is regularly published in the Penthouse letter
column. Purely as a reaction to the fantasy world his father creates,
you understand.
==========================
animation/comics #634, from dave.f, 538 chars, Thu Mar 14 12:22:54 1991
This is a comment to message 592.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
I also recall seeing SATURN mentioned in that TV Guide article. I hope
they can come up with a better ending than Kyle did. He's a great
artist and really has a feel for dialog, but he just does not know
how to end a story. Reminded me of the National Lampoon line "and
then everybody got run over by a bus. The End" Totally out of left
field. The Cowboy Wally Show, which I consider one of the funniest
comics I've ever read, also ended poorly. Perhaps Kyle just needs
a collaborator who can work on closure to his stories.
D=
==========================
animation/comics #635, from bsoron, 370 chars, Thu Mar 14 18:06:08 1991
This is a comment to message 634.
--------------------------
I'll agree that "Why I Hate Saturn" ended in pretty weird fashion,
but I thought Cowboy Wally was great down to the last panel. It's
true that the last page was just a couple one-liners serving as a
transition between the end of the last story and the back cover, but
they were in character for Wally, and there wasn't anywhere else to
take the story at that point.
==========================
animation/comics #636, from davemackey, 378 chars, Wed Mar 20 20:57:40 1991
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--------------------------
TITLE: A Jeopardy! question
In the category "Museums," the answer is "Mort Walker is one of
the artists exhibited in a Rye Brook, New York museum of this
type of art."
The question, of course, is "What is comics?"
This was an actual question from the broadcast of March 18,
and a pretty nice plug for the Museum Of Cartoon Art.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #637, from bcapps, 338 chars, Thu Mar 21 01:51:42 1991
This is a comment to message 636.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
I seem to recall mention in CBG that some of those Jeopardy! question
writers/researchers are avid comics fans. I recall seeing several
episodes in which comics were the subjects of the questions, many
times under "Fictional Characters." But this one is a good hook.
I like it! (One of these days, I'm gonna get there. I swear!)
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #638, from davemackey, 1193 chars, Fri Mar 22 18:44:31 1991
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--------------------------
TITLE: Return of the Daily News!
The New York Daily News has resumed full-fledged union
publication after a long, crippling strike.
In deference to its comics readers, the News provided its
readers who were away during the strike a two-page recap of
events in many of its comic strips, including "Annie," "Winnie
Winkle," "Gasoline Alley," "The Amazing Spider-Man,"
"Doonesbury," and "Dick Tracy."
It also listed notable highlights from some non-continuity
gag strips, including "Calvin and Hobbes," "Peanuts" and "Cathy."
If I'm not mistaken, this walkout was much longer than the
famous newspaper strike in the 30's that forced then-Mayor
Fiorello LaGuardia to read the comics over the radio. But no
need for Mayor Dinkins to do this today.
IMHO, I think savvy readers could figure out where they
could find their favorites in other papers; maybe friends from
out of town could fax them the strips, or they could wait for
bound compilations.
But now that the strike is over, new owner Robert Maxwell
will take Skeezix, Winnie, Zonker and B.D., and all the rest
(in the words of the paper's new motto) "Forward With New York."
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #639, from davemackey, 467 chars, Fri Mar 22 18:44:49 1991
This is a comment to message 637.
--------------------------
One "Jeopardy!" researcher in particular, a guy named Carlo
Panno, was very much interested in Disney trivia, and you could
bet that whenever there were questions about Mickey Mouse and
Donald Duck, Panno wrote them. (Panno now works on "The
Challengers.")
While on the subject, there's a guy on the "Jeopardy"
editorial staff named Fredrik Pohl IV, and it isn't difficult to
guess which famous SF writer he's related to.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #640, from hmccracken, 550 chars, Sat Mar 23 09:48:58 1991
This is a comment to message 638.
There are additional comments to message 638.
--------------------------
I'm glad the _Daily News_ has a full-fledged comics section again.
Historically, its comics pages are among the richest of any paper,
since its longtime publisher Captain Joseph Patterson used it
(and/or its sister paper, the _Chicago Tribune_) to introduce
_Dick Tracy_, _The Gumps_, _Little Orphan Annie_, _Moon Mullins_,
and a lot of other great strips. I haven't read the _News_'s
Sunday comics section in fa few years, but last time I checked it
was still quite nice -- good quality paper and printing and a
nice selection of strips.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #642, from hmccracken, 683 chars, Sat Mar 23 17:16:04 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
TITLE: Tom and Jerry returning to your newsstand
An ad in current issues of Harvey comic books states that Harvey will
soon be publishing a Tom and Jerry comic book. The ad also says that
the comic will feature stories and art by the great Carl Barks.
Assuming that Mr. Barks has not come out of retirement at the
age of ninety to do Tom and Jerry comics for Harvey, it seems safe to
say that the comic will include reprints of the "Barney Bear and
Benny Burro" stories he did as back-ups for the Dell Tom and Jerry
comic in the 1940s. Wonder if the rest of the comic will be reprints
as well. The ad features an extremely garish drawing of Tom and
Jerry in tuxedoes.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #643, from hmccracken, 767 chars, Sat Mar 23 18:47:22 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
TITLE: Dennis is Forty
_Dennis the Menace_ is celebrating its fortieth birthday, and to mark
the event they've been reprinting what I assume is the first week of
the panel in place of new work this week. I believe this was also
done ten years ago when the feature turned thirty. Now whether this
is done partially to give Hank Ketcham a week off or not I don't know,
but it's a nice touch, and reminds us of how enduring a popular comics
feature can be. I mean, can you imagine a TV show lasting this long,
let alone rerunning forty-year-old episodes without them looking like
something from the ancient past?
Ketcham did something similar but even nicer during the week of July
4th, 1976 -- the week's _Dennis_ panels were all set in colonial times.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #644, from davemackey, 166 chars, Sat Mar 23 19:20:33 1991
This is a comment to message 642.
--------------------------
Why do the artists of the 90's feel the urge to dress Tom and
Jerry? First the garish Hawaiian shirts and jams, now tuxedos!!
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #645, from davemackey, 303 chars, Sat Mar 23 19:20:46 1991
This is a comment to message 643.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
Ketcham did this last week, as well, and some of the older work
hasn't aged a bit (except for design alterations over the years,
normal for any long-running strip).
Ketcham himself turned 71 this past week, by the way, so
it's a double birthday celebration.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #647, from dave.f, 134 chars, Mon Mar 25 12:05:59 1991
This is a comment to message 638.
--------------------------
I assume the Spider-man recap was not long. Nothing much has happened in
the current story since it began back in August!!! ;^}
D=
==========================
animation/comics #648, from davemackey, 234 chars, Fri Mar 29 20:04:18 1991
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--------------------------
TITLE: Calvin puts his toy tiger away for a while
"Calvin And Hobbes" is going on a nine-month hiatus effective May
5. Looks like Bill Watterson's gonna take it easy after six long,
hard years.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #649, from hmccracken, 137 chars, Fri Mar 29 20:10:09 1991
This is a comment to message 648.
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--------------------------
REALLY? Will there be reprints?
Gee, I wonder why Bill doesn't hire someone to ghost the strip for
the nine months... 😉
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #650, from adunkin, 69 chars, Sat Mar 30 20:57:18 1991
This is a comment to message 649.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
They are reprinting from the comic's start--1985.
--- Alan Dunkin
==========================
animation/comics #651, from davemackey, 359 chars, Sun Mar 31 00:22:58 1991
This is a comment to message 650.
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--------------------------
Watterson joins Garry Trudeau, Gary Larson and Berke Breathed in
the ranks of syndicated cartoonists that have had to take a
breather from their creations (though Breathed's breather was
actually recuperation from an accident). Wonder what "Peanuts"
would be like today if Schulz took a year off between 1955 and
1956.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #652, from hmccracken, 433 chars, Sun Mar 31 12:19:29 1991
This is a comment to message 651.
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--------------------------
Of course many cartoonists have taken long breaks in the past; it's
just that they've run unannounced reprints or ghosted strips in
place of new work. I understand that _Blondie_ was ghosted for something
like forty years -- the death of Chic Young's young son was so hard on
him he was unable to continue his strip.
George McManus took another approach when he needed a break: he'd write
new dialogue for old strips.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #653, from hmccracken, 848 chars, Sun Mar 31 19:12:46 1991
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--------------------------
TITLE: The new _Pogo_ strip (which is actually about two years
old now) has had a change in personnel: writer Larry Doyle has left.
Neal Sternecky, who has been drawing it all along, now writes it as
well. So far he's been doing a respectable job -- although it
should be noted that the current Sunday story, in which Owl, Churchy,
and others are presumed, through a complex series of events, to have
been infant-ized by the Fountain of Youth, is a direct steal from
one of Walt Kelly's funniest sequences. (Kelly actually did two
versions of the sequence -- one for the comic books in the 1940s, and
a later, improved one for the newspaper strip.) If you're familiar
with the Kelly story, the Sternecky one is different enough that it
might be interpreted as a tribute...but I doubt that too many
readers remember Kelly's version.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #654, from hmccracken, 191 chars, Sun Mar 31 19:13:41 1991
--------------------------
TITLE: See today's funny papers for a cute _Marvin_ strip in which
Marvin is visited by Roger Rabbit, Bugs Bunny, Oswald the Rabbit (!)
and other famous bunnies on Easter morning.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #655, from bsoron, 127 chars, Sun Mar 31 21:24:21 1991
This is a comment to message 652.
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--------------------------
And Pogo started reprinting old strips before Kelly died; his widow
didn't start on the strip for some time after he died.
==========================
animation/comics #656, from bsoron, 348 chars, Sun Mar 31 21:27:01 1991
This is a comment to message 653.
--------------------------
The Sunday story is really crawling along... there's been no progress
in the plot for some time. Each week, another reaction shot. I wouldn't
want a gag-a-week format for the Sunday strip, and I know Kelly's work
rarely moved quickly and rarely had clear beginnings or endings, but you
*did* get the sense that things were happening, at least.
==========================
animation/comics #657, from hmccracken, 304 chars, Sun Mar 31 22:33:04 1991
This is a comment to message 655.
--------------------------
Right. While Kelly was sick _Pogo_ was a combination of reprints,
art by several ghosts, new gags with paste-up Kelly photostats, and
some new story and art by Kelly (including some stuff done by him when
he was very ill which is very, very sad -- see the reprint collection
_Phi Beta Pogo_).
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #658, from davemackey, 373 chars, Mon Apr 1 19:05:34 1991
This is a comment to message 652.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
Forgive me for not knowing first names, but for years the Blondie
strip was signed Young & Raymond or Young & Gersher; perhaps
one of these two acted as Chic Young's ghost artist. I would
assume that the Young in both cases was surviving son Dean, who
continues the strip today with Stan Drake doing the art (and
maybe the writing?)
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #659, from hmccracken, 416 chars, Mon Apr 1 22:09:41 1991
This is a comment to message 658.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
Jim Raymond drew _Blondie_ ford decades and was credited for the
work after Young's death. When he died, he was replaced by
Gersher, who was replaced for some reason by Stan Drake, who
isn't as goqood (at drawing _Blondie_, that is; he is an excellent
"serious" cartoonist). To continue the _Blondie_ tradition
of uncredited work, Drake's assistant draws something like half
the strips without credit.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #660, from davemackey, 303 chars, Mon Apr 1 23:16:53 1991
This is a comment to message 659.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
But more importantly, Stan Drake is sort of a "company man"--
he's one of the Connecticut clique, if you will. He used to draw
"The Heart Of Juliet Jones," and if you'd told me then that he'd
be doing "Blondie" years down the road, I'd have laughed in your
face.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #661, from hmccracken, 102 chars, Tue Apr 2 07:30:41 1991
This is a comment to message 660.
--------------------------
Does he no longer draw _Juliet_? That was the best of the soap
opera strips for my money.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #662, from hmccracken, 634 chars, Fri Apr 12 18:13:27 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
TITLE: Is it just me or...
is Garry Trudeau's current series of "excerpts" from the Kitty Kelley
biography of Nancy Reagan as irritating to others as it is to me?
I am not a Reaganite. I might enjoy a sequence of satire based on the
book's revelations. But all Trudeau is doing is quoting stories that
make Mrs. Reagan look bad, and then (in the guise of his characters)
smirking. Come to think of it, that's what most of his satire has
consisted of for years -- (allegedly) factual statement about the
misdoings of a Republican or conservative, followed by smugness.
Naturally, Democrats -- I'm one -- escape unscathed.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #663, from davemackey, 146 chars, Tue Apr 30 23:19:37 1991
This is a comment to message 662.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
"Entertainment Weekly" did much the same thing last week,
serializing parts of the book in comics format.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #664, from hmccracken, 293 chars, Tue Apr 30 23:22:52 1991
This is a comment to message 663.
--------------------------
In the case of the Trudeau strips, he seems to have served as
a witting or unwitting promotional tool for the book. Kitty's
press agents apparently released him one of the very few
advance copies that went out. _Entertainment Weekly_ was much
more clever with the same basic idea.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #665, from davemackey, 701 chars, Sun May 5 01:28:03 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
--------------------------
TITLE: CBG 913...
...has an interesting article by Bob Miller regarding feature
film development by Walt Disney's animation unit. (Far be it from
me to spill the beans here. Some surprises.)
It also passes along this note (and I'm sure Don and
Maggie won't mind me passing this along to you, because they'd
probably agree that this is important for you to know): Dr.
Seuss, Theodore Geisel, is in the hospital. According to Shel
Dorf, "It will cheer him up to get lots of mail from people,
especially if people tell him what he's meant to them."
The address to send cards is Dr. Seuss c/o San Diego Museum
of Art, P.O. Box 2107, San Diego, CA 92112.
--Dave
==========================
animation/comics #666, from hmccracken, 211 chars, Sun May 5 07:51:30 1991
This is a comment to message 665.
There are additional comments to message 665.
--------------------------
I'm certainly sorry to hear about Dr. Seuss. BTW, a future issue
of _Animato_ may include an interview with him by John Province,
covering his work during World War II on the Private Snafu
cartoons.
-- Harry
==========================
animation/comics #667, from sharonfisher, 57 chars, Sun May 5 09:47:44 1991
This is a comment to message 665.
--------------------------
>“what he’s meant to them.”
Christ, that sounds ominous.
==========================
animation/comics #668, from sje, 1262 chars, Sun May 5 15:38:26 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Harvey Comics Revisited
It has been over twenty years since I saw a Harvey comic, so I scouted
one of the local stores for an example of their recent work. I came up with
Harvey Classics Casper #1 (Mar 1991) and Wendy #1 (Apr 1991).
Each issue has thiry-two pages of color plus cover pages. There are
several stories in each, and I would guess that the target age group is
between eight and twelve years of age. A letters column is included along
with some advertising for other Harvey items. Interestingly, there are no
advertisements for any third party companies.
The covers are nicely done and are standard size. Inside, the quality
of the paper is much like comics of the 1960s and similar to that seen in
Sunday paper advertising inserts with a fairly rough, non-glossy texture. The
coloring is somewhat disappointing on two counts. First, the printing screen
is rather coarsely grained compared to other current comic books. Second, the
were many coloring errors with respect to consistency of eye color, color
overlap, and registration. On the plus side, the lettering is neat and easily
readable. Also, the cover price is only US$1.00, among the lowest of most
titles. — Steve
[This is not a Byte review; it’s a Steve review]
==========================
animation/comics #669, from hmccracken, 249 chars, Sun May 5 17:25:37 1991
This is a comment to message 668.
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————————–
As may have been mentioned here in the past, Harvey has digitized
large amounts of old artwork and stored it on optical disk, and
also does its coloring with computers. It’s possible that this
explains the coarseness you mention, Steve.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #670, from sje, 506 chars, Sun May 5 20:23:27 1991
This is a comment to message 669.
————————–
I checked the screen resolution and it looks pretty close to single
point (about 0.35 mm or 1/72 inch). I doubt if it has much to do with optical
storage; there are just too many places where coloring of eyes, clothes, and
so forth are just plain mistakes. Also, the dynamic range is limited to what
appears to be only sixty-four colors. (Newer comics and most graphic comics
have 1024 colors.) I would say that the overall artwork is close to what is
seen in the Sunday paper color comics. — Steve
==========================
animation/comics #671, from davemackey, 464 chars, Sun May 5 23:37:07 1991
This is a comment to message 668.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
It should be noted that Harvey is now split into two entities:
Harvey Comics (their “traditional” titles) and Harvey Rockomics
(their New Kids On The Block titles). Forthcoming titles will
include the comics revivals of “Woody Woodpecker,” “Tom And
Jerry,” the return of Martin Taras’ “Baby Huey,” and an
adaptation of the “Back To The Future” animated series for which
Gil Kane (!) has drawn the cover for the first issue.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #672, from sje, 592 chars, Mon May 6 00:12:24 1991
This is a comment to message 671.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The Casper and Wendy issues I wrote about each had plenty of
advertisements for NKOTB titles. One such title appeared to be a fusion
of Richie Rich and NKOTB.
I think that Harvey could have a good chance at the over-twelve
market if they would take a few hints from DC, Marvel, and Disney with
respect to production standards. I think that the market could stand a
slight price increase if it meant a significantly better product.
I’m a little disappointed that there weren’t any Hot Stuff episodes
in either of the issues. There is apparently no Hot Stuff series, either.
— Steve
==========================
animation/comics #673, from hmccracken, 406 chars, Mon May 6 04:21:33 1991
This is a comment to message 672.
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————————–
I believe, Steve, that _Hot Stuff_ is still published
on some sort of ongoing basis, even if it isn’t very
often. If Hot Stuff stories aren’t printed in other
Harvey comics, it’s just part of the complicated and
not very logical rules that Harvey has always used.
(I believe that Little Dot stories are often printed
in Richie Rich comics, but Little Audrey stories never
are, for instance.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #674, from dave.f, 239 chars, Mon May 6 08:56:23 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: TWILIGHT
Has anyone been reading TWILIGHT? The second issue just came out. Chaykin
will win no awards for originality, or clarity of storytelling, but
Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez’s art (looking very Mobeus-like) is quite striking.
D=
==========================
animation/comics #675, from hmccracken, 133 chars, Mon May 6 09:38:26 1991
This is a comment to message 674.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I hadn’t heard of it, Dave. What’s it about? Garcia-Lopez has always
been a very decent artist. Underappreciated, too.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #676, from davemackey, 303 chars, Mon May 6 19:09:11 1991
This is a comment to message 672.
————————–
I took another look at the Harvey listing in the latest CBG and
somehow forgot to mention that they’re also reprinting the old
“Felix The Cat” comics and a toy-tie-in series called “Monster In
My Pocket.” So they are offering a diverse array of titles once
more.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #677, from dave.f, 601 chars, Thu May 9 09:04:56 1991
This is a comment to message 675.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
It’s a 3-part prestige format SF story. Takes place over the span of a
millenium. Recounts how mankind finds immortality due to enzymes found
in an alien race (the Methuseloids) and the havoc that causes. Sub plots
of religious wars, over-zealous paramillitary space forces, sentient
animals resulting from gene-slicing mixed with bionic experimentation.
In case I didn’t mention in my first message, DC is publisher. To reiterate,
the story may win no prizes, but the art is fabulous. Chaykin manages
to include the characters Manhunter 2070 and Tommy Tomorrow in highly
unexpected ways.
D=
==========================
animation/comics #678, from bsoron, 67 chars, Thu May 9 14:18:57 1991
This is a comment to message 677.
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————————–
And, like any Howard Chaykin book, there’s plenty of oral sex.
==========================
animation/comics #679, from aturn, 1500 chars, Fri May 10 00:31:33 1991
This is a comment to message 677.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
You say “Highly unexpected”.
I say, as a longtime DC fan, given that his versions of Tommy Tomorrow,
Star Hawkins, Manhunter 2070, the Star Rovers, etc. bear no resemblence at
all to the originals, that I don’t understand why he didn’t just create new
charactres for this series (Given his involvement in the Ironwolf series, I
will forgive his reuse of that character in a distorted way.). After all,
newer readers won’t remember the characters at all, and older ones like
myself who had some affection for the original versions of the characters
will tend to find his ‘misuse’ of them offputting, and a hindrance to their
potential enjoyment of the series.
Personally, I thought they got off on the wrong foot with the ads in
thier other books for this series with the line “You’ve read the fiction
about these people. Now you’re ready for the truth” (or however they
phrased it). I am sick of the attitude that has permeated almost every DC
book since 1985: if you liked anything they did before that, you were stupid
and foolish, and now deserve to be discarded.
Yeah, I know this is a fanboyish sort of complaint, but I will admit
to a long-standing emotional involvement with certain DC series and concepts
that have almost all been written out of their fictional histories. Kind of
makes me feel, well, cheated, abused and abandoned.
But, yeah, the art on Twilight is real good. Why Garcia Lopez has
never quite seemed to gain the popularity he should have is quite beyond me.
==========================
animation/comics #680, from aturn, 65 chars, Fri May 10 10:04:36 1991
This is a comment to message 678.
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I *knew* there was something missing from the Flash TV Program!
==========================
animation/comics #681, from hmccracken, 712 chars, Fri May 10 17:56:43 1991
This is a comment to message 679.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
While I haven’t read the comic in question or any other DC comic in
quite awhile, I agree with the general thrust of your message.
I imagine that others here will disagree with my fezeling that almost
every comic which purports to update or adult-ize an old superhero —
up to and including _Dark Night_ and the like — are ludicrous and
vaguely embarassing. Superheroes are by their very nature a fantastic
and ultimately childlike (not *quite* the same thing as childish)
concept. Any story with gentlemen and ladies running around in
long underwear, deflecting bullets, is going to be like that. So
why not sit back and enjoy it, rather than trying to graft realism
and adult material onto it?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #682, from hmccracken, 480 chars, Mon May 13 16:53:51 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: I *thought* Calvin looked a little funny today…
Bill Watterson’s sabbatical has begun, and _Calvin and Hobbes_ is
in reprints of the strip’s very early days. While these strips
have been reprinted to death in books, they haven’t been seen in
the newspaper since first publication, back in 1984 or so as I
recall. It’ll be interesting to see how well they’ve withstood
the test of time, and whether the strip’s popularity is hurt by
the lack of new material.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #683, from davemackey, 133 chars, Mon May 13 19:29:31 1991
This is a comment to message 682.
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I think it’s a to-the-day reprinting of strips from 1985. It did look a
little strange, yes.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #684, from davemackey, 622 chars, Mon May 13 22:11:06 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: George Delacorte
This week’s Time just barely mentions the recent passing of George Delacorte
at the age of 97 in New York City.
Who was George Delacorte and what does he have to do with comics,
anyway? Delacorte was the founder and owner of the publishing company that
bore his name, and also published magazines and comic books under the Dell
imprint, including the Walt Disney and Looney Tunes comics, and the ever
popular Four Color comics. (Though the comics line is no longer existent,
the Dell name lives on, mainly as a publisher of crossword puzzle magazines.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #685, from hmccracken, 376 chars, Mon May 13 22:14:22 1991
This is a comment to message 684.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Gee, who would have thought he was still alive? Before the Dell
comics line turned into Gold Key Comics (for reasons which remain
murky, at least to me) it was at tone time the best-selling —
and arguably the best — comic book line in America. Certainly
in Carl Barks, John Stanley, and Walt Kelly it had three of
the finest artists ever to work in the medium.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #686, from davemackey, 488 chars, Tue May 14 01:18:44 1991
This is a comment to message 685.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Weren’t there some issues of “Walt Disney’s Comics And Stories” which topped
the million mark in circulation, which is unheard of even by today’s
standards?
I’m not old enough to remember Dell comics; in fact my local barber shop
specialized in Gold Key comics, mostly adventure titles. I think they had
“Little Lulu,” “Magnus, Robot Fighter” and the “Tarzan” comics for your
reading pleasure while you were waiting to have your ears lowered.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #687, from hmccracken, 300 chars, Tue May 14 09:06:59 1991
This is a comment to message 686.
There are additional comments to message 686.
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Dave, I’ve heard that there were issues of _Walt Disney’s Comics
and Stories_ that sold more than *three* million copies in the
early 1950s. Comic-book reading was much more universally a
part of childhood then; presumably TV did a lot to erode comics’
popularity in the 1960s and 1970s.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #688, from bcapps, 92 chars, Tue May 14 22:46:34 1991
This is a comment to message 686.
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unheard of, except in maybe, say, over-hyped, Marvel first-issue collectors items?
Bob
😉
==========================
animation/comics #689, from hmccracken, 1292 chars, Sat May 18 14:16:00 1991
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TITLE: Disney Comics go Historical
It may just be coincidence, but the Disney Comics line seems to
be indulging in a lot of obscure comics history references
lately. At the moment, _Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories_ is
reprinting cartoons drawn in the 1920s by Carl Barks (the great
artist/writer of Donald Duck comics) for an obscure naughty
humor magazine called _The Calgary Eye-Opener_. The cartoons,
mainly tame cheesecake drawings, are reprinted without captions,
maybe because even today they are a little strong for a Disney
comic (and I’ve seen other early Barks cartoons that are a bit
more strong than the ones Disney is reprinting).
Disney has also recently introduced a comic called _Roger
Rabbit’s Toontown_, and in the second issue, Roger meets
Gertie the Dinosaur! This isn’t out yet, but the first issue
prints the cover, which is wonderful.
Perhaps the oddest of all is the last issue of _Goofy Adventures_
magazine, in which Goofy appears in a story as Count Dracula
(actually, I think he’s called Count Goofula or something like
that). The story is written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated
by Gene Colan and Tom Palmer. Elderly Marvel comics fans will
recall that this was the creative team on _Tomb of Dracula_, a
popular comic of the mid-to-late 1970s.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #690, from richard.pini, 603 chars, Sun May 19 09:18:45 1991
This is a comment to message 681.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Howie (he hates to be called that now that he’s ‘legit’ – but we go way back)
has as his basic driving force a cynicism that must take the old and naive
and charming and turn it into the bleak and trendy and (IMO) ugly. he did it
with the Shadow and he’s doing it with all of those “Mystery in Space” and
related-title second banana characters from DC. It’s an intriguing concept on
the surface of it, and I agree with the assessment that the art is very nice,
but just as I consider Superman to be the WEisenger-era character, so I
consider all those SF characters to be as they were, not as they are.
==========================
animation/comics #691, from bsoron, 338 chars, Sun May 19 12:34:55 1991
This is a comment to message 690.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I honestly haven’t been able to follow Twilight… I’ll give it a shot
once I have the whole thing, but it’s tough to tell who’s who in the damn
thing. Maybe DC’s one concession to the Good Ol’ Days should be using new
versions of those little pictures of the characters’ faces that used to
run in the margins of the splash panel…
==========================
animation/comics #692, from davemackey, 113 chars, Sun May 19 16:32:25 1991
This is a comment to message 691.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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That’s a nice idea… then they’ll probably bring back the Go-Go Checks!
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #693, from bsoron, 136 chars, Sun May 19 23:53:22 1991
This is a comment to message 692.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I think that a year or two ago, they *did* bring back Go-Go checks,
at least on their annuals. Wonder how many fans got the joke…
==========================
animation/comics #694, from davemackey, 313 chars, Tue May 21 23:12:29 1991
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TITLE: Last issue of “Mighty Mouse”…
…is a must read if you’re a big fan of late-night television. That’s all
I’m gonna say, except the issue was drawn by Mike Kazaleh and includes some
surprise appearances from some other animated cartoon stars of the Terrytoons
era.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #695, from davemackey, 324 chars, Tue May 21 23:12:40 1991
This is a comment to message 693.
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Marvel once put Go-Go Checks on the covers of their books during an
“Assistant Editors Month” a number of years ago, back in ’83 or ’84. (Your
message somehow got garbled due to the vagaries of 2400 Baud and you may have
been talking about Marvel in the first place, for all I know.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #696, from davemackey, 323 chars, Sun May 26 06:52:51 1991
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TITLE: Look for Jim in “Tale Spin”
The comic book version of “Tale Spin” No. 3 promises an interview with Jim
Cummings in No. 6. Cummings, of course, provides several voices on the
animated version of the show. Also printed in the current issue is the cast
credit list for the show.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #697, from davemackey, 428 chars, Sun May 26 06:53:04 1991
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TITLE: “101 Dalmatians” movie tie in
Disney Comics has shipped the “101 Dalmatians” movie tie-in. It consists of
the main feature from Four Color Comics #1183 (1961), drawn by Al Hubbard,
and two backups, one featuring Lucky from Al Hubbard (1979) and a Cruella
DeVille Christmas story drawn by Willie Ito and Mike Royer (1985).
Disney, of course, is reissuing the film this summer.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #698, from switch, 2394 chars, Sun Jun 2 19:03:17 1991
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TITLE: Recent acquisitions
It’s been a while since I commented on my recent comic purchases,
largely because I buy my stuff a month or two late most of the time.
However, my most recent batch was only a week or two late, so I
decided to inflict you all with my opinions once again 😉
THE PROFESSIONAL: GOLGO 13 — Takao Saito’s classic manga about
an emotionless cipher of an assassin, translated to English. Golgo 13
(named for the unlucky number and Golgotha) is a man who never misses
a shot, who is fluent in over a dozen languages, knows more about
military hardware than any other man, and is seemingly unaffected
by his surroundings. He rarely says anything, and does little to
endear himself to anyone… and yet he’s one of the most fascinating
characters in manga history. Each episode is a variation on the
same theme: Duke Togo (Golgo’s “real” name) must kill someone.
Oddly enough, it never seems to get tiring as we read about how
Duke influences those around him, especially his victims. This
isn’t the first time Golgo 13’s adventures have been translated
into English; I’ve a few digest-sized translations (“Ice Lake Hit”
and another whose name escapes me), plus one issue which was released
by Lead Publishing a few years back on rather cheap paper (the Lead
version seemed to be reprinted from the digest). Golgo 13 is the
second of Viz’ color releases, which I object to on the basis of
mucking with the original black and white art, plus the fact that
they jack the price up to $4.95 US/$6.50 Cdn. Oh, well, at least
the coloring is by Saito Productions, so I assume it has some
approval from Saito-san himself. I prefer the originals, though.
COMICS EXPRESS — Bizarro’s bizarre, Ernie’s absurd, The Quigmans
occasionally elicits a chuckle, Pogo is good but still not quite
the same, The New Breed has far too many bad puns but thankfully less
Far Side wanna-bes, Shoe is Shoe, The Neighborhood is occasionally
funny, Mother Goose & Grimm is funny, Outland is outlandish, and Bad
Habits has its moments.
AKIRA #30 — Some seriously wild stuff with Tetsuo attacking the
naval carrier, Kei closing in for the kill, the army moving in,
and Kaneda and company about to make a full frontal assault.
With all the action and fantastic art, it still doesn’t quite
pack the same punch as earlier issues. I hope it picks up.
BATMAN #464 — It’s a Batman story.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #699, from davemackey, 302 chars, Mon Jun 3 20:00:28 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Ed Dodd
Ed Dodd, who created the adventures of outdoorsman Mark Trail, died recently
at the age of 88.
Dodd, who passed the day-to-day chores of the strip to Jack Elrod in
1981, created the strip in 1946 and ran in a modest 200 papers at its height.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #700, from sje, 317 chars, Mon Jun 3 22:44:34 1991
This is a comment to message 699.
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The _Mark Trail_ strip is well remembered; it gave a lot of city kids
a view of things not commonly seen. I also recall an additional bit of its
social awareness: in response to a young reader’s question about the title
character’s pipe smoking, “Mark” gave up the tobacco as an example for the
children. — Steve
==========================
animation/comics #701, from davemackey, 692 chars, Wed Jun 5 20:06:07 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, Cousins!
Dig this, New York Radio Fans! Cousin Bruce Morrow will be appearing as
himself in the eighth issue of “Archie’s Riverdale High,” which is being
published in August.
Cousin Brucie, who is going to be caricatured by artist Stan Goldberg
for the comic, is currently with WCBS-FM and hosts a weekly show called
“Cruisin’ America.” Prior to that he worked at WINS and WABC in New York.
Bruce was pressed into service by Archie when editor Barry Grossman
discovered he and Brucie went to the same NYC high school, James Madison High
School. (Preview panels of the comic appear in this week’s “Broadcasting.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #702, from hmccracken, 1486 chars, Wed Jun 5 21:24:20 1991
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TITLE: Harvey Comics’s first issues of _Tom & Jerry_ and
_Woody Woodpecker_ are out, and I’m sorry to say they
aren’t very impressive. They seem to be made up mostly
of work of recent vintage done for European consumption,
poorly lettered in English and with mediocre production
work in general.
What’s really galling is that the _Tom & Jerry_ comic
has a large headline on the cover trumpeting the fact
that the comic features stories and art by Carl Barks,
the great Disney duck cartoonist. Now, the stories by
Barks are not Tom & Jerry stories but actually _Barney
Bear and Benny Burro_ stories (story, actually) that
he did many years ago. Harvey has added “Story and
art by Carl Barks” to the first panel of the story in
a hand meant to resemble that of Barks, as well
as (I believe) re-lettering the story and generally
tampering with it. Needless to say, the Barks story
is the only one in either of these comics that is
credited…Harveyt’s just trying to cash in on the
cachet of the Barks name, apparently.
I have higher hopes for Harvey’s upcoming _Felix the
Cat_ comic, which will include work by Otto Messmer,
Felix’s creator.
— Harry
(And I forgot to mention: the _Tom & Jerry_ story has
a second Barney Bear and Benny Burro story that is
*totally* uncredited — there’s a completely blank
panel at the start that was clearly intended to
hold the titles. I wonder if they mistakenly credited
this story to Barks and stripped out the panel at
the last moment.)
==========================
animation/comics #703, from hmccracken, 1293 chars, Fri Jun 7 23:13:06 1991
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TITLE: _The Complete Color Polly and Her Pals_, Series One: the
Surrealist Period, Volume One_ — which I mentioned awhile
back — is *wonderful*. I finally got up the courage to
plunk down my $34.95, and I’m so glad I did. Cliff
Sterrett’s comic strip (which ran for a long time, although
its highpoint was the 1920s, which this volume reprints
about a year and a half’s worth of) may not be quite as
good as _Krazy Kat_, as Rick Marschall’s introduction
claims, but it’s pretty darn close, and Sterrett’s sense
of composition is probably the greatest in the history
of comics. This particular reprint book from Kitchen
Sink Press, along with the companion _Kolor Krazy Kat_
series, is the most exquisitely well-done comic strip
reprint series even done. The paper quality and
color work is outstanding, and the introductory
material, including Marschall’s introduction and
a preface by Art Spiegleman, is unusually good.
Kitchen Sink’s work on these books and on its
_Li’l Abner_ series is to be cherished.
I know there aren’t a lot of old-time comic strip
fans out there in BIXland, but those of you who
are out there should snap this book up…Come to
think of it, those who *aren’t* old-time comic
strip fans might become ones if they read a little
_Polly and Her Pals_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #704, from hmccracken, 346 chars, Sat Jun 8 20:41:14 1991
This is a comment to message 702.
There are additional comments to message 702.
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For the record, Harvey Comics continues to increase its
publication list with the addition of _Tom and Jerry and
Friends_ and _Woody Woodpecker and Friends_ (which are
apparently in addition to plain ol’ _Tom and Jerry_ and
_Woody Woodpecker_) and _Scooby Doo_. These three new
publications are set to premiere in a couple of months.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #705, from davemackey, 383 chars, Sun Jun 9 07:14:44 1991
This is a comment to message 702.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I got the first issue the other day, and I don’t think the Barks version of
Barney Bear comes close to capturing the sleepy essence of the cartoon
character. It’s good as Barks, though.
If you want to compare the original to the reprint, the code numbers in
the first panel indicate that the story originally appeared in Our Gang no.
12.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #706, from switch, 1837 chars, Sun Jun 9 13:29:18 1991
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TITLE: More stuff
This week’s acquisitions: 2001 Nights #8&9, Batman #465, Captain
Harlock #13, Crying Freeman Part 2 #9, Detective Comics #632,
Horobi Part 2 #5&6, Justice League America #5, Justice League
Europe #28, Oultlanders #29, The Professional: Golgo 13 #2, Venus
Wars #2.
2001 NIGHTS #8 — First, on “Night 16: Colony”: This story was
predicable, but still an enjoyable read and a pleasure to look
at. Still, there’s something that was only glossed over that
I wish was explained in more detail: we have a group of women
flying in a phallic transport named “Scheherazade”, seemingly
collecting sperm samples in the er traditional manner. Huh?
I _really_ want to know how _2001 Nights_ #9 finishes. A ship
from Earth encounters another, unknown ship powered by a laser drive.
As a result of investigating this, they crash on Betelgeuse II
and encounter weird flora and fauna, losing a few crewmates.
Their only hope is to find out just who is firing that laser…
BATMAN #465 — Nice to have a single-issue, non super-villain
story. I do believe I might actually like Tim Drake as Robin
as well; he makes more sense, carries a big stick, doesn’t run
around in jockey shorts, and is more like Grayson that Todd.
CAPTAIN HARLOCK #13 — oddly enough, I prefer Tim Eldred’s work
(inked by Steve Kreuger) to Ben Dunn’s for this title. I liked
Ben Dunn’s work, but Eldred seems to be able to handle the range
from grim to comedic a lot better.
CRYING FREEMAN PART 2 #9 — This has just gotten ridiculous.
HOROBI PART 2 #5&6 — The end of #6 is making Horobi look like _Akira_.
Actually, considering this is a horror comic, it’s amazing how
much talking and how little action there is. Ninety percent of
this comic is philosophizing, theorizing, power games and anticipation.
More on the rest later, got to run…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #707, from hmccracken, 399 chars, Sun Jun 9 22:00:35 1991
This is a comment to message 705.
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I don’t have that issue of _Our Gang_, and I’ll wager it doesn’t
come cheaply, including as it does art by both Carl Barks and
Walt Kelly (who did the “Our Gang” feature itself for quite
a while). Barks’s Barney Bear and Benny Burro stories owe little
to the MGM cartoons that vaguely inspired them, but Barks did
at least one Droopy story that was quite faithful to the Avery
cartoons.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #708, from hmccracken, 495 chars, Sat Jun 22 21:57:51 1991
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TITLE: For the record, Harvey comics has revived Baby Huey, who
last had his own regular comic book something close to twenty
years ago. _Big Baby Huey_ #1 (don’t know why they added the
“big” to the comic’s name) is now on sale. Only the
cover is new; the interior consists of reprints of stories
that may be by Huey’s creator, Martin Taras. Harvey
has also released _Casper and Friends_ #1, in anticipation
of the repackaged Casper TV cartoon series that will
premiere this Fall.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #709, from hmccracken, 430 chars, Sat Jul 6 17:12:07 1991
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TITLE: Obituary
Art Sansom, creator of the NEA-syndicated comic strip _The
Born Loser_, died on Thursday at the age of 70. Sansom had
just recently won a National Cartoonists Society award for his
strip, which at one time was one of the top ten sydicated
strips in this country. _The Born Loser_ will presumably be
carried on by his son, Chip Sansom, who has shared credit with
his father on the strip for some years.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #710, from davemackey, 320 chars, Wed Jul 10 03:23:18 1991
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TITLE: Obituary: Dr. Nicholas Dallis
Dr. Nicholas Dallis, 79, creator and writer of the comic strips “Judge
Parker,” “Rex Morgan, M.D.,” and “Apartment 3-G,” died on Saturday in
Scottsdale, Arizona.
All three strips were not drawn by Dr. Dallis, but by professional
artists.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #711, from davemackey, 410 chars, Wed Jul 10 03:23:31 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: A Blondie’s Place is NOT in the home
Blondie Bumstead, perennial housewife, is joining the workforce.
It has been reported that the longtime comics page staple “Blondie” is
going to see Dagwood put up a little resistance at first, but will eventually
accept his wife’s decision to go to work.
“Blondie” is written by Dean Young and drawn by Stan Drake.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #712, from hmccracken, 75 chars, Wed Jul 10 09:15:07 1991
This is a comment to message 711.
There are additional comments to message 711.
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Let’s all hope that Blondie gets a better boss than Mr. Dithers.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #713, from tsin, 404 chars, Wed Jul 10 11:36:37 1991
This is a comment to message 711.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Even *I* will comment to this!!!!
It is certainly about time!!!
One small step for Women, One GIANT LEAP for BLONDIE!
(personally I am glad those people are not *MY* neighbors!!)
(and….why *has* she stayed with Dagwood all this time?)
(what *I* really want to know is…..HOW DOES SHE STAY SOOOO BLON
at her age???? I need this bit of info for the future! Don’t say “Clairol!”
🙂
Cynthia
==========================
animation/comics #714, from hmccracken, 509 chars, Wed Jul 10 14:42:15 1991
This is a comment to message 713.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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————————–
I’ve always wondered how old Dagwood and Blondie are supposed to
be. They have teenaged kids, so I suppose they’re in their
forties or so, but they’re sort of frozen in time.
The problem I have with Blondie as a character is that she used
to be a dizzy blonde; when that sort of humor became unfashionable,
they stripped her of those characteristics without replacing them
with anything else. I hope that Blondie getting a job will spur
Drake and Young on to give her a bit more personality…
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #715, from davemackey, 455 chars, Wed Jul 10 21:29:44 1991
This is a comment to message 713.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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More power to her! I think it’s absolutely great that Blondie’s becoming a
working woman. It’s a way of getting some new blood in there, but also it
makes a good statement about the times — the women no longer necessarily
stay home with the kids (if they even have them).
As to why she stays so blonde, she dyes her hair only on Sundays, when
the strip is in color! The rest of the week she stays natural! 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #716, from davemackey, 343 chars, Wed Jul 10 21:29:55 1991
This is a comment to message 714.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Bob, kibbitzing at my side tonight, has suggested the first “Blondie goes to
work” strip, and I hope Young is taking unsolicited submissions: Blondie
running around the house like a maniac getting ready for work, kissing Dag’
on her way out and KNOCKING OVER THE MAILMAN!!! Funny, huh? Think about it.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #717, from hmccracken, 230 chars, Thu Jul 11 10:23:13 1991
This is a comment to message 716.
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Gee, I wonder if Dagwood and Blondie will take the trolley to work
together? Will they both eat in that diner? Who will hold Dagwood’s
pants for him when he rushes to get ready for work? These are
important questions.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #718, from bferg, 157 chars, Thu Jul 11 11:03:16 1991
This is a comment to message 717.
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————————–
I think, perhaps, the household will adapt to Blondie’s working.
Perhaps Dagwood will be a little more self responsible and hold
his own pants!
😉
Barbara
==========================
animation/comics #719, from davemackey, 140 chars, Thu Jul 11 19:05:45 1991
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TITLE: What’s with Larson?
“The Far Side” was a repeat from 1986 today. Larson on sabbatical again?
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #720, from hmccracken, 161 chars, Thu Jul 11 19:25:32 1991
This is a comment to message 719.
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Dave, I think that quite a few Far Sides are reprints; Larson
seems to do a Carson-type gig in which the new stuff is
padded out with a lot of reruns.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #721, from adunkin, 134 chars, Thu Jul 11 21:25:43 1991
This is a comment to message 719.
There are additional comments to message 719.
————————–
probably for a couple of days or weeks … Larson will always need time
off to devuldge up some sick things … 🙂
— Alan Dunkin
==========================
animation/comics #722, from tsin, 77 chars, Fri Jul 12 11:42:36 1991
This is a comment to message 715.
————————–
Oh YEAH!!! To quote a dear friend, “She’s drawn that way!!”
HAHAHA!!
cynthia
==========================
animation/comics #723, from tsin, 411 chars, Fri Jul 12 11:50:52 1991
This is a comment to message 717.
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————————–
Hopefully Blondie will continue to help Dagwood get ready for work..
Of course she will…And he in turn will zip her dresses..
With the extra income, they will add another bath…One just for Blonde..
That way no traffic jams in the morning!
If Blonde is smart she will be sure that her job is VERY flex to
so that
she can meet Dag for lunch…AND get in a bit of shopping before having
to get back!!
🙂
cynth
==========================
animation/comics #724, from tsin, 61 chars, Fri Jul 12 11:52:06 1991
This is a comment to message 718.
————————–
But helping each other can be soooo
uhhhhhh….FUN!
🙂
cynth
==========================
animation/comics #725, from davemackey, 967 chars, Sat Jul 13 07:29:35 1991
————————–
TITLE: Of “Groo” and “Alf”
Two of the better humor titles in the Marvel canon are always referred to as
“Groonalf” because they both ship the same week and are always bought
together, and they both have maintained high standards throughout their run
and are worthy of a little spotlight.
“ALF,” still in publication despite the demise of the live action and
animated cartoon shows, continues to surprise with its extraordinarily hip
gags for a kids’ book. The creative team, writer Michael Gallagher and
artists Dave Manak and Marie Severin, have been with the book since issue
one. Always good for a few chuckles.
“Groo” (officially titled “Sergio Aragones Groo The Wanderer”) is in the
middle of a four part mini series, “The Legend of Thaais,” about a young
princess raised in the jungle. Mark Evanier still continues to do whatever he
does on “Groo,” thank goodness (his job title changes every issue). {TINAR}
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #726, from davemackey, 481 chars, Mon Jul 15 19:09:39 1991
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————————–
TITLE: This panel has a Chinaman’s chance of doing well
Tribune Media Services has begun syndicating an updated version of Henri
Arnold’s “Ching Chow” panel called “Mister Luckey.” Luckey is less of an
ethnic stereotype than Ching had been, and Arnold now has ownership of the
character, but it’s still the same format — illustrated Chinese proverbs.
Arnold also continues as artist with writer Bob Lee on that scrambled word
game, Jumble.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #727, from hmccracken, 223 chars, Mon Jul 15 21:00:10 1991
This is a comment to message 726.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Was _Ching Chow_ still running?
Wow. Am I right in remembering
that that panel was a spinoff
decades ago from _The Gumps_,
the most popular comic strip of
the 1920s? Does anyone care
about this stuff except me?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #728, from davemackey, 313 chars, Mon Jul 15 22:01:39 1991
This is a comment to message 727.
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————————–
30 column screen, eh, Harry? 😉 Regardless… I think “Ching Chow” was still
running, at least in Chicago and New York. I merely think Arnold took
advantage of an opportunity to modernize his strip and make a little $$$ for
himself through self-ownership of the character.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #729, from hmccracken, 211 chars, Tue Jul 16 09:15:08 1991
This is a comment to message 728.
————————–
Yep, due to assorted computer failures I was BIXing on
a Radio Shack Model 200 when I left that message. Folks
who drop in on tonight’s CBIX will be treated to the
same non-wide screen format from me.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #730, from richard.pini, 1000 chars, Tue Jul 16 09:43:47 1991
This is a comment to message 723.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
And then, of course, when all of this gets implemented, it won’t be
“Blondie” any more. Perhaps more consideration ought to be given to the
thought that comics have lifetimes just as do certain technologies. When
Herriman died, the syndicate wisely let “Krazy Kat” die with him, knowing
that no one could pick up the reins. Response is mixed on the continuation
of “Pogo” and I think that the new “Nancy” is a disaster without Bushmiller’s
strange vision. “Blondie” grew out of the Roaring Twenties and had its heyday
in the 40s and 50s, when America was indeed (mostly) the breadwinner and
housewife combination with 2.5 kids. (Please note I use those terms in
context.) Seems to me that very few cultural icons are capable of making
the transition – successfully – to a different culture, and 1990 America is
certainly different from 1940 America. It seems to be a kind of “heroic
measure” to keep some strips going… and I am *not* looking forward to
Spielberg’s adaptation of Peter Pan, either.
==========================
animation/comics #731, from davemackey, 524 chars, Tue Jul 16 12:54:56 1991
————————–
TITLE: Marvel on the big board
Spider-Man, Captain America, and other characters from the Marvel family of
superheroes invaded Wall Street today as Marvel Entertainment began trading
on the New York Stock Exchange. The various characters made an appearance on
the Exchange floor to call attention to the new stock offering.
CNN reported that the stock opened at $16.50 a share; by noon, the new
stock was the most actively traded for the day thus far and was above the $18
mark.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #732, from hmccracken, 1236 chars, Tue Jul 16 15:23:21 1991
This is a comment to message 730.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Richard, I have mixed feelings about this whole question.
In many ways I am a purist. I’m glad _Krazy Kat_ died
with Herriman. I wish _Pogo_ had been allowed to do so
when Kelly passed away. I even sometimes shock people by
saying that maybe Disney should have stopped making animated
features around 1941, when they were still fresh and full
of life and bef — and that the *last* thing today’s Disney should
be trying to do is to recreate the original features.
OTOH, consider this: it is apparently true that Chic Young
didn’t have that much to do with Blondie from a fm fairly early
on. If the strip was already being ghosted when Young died,
there was no real reason why it shouldn’t continue.
More importantly, it’s easy to forget that _Blondie_ was
at one time a truly relavant, contemporary strip. In the
1930s, Blondie and Dagwood were young marrieds whose
life really did mirror those of the strip’s readers. It’s
just that almost sixty years later, the strip has barely
moved in time. If Young and Drake do a good job of it, having
Blondie work could really be a return to _Blondie_’s roots
in a way — the strip would once again be trenchant, rather
than the pleasant artifact that it’s been for so many years.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #733, from richard.pini, 314 chars, Wed Jul 17 11:49:32 1991
This is a comment to message 732.
There are additional comments to message 732.
————————–
The key phrase in your reply being, of course, “If Young and Drake do a good
job of it…” I agree. It could be good. But I’m not going to hold my breath,
because good jobs of it are hard to come by in any milieu anyway, and also
because the concept of relevancy here in the 90s totally eludes me these
days… 😉
==========================
animation/comics #734, from bsoron, 515 chars, Sat Jul 20 14:23:42 1991
This is a comment to message 732.
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————————–
I liked Neal Sternecky’s Pogo better than the stuff Kelly’s wife an
assistants did after his death; Larry Doyle’s stuff has been pretty
uninteresting. Years of reading comic books by former fans have stripped
me of the feeling that characters intrinsically belong to their creators
and should vanish when the creators lose interest or die. I *do* wish I
could say “For every Pogo there’s a Swamp Thing” (I don’t feel that the
different media invalidates the point), but the proportion isn’t nearly
so generous.
==========================
animation/comics #735, from bsoron, 226 chars, Sat Jul 20 14:25:31 1991
This is a comment to message 719.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The weekly Austin Chronicle carries two Far Sides each issue, all of
which are reprints. Comic Relief doesn’t carry all the Far Sides (they
acknowledged once that they just print the funny ones), but most of them
are new.
==========================
animation/comics #736, from adunkin, 279 chars, Sat Jul 20 21:43:47 1991
————————–
TITLE: Spider Man
McFarlane says he’s leaving Spider Man as of #16 (will not be in #15) ….
because his wife his having the first baby, and he will be away for awhile.
Marvel also admitted that Spider Man was to be a Dark Knight Classic-like
series. Sheesh.
— Alan Dunkin
==========================
animation/comics #737, from hmccracken, 559 chars, Mon Jul 22 09:12:54 1991
This is a comment to message 734.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Crockett Johnson’s _Barnaby_, which you’d think would be a tough
strip to continue after its creator left it, was carried on very
well for a while. The first few post-Gould years of Dick Tracy,
when it was drawn by Rick Fletcher, were good. Dick Moores
did a great job with _Gasoline Alley_. There are examples of
great strips being carried on successfully, but they’re rare,
and I think a lot of them are story strips rather than humorous
ones. For some reason it’s hard to emulate somebody else’s sense
of humor than it is their dramatic sense.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #738, from davemackey, 598 chars, Sun Jul 28 08:21:36 1991
This is a comment to message 701.
————————–
Maybe a Spoiler…………………………………………………..
This book has been shipped, and sadly, it’s the last issue of “Archie’s
Riverdale High.” Maiden editor Barry Grossman did a pretty good job
distingushing his book from other Archie titles by featuring a different
school each issue and running school spirit features.
What is more intriguing to me is the cover feature, in which Archie
dates a girl who’s neither Betty nor Veronica. (I won’t say who.) Could this
be a major change in the Archie mythos, or just a passing fancy?
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #739, from davemackey, 949 chars, Sun Jul 28 08:21:56 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Big book o’ Nancy
I don’t know why it’s taken so long to find, but I discovered in the comics
shop this week a huge book called “The Best Of Ernie Bushmiller’s Nancy” (as
opposed to Al Plastino’s Nancy or Mark Lasky’s Nancy or Jerry Scott’s Nancy),
by Brian Walker, the son of Mort. It was published by Henry Holt in 1988 but
I suspect Kitchen Sink, Nancy’s current-day protector, to have unearthed and
distributed the book anew. Lots of strip reprints spanning Ernie’s entire
career including the earliest Fritzi Ritz strips. Cartoon buffs might like
the Nancy model sheet from her Terrytoons appearances but will wince at the
statement that “she was never adapted to animation again” — wasn’t Nancy on
“Archie’s TV Funnies”?
The latest Nancy compilation, “Artists And Con Artists/Bums, Beatnicks
And Hippies” includes a membership application for the Bushmiller Society,
for those so inclined.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #740, from hmccracken, 395 chars, Sun Jul 28 11:15:06 1991
This is a comment to message 739.
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————————–
WOW! I will have to pick up the new Nancy book so I can join the
Bushmiller Society and make my addiction official. _The Best of
Ernie Bushmiller’s Nancy_ is the best Nancy compilation; I think
Kitchen Sink’s policy of collecting the strips by theme is a mistake.
But Nancy in any form is better than no Nancy, and Ernie Bushmiller’s
Nancy is always better than Jery Scott’s “Nancy!”
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #741, from davemackey, 301 chars, Mon Jul 29 00:30:21 1991
This is a comment to message 740.
————————–
There is little, if any, reference made to the fact that “Nancy” is still
being written and drawn by anybody, be it Jerry Scott or Joe Blow, in the
Kitchen reprints and books. (At least Jerry Scott does another strip, “Baby
Blues,” so he’s not a total cipher.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #742, from davemackey, 477 chars, Mon Jul 29 00:30:34 1991
This is a comment to message 737.
————————–
I think Scancarelli’s “Gasoline Alley” has fallen into the trap of being too
self-consciously nostalgic. Almost every week the Sunday page is Walt (he
must be close to 100 by now) or somebody reminiscing about the good old days.
This week it was movies, and he did mention the good old days of cartoons
before the feature, illustrating Betty Boop and Felix The Cat with his banjo
(presumably from the Van Beuren short “Bold King Cole.”)
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #743, from davemackey, 207 chars, Mon Jul 29 00:30:42 1991
This is a comment to message 732.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
> full of life and bef
Did you mean “full of life and beef”? I don’t ever recall seeing beef in
Disney features of that era. Stromboli, maybe, but never beef! 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #744, from hmccracken, 239 chars, Mon Jul 29 09:24:01 1991
This is a comment to message 743.
————————–
Er, I believe I was going to say “full of life and before they…
(something)” — I did some ctrl-Hs that didn’t register. The
message had nothing to do with beef (although maybe I should claim
I was talking about _Ferdinand_?).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #745, from hmccracken, 240 chars, Sat Aug 3 15:40:48 1991
This is a comment to message 739.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Yes, Nancy was part of _Archie’s TV Funnies_ and a later show called
_The Fabulous Funnies_ that was almost the same, except for the
lack of Archie. In fact, there is a videotape out of Nancy cartoons
culled from the latter show.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #746, from switch, 764 chars, Mon Aug 12 08:29:48 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: One of those things…
…which happens by accident. Paul DiFilippo (an SF author) sent
my roommate (an up-and-coming SF author) a copy of this magazine
called _Reflex_, which was passed to me. For $2.95 US ($3.50 Cdn),
you get a magazine devoted in part to alternative (read: barely
Top 40, no heavy metal, mostly people who pose for weird pictures 🙂
music, and in part to comics. From the two issues I have, there
seem to be regular Matt Howarth contributions; the first I have
has a writeup on Frank Miller, the second on Los Bros Hernandez.
The most recent issue (the one with the Hernandez writeup) also
has an interview with Fishbone conducted by Kyle Baker, wherein
he shamelessly plugs _Why I Hate Saturn_. The Fishbone drawing
is great.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #747, from davemackey, 338 chars, Tue Aug 13 21:05:54 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Ben-day Peanuts?
I saw something weird in today’s Peanuts: ben-day halftone. I never, ever
remember Schulz using halftone for shading in 40-some-odd years of the
strip, preferring to render grey tones by cross-hatching or some other
artistic device. Is this something new or am I just slow?
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #748, from davemackey, 414 chars, Tue Aug 13 21:06:08 1991
This is a comment to message 746.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
May I presume Baker did the drawing of Fishbone? I saw them on a repeat of
“Saturday Night Live” this past weekend and they have a rather unusual
approach to harmony. Plus I’ve never seen a guy throw a baritone saxophone
like that before! He hurled that thing offstage like it was a bundle of
laundry! Did anyone ever tell him how much one of those things costs and
weighs?
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #749, from davemackey, 188 chars, Tue Aug 13 21:06:13 1991
This is a comment to message 735.
————————–
He did go back to new strips last week, so it was just a temporary hiatus. By
comparison, when’s Watterson due to come back — next February or so?
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #750, from hmccracken, 189 chars, Tue Aug 13 21:15:15 1991
This is a comment to message 747.
————————–
I think Schulz has being using zipatone from time to time for a
while now, beginning roughly at the same time that he went from
a strict four-panel format to a more flexible one.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #751, from switch, 232 chars, Tue Aug 13 21:46:28 1991
This is a comment to message 748.
————————–
I believe it was a Baker drawing. If you want truly maniacal performances,
you have to see Fishbone live. Angelo is so manic he’s like a
cartoon.
And for some good instrument abuse, watch the keyboardist in Jesus
Jones. 🙂
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #752, from davemackey, 323 chars, Tue Aug 20 19:22:55 1991
This is a comment to message 745.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Incidentally, the newest Kitchen Sink Nancy book is out, and it’s called
“Nancy’s Pets.” I’ve heard that the “Bums, Beatniks and Hippies” had been
delayed for something like six months and “Nancy’s Pets” is on time, which
explains why these two books are shipping in the same month.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #753, from davemackey, 190 chars, Tue Aug 20 19:23:05 1991
This is a comment to message 717.
————————–
Some of those important questions are bound to be answered by Dean Young when
he appears as a guest on “Good Morning America” next Friday, August 30.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #754, from hmccracken, 98 chars, Tue Aug 20 22:01:38 1991
This is a comment to message 752.
————————–
The “Beatniks” book has actually been out for some months, at least
in the Boston area.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #755, from snowbear, 37 chars, Wed Aug 28 02:38:06 1991
This is a comment to message 651.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
What’s the significance of thatyear?
==========================
animation/comics #756, from snowbear, 96 chars, Wed Aug 28 02:55:21 1991
This is a comment to message 716.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Maybe Dagwood’s parents will finally forgive him and they can BOTH retire and
become idle rich!
==========================
animation/comics #757, from hmccracken, 171 chars, Wed Aug 28 09:20:55 1991
This is a comment to message 756.
————————–
There’s a piece in the current _Time_ (Yeltsin cover) on Blondie’s
job. She’ll be working at home, but hasn’t revealed yet what her
exact career choice will be.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #758, from hmccracken, 357 chars, Wed Aug 28 11:44:47 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Sad News
This is an unverified rumor, but I’ve heard that Disney Comics is
planning to cease publication of new material and become an all-
reprint line. If that’s true, it’s too bad — both because it’s a
shame that not enough kids are reading comics anymore to
sustain the line, and because some of Disney’s new material was
pretty good.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #759, from davemackey, 150 chars, Wed Aug 28 19:08:05 1991
This is a comment to message 755.
————————–
It’s about five years since the strip began, which is roughly where Watterson
is at with “Calvin and Hobbes.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #760, from sje, 582 chars, Wed Aug 28 22:35:12 1991
This is a comment to message 758.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
That rumor seems to go against all the information I’ve gotten to date
about Disney Comics. The word is/was that there is plenty of material in the
pipeline both here and by European artists/writers.
I would not be surprised to see an alternative comics label from
Disney similar to the scheme worked out with the Buena Vista and Hollywood
Pictures groups. This would allow some comics more in line with teenager
and adult readers.
It would be really tough to reprint some of the lines because the
characters/settings have anly been in existence for a year or so. — Steve
==========================
animation/comics #761, from hmccracken, 644 chars, Thu Aug 29 09:28:27 1991
This is a comment to message 760.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The rumor I’ve heard is very skeletal, Steve, but I take it that if
this came to pass, comics like _Roger Rabbit_ might fold. There’s
obviously a huge backlog of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and other
classic character material to reprint. Also, many European countries
produce their own Disney comics which might be reprinted, and
I believe Disney produces some comics here primarily for European
consumption.
As I said, it’s only a rumor at the moment, and one that seems to
conflict with the recent introduction of _Roger Rabbit’s Toontown_,
_Darkwing Duck_, and other comics that would have to be all-new.
Let’s see what develops.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #762, from hmccracken, 127 chars, Thu Aug 29 12:09:33 1991
This is a comment to message 761.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
An update: Disney’s ceasing to print new material is being discussed
over on CI$ as fact…I still hope it isn’t so!
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #763, from davemackey, 156 chars, Thu Aug 29 19:30:07 1991
This is a comment to message 762.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I distinctly remember Len Wein, who is the editor-in-chief of Disney Comics,
as having a CI$ account at one time…
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #764, from hmccracken, 241 chars, Fri Aug 30 09:34:01 1991
This is a comment to message 763.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I haven’t seen Wein there (at least he isn’t commenting on this
issue). More (alleged details): only the duck-related comics
will survive, and they will be all-reprint. _Disney Adventures_,
the digest magazine, will also continue.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #765, from richard.pini, 295 chars, Fri Aug 30 12:43:48 1991
This is a comment to message 764.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Over on GEnie, this news seems to be much more than rumor. In fact, it
appears that a bloodbath has taken place; most of the editorial staff at
Disney Comics (in its 4 imprints) have been canned, including Len Wein.
Only reprint stuff, the occasional movie tie-in, and little else, will
remain.
==========================
animation/comics #766, from hmccracken, 596 chars, Fri Aug 30 13:54:10 1991
This is a comment to message 765.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
That’s a real shame, and sort of surprising considering that the line
seemed to be expanding even when I heard the news about the implosion.
Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s much of a market for kids’
comics, except for a certain sort of superhero book. Archie will
probably continue to do reasonably well, but I
would be surprised if Harvey exists in its current state
a year from now. If kids aren’t buying well-done Mickey
Mouse and Roger Rabbit comics, I can’t see them plunking
down many quarters for mediocre Tom and Jerry comics
or nicely-done but rather aged Felix comics.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #767, from sje, 904 chars, Fri Aug 30 22:24:51 1991
This is a comment to message 766.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
If the story turns out to be as bad as reported, then it will be a
real shame. Disney’s comics set an excellent standard for the entire
industry with its paper and print quality along with its (of course!) great
stories and artwork.
I’m sure that there were also slow periods for some of the other
comic greats (Action Comics, Detective Comics, etc.), but a long term view
saved the day for many titles. If this (supposed) action is another instance
of Disney’s recent proclaimed attraction for the short-term quick gain, then
I will be really disgusted.
If Disney exits, I wonder if Gladstone will be allowed to resume
publishing. I am surprised that the Duck titles were to survive; other
than the Banks’ stories and art, these were the weakest of the line. I
really liked _TaleSpin_ and _C+D RR_, both easily demonstated almost
always extensive efforts by all the production crew. — Steve
==========================
animation/comics #768, from hmccracken, 201 chars, Sat Aug 31 10:32:36 1991
This is a comment to message 767.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The Donald Duck-related Disney comics have traditionally been
the biggest sellers. They’re also the ones with the biggest
backlog of stories (and new ones being done by the dozen
in Europe).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #769, from sje, 950 chars, Sat Aug 31 11:23:08 1991
This is a comment to message 768.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Some observations on the latest issue (Nov #18) of _DuckTales_:
1) There is the usual full page ad for subscriptions to all ten
of the current monthy titles;
2) There is a full page ad for the new title _DarkWing Duck_;
3) There is a full page ad for the upcoming monthly comic title
_The Little Mermaid_;
4) Other than two one page ads by Image (for Disney licensed trading
cards), there are no third party advertisements;
5) For the first time in memory, there is no “coming next month”
teaser paragraph;
6) Also for the first time, there is no monthly message from either
Len Wein or Bob Foster;
7) The second class Postal Service application circulation statistics
are published: press run 169,371, returns 128,186 (average for past twelve
months);
8) The local comics store proprietor hasn’t heard anything about a
reorganization, but has noted that delivers from Disney have been erratic
for the past several weeks.
— Steve
==========================
animation/comics #770, from hkenner, 67 chars, Sat Aug 31 11:39:23 1991
This is a comment to message 769.
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————————–
Does #7 mean that of 169K copies printed, 128K aren’t being sold??
==========================
animation/comics #771, from sje, 20 chars, Sat Aug 31 11:49:51 1991
This is a comment to message 770.
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————————–
Correct. — Steve
==========================
animation/comics #772, from hkenner, 62 chars, Sat Aug 31 12:07:54 1991
This is a comment to message 771.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, if I owned a magazine like that I’d sure close it down!
==========================
animation/comics #773, from sje, 1003 chars, Sat Aug 31 13:49:07 1991
This is a comment to message 772.
————————–
Remember that those figures are just averages for the past twelve
months. It may be the case that print run and circulation figures have come
to be more in agreement in the past several months.
The item which is most interesting about Disney Comics is the nearly
complete failure of Disney marketing to get out the word about either the
comic line or the _Adventures_ magazine. They have had plenty of opportunities
to spread information about the magazines via the syndicated Disney Afternoon,
the SatAM spots, the Disney Channel, and the Disney Stores. Of all of the
above, I have seen absolutely nothing except some very limited marketing of
first issue (July 1990) comics in a recent Disney Store promotion.
No, it’s not the regular staff at Disney Comics that should get the
axe; rather, it is the jerks in marketing that failed to give the line even
just one-tenth of the support given to advertising crummy fifty-percent sugar
cereals that have a Disney tie-in.
I am annoyed. — Steve
==========================
animation/comics #774, from hmccracken, 434 chars, Sat Aug 31 14:06:41 1991
This is a comment to message 770.
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Hugh, selling only 41,000 copies of a 169,000 copy print run is
terrible, to be sure — but somewhat less so in light of the
fact that newsstand magazines (especially comics) always print
vastly more copies than are actually sold to readers. I think
that selling around 40% of the print run is perfectly normal.
You distribute most of the print run to dealers, but a huge
number don’t get sold, and are returned for credit.
–Harry
==========================
animation/comics #775, from hmccracken, 354 chars, Sat Aug 31 14:10:04 1991
This is a comment to message 769.
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Correct me if I’m wrong, Steve, but I think Disney comics have run
very few outside advertisements except for a few Disney-related
products. I don’t know much about the economics of comics
publishing, but it seems to be one of the few areas of magazine
publishing that’s reader-supported rather than primarily
supported by advertising revenue.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #776, from sje, 288 chars, Sat Aug 31 17:04:12 1991
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The line has had several ads from totally non-Disney related items over
the past year and a half. True, not as many as when Gladstone or Dell did the
publishing, but still some nonetheless.
And _Disney Adventures_ magazine has had a whole slew of non-Disney
advertisements. — Steve
==========================
animation/comics #777, from hmccracken, 268 chars, Sat Aug 31 20:23:10 1991
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I guess _Disney Adventures_ is more of a magazine-with-comics
than a comic, which explains its greater ad content. Still,
the relative lack of advertising in comics (Disney especially,
but comics in general) must have some effect on their
profit potential.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #778, from sje, 1501 chars, Sat Aug 31 22:31:29 1991
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True enough; however, comics have a recycling capability second to none
that would allow them to reduce artist/writer costs in a way not available for
any other genre. Some of Disney’s comic artwork has been through the presses
so many times that they have forgotten who the original artists were.
Even the stuff that is no longer Politically Correct in the United
States still gets a shot at being published. Last year Ehapa (European
publisher of Disney comic lines) reprinted a Mickey Mouse (auf Deutsch: Micky
Maus) serial from 1937. The title was something like “Adventures among the
Gorillas” and featured an African treasure hunt. You can imagine the various
stereotypes. Reprinted in German, one can still make out the English labels
found in the artwork (e.g., “mustard” overwritten with “senf”).
OLD CURMUGEON COMMENT BEGIN
The real reason that comics are not as successful among kids as they
were in the old days (1960s) is that too many of today’s kids are just too
stupid, too lazy, and too engrossed in television/video games to do reading
that isn’t forced into them by the pitiful daycare known as public education.
Poor marketing by comics producers doesn’t help much, either. Quality comics
can be done; look at Japan where there is a comics renaissance among all ages
with 256 page glossy color comics being commonplace in a society with a
literacy rate that makes the US (and most other countries) look like bumkins.
I am annoyed.
OLD CURMUGEON COMMENT END
— Steve
==========================
animation/comics #779, from dcolton, 272 chars, Sat Aug 31 23:00:42 1991
This is a comment to message 778.
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Manga are not marketed to kids in Japan but to all demographic
audiences. My gloss on your posting would be to suggest that
the decline of comics and animation too is that marketing departments
are limiting their analysis of a potential comic/animation
project to “kids.”
==========================
animation/comics #780, from hmccracken, 900 chars, Sun Sep 1 12:05:59 1991
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I must be an old curmudgeon myself, Steve, since I agree
with you to some extent. Comics were tremendously popular
until the mid-1950s, when the decline began — at the
same time TV became widespread. The continuing decline
in the popularity of “funny” type comics parallels the
growth of video games, cable TV, and other effortless
entertainers.
Now, children’s *books* are bigger than ever today —
but children’s books are usually bought by parents,
whereas comics are purchased by the kids themselves.
If schools right now are anything like the ones I
attended, part of the problem may be that the books
teachers push kids to read are usually so bland,
prissy, and uninteresting; worse yet, a lot of teachers
actively discourage kids from reading anything with a slightly
trashy flavor to it (like most comics and other
things a not-already-interested-in-reading child might
pick up).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #781, from richard.pini, 44 chars, Sun Sep 1 13:02:33 1991
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This old curmudgeon concurs wholeheartedly.
==========================
animation/comics #782, from hkenner, 701 chars, Sun Sep 1 13:23:49 1991
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TITLE: Japanese comics
The Jap comic books–for anyone who hasn’t seen one-=-- tend to be at least
1/2″ thick, with firm covers. It is an education to ride the subway in
Osaka, as I did for 8 weeks this past summer. You see men with briefcases
straphanging with one hand, holding a Manga book ith the other, and
concentrating fiercely.
Much subway reading goes on, in my experience rather little *newspaper*
reading. Typical to see an intent girl pondering a Japanese/English
phrasebook. But the *bulk* of the rading matter, for all ages, seems to
be comics. I almost never saw a kid reading comics. But then the supply
of kids on the subway (at the times I travelled) wasn’t plentiful.
–HK
==========================
animation/comics #783, from richard.pini, 333 chars, Sun Sep 1 13:37:04 1991
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I was delighted to discover that, in addition to the ones Hugh mentions,
there are manga that look for all the world like 60s fanzines – in that they
are printed on the cheapest paper imaginable with ditto masters, or
mass equivalent, but are as thick as phone books. Sales are in the millions
of copies per *week* for many titles.
==========================
animation/comics #784, from davemackey, 197 chars, Sun Sep 1 16:30:16 1991
This is a comment to message 780.
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I must remind you with tongue firmly planted in cheek that since you are
three years younger than I am, Harry, you hardly qualify as an “old”
curmudgeon! 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #785, from hmccracken, 127 chars, Sun Sep 1 16:37:16 1991
This is a comment to message 784.
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I know, Dave, but nobody *ever* talks about “young curmudgeons.”
Kind of like how you never hear about “old scamps.”
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #786, from dcolton, 114 chars, Sun Sep 1 18:37:26 1991
This is a comment to message 783.
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Yes, but the profits only come from the re-packagings. The margins
for most publishers on a title are razor thin.
==========================
animation/comics #787, from switch, 96 chars, Mon Sep 2 12:53:15 1991
This is a comment to message 782.
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Gee, Hugh, I shoulda asked you to pick
up some Ranma volumes for me 🙂
Emru (still on the C64)
==========================
animation/comics #788, from morganfox, 36 chars, Mon Sep 2 18:39:53 1991
This is a comment to message 781.
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And he is a true expert also…..:)
==========================
animation/comics #789, from hmccracken, 300 chars, Thu Sep 5 09:53:16 1991
This is a comment to message 776.
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Unfortunately, the rumor reported here turned out to be true: Disney
Comics has let go of most of its staff and will be reduced to a
small line of Donald Duck comics made up of reprints and European
material. All the other Disney comics are apparently history, at
least for the time being.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #790, from hmccracken, 584 chars, Fri Sep 6 11:08:27 1991
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TITLE: Sad News
Carol Kalish, a vice president of Marvel Comics who was instrumental
in the company’s successful marketing of comics to the direct market
(I don’t have her exact title handy) passed away yesterday, long
before her time. While I didn’t know her, I feel the loss somewhat
personally, as I followed her career from a very early stage:
in the 1970s she was a comics fan who hung around the same Boston
area comics stores as I did; later, she became editor of _Comics
Feature_ magazine, and then went on to a very successful career at
Marvel. She will be missed.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #791, from richard.pini, 503 chars, Fri Sep 6 11:23:40 1991
This is a comment to message 790.
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I got the news yesterday, and was knocked speechless for the day. We knew
Carol and Rich Howell, her S.O., since about 1970 when they worked in a
little hole in the wall comics shop in Cambridge called “The Million Year
Picnic.” The shop is still there, but quite different now. Carol was one
of the few nice aspects of Marvel Comics for the last several years, a real
dynamo, and one of the most pleasant people I’ve ever known. Maybe too much
of a dynamo – she was 37 when the heart attack hit. DAMN!
==========================
animation/comics #792, from hmccracken, 169 chars, Fri Sep 6 12:05:33 1991
This is a comment to message 791.
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It’s a real loss. I was delighted when Carol and Richard (who used to
sit behind the desk at the MYP drawing endlessly) became such
successes in the industry.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #793, from davemackey, 432 chars, Fri Sep 6 22:58:00 1991
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I am very sorry to hear this. Carol Kalish (who I think I ran into only once
at a Creation con years ago) probably did as much for industry acceptance of
the direct market from the publishing end as the late Phil Seuling did from
the distribution end.
And to hear it was a heart attack, and only 37… that makes it all the
more hard to fathom. My condolences to her family and friends.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #794, from bcapps, 63 chars, Sat Sep 7 18:11:23 1991
This is a comment to message 790.
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Aw damn! That is sad news indeed. Rest in peace, Carol.
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #795, from hmccracken, 340 chars, Mon Sep 9 13:02:41 1991
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TITLE: Blondie’s Job
Well, it looks like the at-home job that Blondie will take will
be her own catering service, judging from today’s strip. If nothing
else, it should open up a new avenue for gags. I’ll be interested
to see how the story develops, especially since _Blondie_ hasn’t
really had a continuing storyline in decades.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #796, from davemackey, 761 chars, Mon Sep 9 19:07:42 1991
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TITLE: Hirschfeld on Stamps
Noted caricaturist Al Hirschfeld has designed a series of United States
postage stamps featuring some of our great comedians, including Laurel and
Hardy, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, Jack Benny, Fanny “Baby Snooks”
Brice, and Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.
An ad in the color section of the September 14 TV Guide illustrates the
stamps as well as Hirschfeld and Postmaster General Anthony Frank. The ad
also shows the stamps and notes that Hirschfeld has indeed hidden his
daughter Nina’s name in the artwork of the stamps.
The use of a well-known comic artist is a repeat of an experiment a few
years ago when Jack Davis of “Mad” fame designed a stamp honoring letter
carriers.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #797, from hmccracken, 339 chars, Mon Sep 9 19:18:45 1991
This is a comment to message 796.
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Incidentally, the use of Hirschfeld to do the Laurel and Hardy
stamp caused quite a controversy within the ranks of the
Sons of the Desert, the Laurel and Hardy appreciation society.
Sons co-founder Al Kilgore did some excellent L&H caricatures
many years ago that many Sons wanted to see used instead
of the Hirschfeld drawing.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #798, from richard.pini, 275 chars, Thu Sep 12 20:14:15 1991
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TITLE: Memorial service
For anyone interested, a memorial service for Carol Kalish will be held
at the Hyatt at 42nd and Park, Ballroom B, from 3-5:30 this coming MOnday
afternoon (the 16th). All are welcome, and please spread the word if you
know of anyone who wants to go.
==========================
animation/comics #799, from hmccracken, 56 chars, Thu Sep 12 21:22:18 1991
This is a comment to message 798.
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Thanks for letting us know about it, Richard.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #800, from davemackey, 229 chars, Wed Sep 18 22:49:35 1991
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TITLE: One more trip into Hell
Thanks to the good folks at HarperCollins, there’s a new Matt Groening
collection of his “Life In Hell” comic strip. This one is called “How To Go
To Hell.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #801, from hmccracken, 247 chars, Thu Sep 19 13:52:46 1991
This is a comment to message 795.
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Update on Blondie’s catering business: today, she and Dagwood are
trying to decide on a name for it. I suspect a reader contest
(in the tradition of the contest held eons ago to name Blondie’s
baby, which generated millions of entries).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #802, from davemackey, 847 chars, Wed Oct 2 07:16:45 1991
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TITLE: Get A Life Dept.
Actual letter in the New York Daily News, October 1 edition.
“…I found the Sept. 18 ‘Calvin And Hobbes’ offensive. The artist/writer
seems to have some sort of hostility to children. What, may I ask, is amusing
or ‘comic’ about a teenage girl, who was entrusted with the care of a group
of children in and around a swimming pool, menacing with a wet towel a little
boy less than half her size? I repeatedly get the feeling that Calvin’s baby
sitter, parents and teachers simply do not want him around and that their
ambition in life is to crush him at every turn. –C.A. O’Connor”
And this in a newspaper whose lead story is about a five-year-old girl
beaten by her mother and stepfather. Kinda makes complaining about comic
strips seem pointless by comparison, right?
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #803, from davemackey, 794 chars, Thu Oct 3 05:44:03 1991
This is a comment to message 797.
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And now I understand some politician in New York is upset that no black
comics of the day were included, but one made of wood (Charlie McCarthy) was.
Her suggestions were on the order of Moms Mabley and Pigmeat Markham, but no
mention seemed to be made of perhaps the likeliest candidate for the stamp
series — Amos ‘n’ Andy, perhaps because their radio personas were created
and performed by white men. (I think what she should do is get in touch with
the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, who solicit requests from the
populace about possible stamp subjects and pass their recommendations along
to the Postal Service.)
The stamps are also noteworthy because of their use of hidden messages,
which is usually frowned upon by the Postal Service.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #804, from davemackey, 315 chars, Sun Oct 6 18:59:59 1991
This is a comment to message 797.
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And more on the subject of cartoony stamps… Antigua & Barbuda has issued
eight stamps and two souvenir sheets depicting gags from covers of Archie
comic books, drawn by Dan DeCarlo. Philatelists say this is the first time
one-panel comic gags have ever appeared on stamps.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #805, from hmccracken, 184 chars, Sun Oct 6 20:33:45 1991
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I don’t think these would be the first one-panel gags on stamps —
some of the Disney stamps from small countries (such as Grenada)
depict gags. Humorous situations, anyway.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #806, from bcapps, 1145 chars, Sun Oct 6 23:35:35 1991
This is a comment to message 805.
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Now, are these gags with word balloons? That, I think, would be a first
seeing that the Disney stamps (which are beautiful and quite numerous)
are primarily “posed” gags, much like their comic covers, but no text,
unless to quote the film or short from which a scene was reprinted
(Bambi, Snow White, etc.). I was on a subscription service for them
and while I have a lot, I just didn’t have the time to care for them,
although, they are safely tucked away. TINAR and all that. The dealer
that handled the subscription was Linden, I believe. I’d have to go
back home and check this weekend. They handled a lot of the colonial
and territorial stamp issues and a lot of topicals, so it seems likely
that if you want the Archie stamps and the local stamp dealers aren’t
carrying them, you could try Linden (I think there’re in NY). Be
forewarned, they also got lots of advertising that they send out on
Jewish, UN, topicals (fish, Disney, space, dead rock stars…).
TINAR.
Bob
(p.s. right now, I believe that there are a couple of thousand of
Disney stamps, so there are a lot of them. Many cheap, but some are
worth a few dollars.)
==========================
animation/comics #807, from hmccracken, 198 chars, Mon Oct 7 09:17:51 1991
This is a comment to message 804.
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Another question relating to these stamps: has anyone in Antigua and
Barbuda even *heard* of Archie, prior to the stamps? Or is this
just an attempt to sell stamps to American collectors?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #808, from hkenner, 20 chars, Mon Oct 7 12:04:04 1991
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You old cynic, you!
==========================
animation/comics #809, from hmccracken, 267 chars, Mon Oct 7 16:24:28 1991
This is a comment to message 808.
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I’m cynical, yes, but it’s because I once believed that
Grenada put Mickey Mouse on its stamps as an expression
of national reverence for all things Disney. I had to have
it pointed out to me that they did so merely
to sell stamps to American collectors…
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #810, from morganfox, 122 chars, Mon Oct 7 20:30:01 1991
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TITLE: Tumbleweed
What has happened to this comic strip? Is that the ugliest typeface possible?
It really hurts my eyes!
==========================
animation/comics #811, from hmccracken, 145 chars, Mon Oct 7 22:43:21 1991
This is a comment to message 810.
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I haven’t seen _Tumbleweeds_ lately, Morgan (although at its
best it used to be one of my favorite strips). What are you
referring to?
— Harry
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animation/comics #812, from tsin, 58 chars, Mon Oct 7 22:50:36 1991
This is a comment to message 809.
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hey! who said you could be cynical?
cyn
==========================
animation/comics #813, from morganfox, 177 chars, Mon Oct 7 23:07:08 1991
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Recently, the typeface used for the lettering in the balloons changed. It looks
like an old IBM Daisy wheel typeface. Mind you, the lettering within the strip
has not changed.
==========================
animation/comics #814, from bcapps, 910 chars, Tue Oct 8 04:25:09 1991
This is a comment to message 807.
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In my opinion, to sell as many stamps as possible to American stamp/comic
collectors. You have to realize that a large number of these stamps are
sold mint (never used, perfect/near perfect condition) or are put on first day
covers (envelopes with special artwork, embossing, etc. relating to the stamp(s),
which are cancelled, usually with a special postmark). Not too many of these
stamps make it into the used stamp market (unlike here). Well, I guess I should
qualify that in regards to condition of the stamp to make it desirable. I have
seen prices for used Disney stamps that are higher than prices for mint stamps.
This isn’t for all issues though. Using collectible stamps is akin to storing
your collectible comics in an inner-city library reading room. Serves its
purpose, shared by more than just one person, but doesn’t do anything to improve
its worth in most collectors’ eyes. 🙂
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #815, from hmccracken, 540 chars, Tue Oct 8 17:35:16 1991
This is a comment to message 813.
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Well, unless Tom K. Ryan has started typing out his lettering on an
old IBM daisy wheel typewriter, it sounds like maybe he has a new
assistant with an odd lettering style (or lost his old assistant
and is doing the lettering himself). I’ll try to dig up a paper
that carries _Tumbleweeds_.
Speaking of _Tumbleweeds_ and assistants, interesting trivia tidbit:
Jim Davis was Ryan’s assistant on _Tumbleweeds_ for several years
before selling _Garfield_ to the syndicate. I’ve often seen a hint
of Ryan’s drawing style in Davis’s.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #816, from davemackey, 433 chars, Tue Oct 8 18:51:28 1991
This is a comment to message 807.
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There apparently is a firm that tries to get celebrity and other licenses for
stamps that can be issued in foreign countries. That way the country gets
stamp subjects it couldn’t afford to depict itself. But you would probably
never see something like Archie Comics gracing a U.S. Postage stamp — heck,
it’s tough enough trying to get Elvis on a stamp as it is, never mind comics
characters.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #817, from hmccracken, 484 chars, Tue Oct 8 21:58:33 1991
This is a comment to message 815.
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Gee, I bought a copy of the _Middlesex News_ to check out _Tumbleweeds_,
and Morgan wasn’t kidding: the lettering does indeed seem to be done
with an unusually clunky typewriter. It looks terrible, and I wonder
why it’s being done this way. (One of the few other comic strips to
use mechanical lettering was the late, lamented _Barnaby_, which
used typeset dialogue — Crockett Johnson, the strip’s creator, said
he could fit more dialogue into each word balloon that way.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #818, from morganfox, 78 chars, Wed Oct 9 10:07:00 1991
This is a comment to message 817.
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Downright, mean ugly, ain’t it? Honestly, it really spoils the strip for me.
==========================
animation/comics #819, from hmccracken, 425 chars, Wed Oct 9 15:36:40 1991
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TITLE: _The Heart of Juliet Jones_…
is a long-running soap opera comic strip that for most of its
life was beautifully drawn by Stan Drake. I recently saw the strip
for the first time in a while, and Drake has left it; it’s now
drawn by Frank Bolle (who also does _Winnie Winkle_). Presumably,
Drake, who is about 70 and also draws _Blondie_, decided to lessen
his workload a bit by retiring from _Juliet Jones_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #820, from davemackey, 654 chars, Fri Oct 11 22:34:48 1991
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TITLE: Mad: The Coffee-table Book
In the humor section of your local book store is a coffee-table history of
Mad Magazine, from its formation as a color comic to its current incarnation
as black-and-white satire magazine, and lots of page illustrations in color
and black-and-white. I forget the title (it’s “The (something-or-other) Mad”)
and the last name of the author (Maria something). There are thumbnail
sketches of almost every Mad writer and artist you can name, even some of the
lesser-known ones like Max Brandel. And in typical Mad fashion, the inner
jacket notes the book’s price as “$39.95 (Cheap)”.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #821, from hmccracken, 853 chars, Tue Nov 5 13:48:23 1991
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TITLE: Trudeau Unmasked
Yesterday’s _Boston Globe_ had a short tidbit confirming something
that’s been rumored for years (and which I believe I’ve mentioned
here in the past): Garry Trudeau does not draw _Doonesbury_.
Trudeau apparently roughs out a draft of how he wants each strip
composed, which he faxes to Don Carleton, a Kansas City artist,
who actually draws the strip. This has been going on for twenty
years.
Now, Trudeau is hardly the first cartoonist to sign his name to
the work of a ghost artist, nor the first to do so for work he
probably couldn’t do on his own. (This revelation explains the
miraculous and oft-praised improvement in Trudeau’s art over
the years.) I do find this dirty little secret amusing, though;
all of Trudeau’s smirking over the hypocrisies of various public
figures seems a little, well, hypocritical.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #822, from hmccracken, 333 chars, Tue Nov 5 22:52:06 1991
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The current _Entertainment Weekly_ has the article from which
the _Globe_ piece on Trudeau was apparently taken.
Just as a further thought on this (and possible springboard for
debate): should Trudeau’s Pulitzer be revoked, since he seems
to have accepted it for work that was in a very real sense that
of another artist?
— Harry
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animation/comics #823, from mscoville, 363 chars, Thu Nov 7 21:26:17 1991
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TITLE: Bud Plant
Just received the new Bud Plant catalog and it is filled with many great comics as well as books. I don’t know how reli
able he is, but the catalog is filled with a lot of goodies. Also, I noted that the prices were full retail and not
marked down like a lot of catalog sales are. He does have a special section with sale items. mscoville
==========================
animation/comics #824, from bcapps, 196 chars, Fri Nov 8 02:10:33 1991
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TINAR, but he does stock a number of unusual and hard-to-find items. I have
ordered from him in the past (got a nice Cerebus porcelain, I did I did!)
and was quite pleased with the service.
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #825, from davemackey, 408 chars, Fri Nov 8 07:35:58 1991
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I don’t know, but Trudeau seems to be in the news for another reason: Vice
President Dan Quayle is upset with the current continuity, in which
accusations are made that he took drugs. Some newspapers have dropped
“Doonesbury” as a result.
You think Dan Quayle, of all people, could take a joke, since he is
the target of lots of them. But even he has his limits.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #826, from hmccracken, 152 chars, Fri Nov 8 10:07:32 1991
This is a comment to message 825.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
If I were Quayle and could draw, I’d start my own rival strip about
an acclaimed cartoonist and satirist who has someone else draw his
strip.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #827, from hmccracken, 313 chars, Fri Nov 8 10:08:51 1991
This is a comment to message 823.
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Plant has been around for more than twenty years and has come through
every time I’ve ordered anything from him. His catalog is a great
place to find rarities and oddities, often at discount prices.
Call it the Whole Toon Catalog of the comics world (and I can’t
think of any higher praise than that).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #828, from bferg, 40 chars, Sat Nov 9 07:03:23 1991
This is a comment to message 826.
There are additional comments to message 826.
————————–
Is it “Quayle” season yet?
😉
Barbara
==========================
animation/comics #829, from davemackey, 145 chars, Sun Nov 10 01:04:46 1991
This is a comment to message 826.
————————–
With these “Doonesbury” revelations, one begins to wonder who really fathered
Jane Pauley’s children! 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #830, from davemackey, 979 chars, Sun Nov 10 01:05:06 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: 50 years of Gallo’s Humor
The New York Daily News continues on, despite the death this week of
publisher Robert Maxwell (see message 638). The paper honors its longtime
(fifty years!) sports cartoonist Bill Gallo, a frequent NCS award winner,
with a special commemorative section of the newspaper tomorrow. Besides his
cartoons which feature such characters as Basement Bertha, Yuchie and
General Von Steingrabber (parodying New York Yankee owner George
Steinbrenner, a character I once complained about to the paper, a letter
which was printed), Gallo is also a boxing columnist.
Gallo remains in top form, as demonstrated by the cartoon he ran the day
after Magic Johnson announced his retirement from basketball due to the HIV
virus. A basketball sits unused on the pavement of the schoolyard, and an
off-panel voice says “No! Not Magic!”; a sign on the fence urges children to
ask parents or teachers about AIDS education.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #831, from hmccracken, 224 chars, Sun Nov 10 14:51:04 1991
This is a comment to message 830.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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You’re a Steinbrenner fan, Dave?
(Speaking of Robert Maxwell, let it be known that among his
holdings, last time I checked, were a number of British
comic weeklies, including the long-lived _Whizzer and Chips_.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #832, from davemackey, 199 chars, Sun Nov 10 19:39:40 1991
This is a comment to message 831.
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By no means, but the joke just got old after a while and whatever comedic
effect Gallo had intended when he started doing this character dissipated
with time.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #833, from davemackey, 268 chars, Sat Nov 16 03:42:39 1991
This is a comment to message 820.
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Never let it be said that we leave you hanging. The current issue of Spy has
an ad for “Completely Mad” by Maria Reidelbach, published by Little, Brown
and Company. The ad features some marginal-type artwork by Sergio Aragones.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #834, from hmccracken, 329 chars, Thu Nov 21 11:45:14 1991
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TITLE: _Calvin and Hobbes_ revamped?
Bill Watterson’s vacation is nearing its end, and Calvin and
Hobbes will return to all-new material before long. Rumor has
it that the strip will undergo some interesting changes in its
new form. Is Calvin 17? Does Hobbes have a family? Who knows!
It’ll be interesting to find out.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #835, from hmccracken, 290 chars, Thu Nov 21 11:46:53 1991
This is a comment to message 822.
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According to Bill Amend, the guy who does the _Foxtrot_ strip,
_Entertainment Weekly_ totally misrepresented the process by
which _Doonesbury_’s art is done. Don Carleton, the assistant,
merely inks and letters the strip; it’s pencilled by Trudeau.
I withdraw everything I said.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #836, from hmccracken, 783 chars, Thu Nov 21 11:51:52 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Sally Sallying Backwards
I don’t know if any of you read the _Sally Forth_ comic strip, but
it’s undergone some weird changes lately. For years, writer/artist
Greg Howard drew the strip in a style that was amateurish but somehow
part of the strip’s personality. Recently, an artist who signs his
work “Mac” took over the art, drawing Sally and her family in an
odd style that gave them semi-realistic bodies topped by what looked
like shrivelled versions of the Greg Howard versions of their heads.
Apparently, reader reaction to the change has been so ferocious that
the old style will return in December, although someone other than
Greg Howard will be doing the art. The change was made in the first
place because Howard wasn’t happy with his own drawing style.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #837, from hkenner, 135 chars, Thu Nov 21 19:22:45 1991
This is a comment to message 836.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Yes, Mac is a Sally Forth disaster. Odd, most people who take over a
strip are meticulous apers of the creator’s style. Cf. Blondie.
==========================
animation/comics #838, from davemackey, 406 chars, Thu Nov 21 22:48:51 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Black cartoonists
This week’s “Time” has an article about some of today’s leading black
syndicated cartoonists. Among those prominently featured is Ray Billingsley,
the 34-year-old creator of “Curtis.”
A saddening statistic: Morrie Turner’s “Wee Pals,” which was in my local
paper when I was growing up, is now in only about fifty newspapers
nationwide.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #839, from hmccracken, 296 chars, Thu Nov 21 22:58:59 1991
This is a comment to message 837.
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I don’t know all the details here, but apparently Mac was brought
in to change Sally Forth’s style, with creator and writer Greg
Howard’s blessings. The only situation at all similar — and it’
isn’t, really — is when Nancy was completely revamped after the
death of Ernie Bushmiller.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #840, from switch, 78 chars, Sat Nov 23 18:10:06 1991
This is a comment to message 838.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
And whatever happened to Brumsic Brandon Jr. over the last two
decades?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #841, from hmccracken, 333 chars, Sat Nov 23 19:55:21 1991
This is a comment to message 840.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
His strip, _Luther_ was discontinued a few years ago. I think it
was probably the longest-lived strip ever carried by the Los
Angeles Times Syndicate, a syndicate with a terrible record in
the area of comic strips (its strips have included _Star Trek_,
_Hello Carol_, _Sherman on the Mount_, _P.J. McFey_ and other
flops).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #842, from davemackey, 131 chars, Sun Nov 24 00:28:14 1991
This is a comment to message 841.
There are additional comments to message 841.
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And I believe that’s his daughter who’s one of the cartoonists profiled in
Time this week.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #843, from switch, 54 chars, Sun Nov 24 11:17:05 1991
This is a comment to message 841.
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“A few years ago”? How long ago would that be?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #844, from olson, 250 chars, Sat Nov 30 06:33:20 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: An old, mad “old MAD” fan…
Any hyperspace humans out there ever met Harvey Kurtzman? Not my
favorite cartoonist, but one of my all-time favorite gag-writers.
Did he ever write for tv? Is he still living? Last I hrd he was
teaching in sf.
==========================
animation/comics #845, from davemackey, 521 chars, Sat Nov 30 08:54:53 1991
This is a comment to message 844.
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If Kurtzman died, I certainly would have heard of it. Those first
twenty-some-odd issues of the color comic book Mad were as twisted as the
humorous comic format ever got (Marvel’s Not Brand Ecch ranked a close
second).
I think Kurtzman (with Bill Elder) still does “Little Annie Fanny” for
Playboy, but it appears only once in a great while, not like in the 60’s and
70’s when it was in almost every issue. That strip had lots of the visual and
humorous flavor of early Mad.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #846, from hmccracken, 325 chars, Sat Nov 30 15:12:28 1991
This is a comment to message 845.
————————–
Kurtzman is alive, but (I am told) not well. I believe _Little
Annie Fanny_ has been officially retired for some years.
Recent and current Kurtzman projects include a newly-published
history of comics books (_From Argh! to Zap!_, with Michael
Barrier) and a revival of his _Two-Fisted Tales_ war comic
book series.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #847, from hmccracken, 590 chars, Tue Dec 17 17:24:34 1991
————————–
TITLE: William Randolph Hearst, Patron Saint of Comics
I always knew that Hearst was a big comics fan, and a big _Krazy
Kat_ fan in particular, but an article on Dr. Seuss in the current
_Comics Journal_ reveals that he was an even bigger fan than I
had thought. From 1932 to 1935, no paper is known to have
run _Krazy Kat_, even though Herriman was busy at work
doing the strip all that time. W.R. Hearst enjoyed reading
it in the weekly syndicate proofs, and that was good enough.
(Dr. Seuss did a strip for Hearst for a while, which is
why the subject came up in the article.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #848, from davemackey, 259 chars, Thu Dec 19 10:07:19 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Sotheby’s comic auction
Highlight of yesterday’s comic book auction at Sothebys: a fine copy of
Detective Comics #27 (first appearance of Batman) went for $50,000. Few of
the other lots approached those heights.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #849, from mscoville, 87 chars, Thu Dec 19 21:35:35 1991
This is a comment to message 848.
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Did the other comics meet their estimates or were they below those numbers?
mscoville
==========================
animation/comics #850, from bcapps, 1009 chars, Fri Dec 27 00:50:05 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: C & H noise
Seems that a dozen or so newspapers don’t want to carry the newer, bigger
Calvin & Hobbes when it starts new strips in February. Bill Watterson, C & H
creator, wants a larger Sunday format for bigger, uglier aliens. Some of
the editors out there don’t want to give up valuable Sunday comics real estate
so that C & H can be bigger. This is according to the USA Today 12/27. If
it were up to me, I’d tell the Sunday editors to go stick it! I’m far too
annoyed by many areas of the country having their Sunday pages 1 short since
some electronics firm had too much ad money to spend and nowhere else to
spend it! (or furniture or hardware or whatever!) In the Washington Post
(syndicator of _Doonesbury_) there are 2 Sunday sections with the second
section having 4 pages and a MiniPage insert, and most weeks out of the year
the last page is an ad. Other times when it isn’t an ad, Ziggy shows up and
a couple of other. Strips that you _think_ they’re paying for. Ah phooey!
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #851, from kermitwoodall, 169 chars, Fri Dec 27 20:45:54 1991
This is a comment to message 850.
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Hooray for Bill Watterson! Finally, a comic artist with the nerve to stand
up against editors to bring comics back to the size they were designed for!
Kermit Woodall
==========================
animation/comics #852, from dnagamine, 593 chars, Sat Dec 28 03:48:48 1991
————————–
TITLE: Far Side Gallery Books
The first Far Side Gallery collection by Gary Larson mentions that it
contains cartoons from three other books: The Far Side, Beyond the Far
Side, and In Search of the Far Side.
Does anyone know whether it contains _all_ of the cartoons found in those
books. I have the same question about the other Gallery collections.
Basically, I’m trying to get all of the reprinted cartoons in the easiest
way (buying three big books instead of nine little ones).
Any hints on which titles I would need to get a complete collection would
be appreciated.
Daryl Nagamine
==========================
animation/comics #853, from davemackey, 432 chars, Thu Jan 2 21:33:30 1992
————————–
TITLE: New years resolution for the comics industry
I would like to resolve to the comic syndicates that they send out their
first strips of the new year with the correct copyright dates, or for artists
to at least properly date their strips so that there can be no question as to
the exact publication date. Art collectors and historians would thank you, and
so would I because I would have one less pet peeve. –Dave
==========================
animation/comics #854, from hmccracken, 1022 chars, Wed Jan 15 15:48:37 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Trudeau vs. _WSJ_
The controversy over Garry Trudeau’s role in _Doonesbury_’s artwork
continues…sort of. A recent article in _Editor and _Publisher_
discusses a _Wall Street Journal_ editorial which criticized
Trudeau for taking complete credit for his strip’s artwork when
his assistant really did most of the work. (As discussed here, it
turns out that Trudeau really does draw the strip; his assistant
merely inks it, a not-uncommon practice.)
Apparently, Trudeau was so incensed over the _Journal_ editorial
that he threatened a lawsuit unless a retraction was printed.
The _Journal_ did print such a retraction, but an awfully snide
one which commented on Trudeau being able to dish it out but not
take it.
Before the _Journal_ printed the retraction, it demanded that
Trudeau’s syndicate release copies of a _Doonesbury_ strip
in both Trudeau’s penciled form and finished, inked form.
That would have cleared up the question once and for all, but
the syndicate declined to release such copies.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #855, from ianl, 92 chars, Wed Jan 15 15:57:09 1992
This is a comment to message 854.
————————–
Any bets on whether Trudeau finds a way to lob a few barbs at WSJ in future
strips? 🙂
==========================
animation/comics #856, from hmccracken, 338 chars, Mon Jan 27 15:27:46 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: The Countdown Begins
New epsodes of _Calvin and Hobbes_ begin this Sunday, February 2nd.
In my neighborhood, the Sunday comics and ads arrive at the newsstands
on Friday or so and are kept in a corner to be supplemented with the
rest of the paper on Sunday…I’m tempted to sneak a peak at _Calvin_
as early as possible!
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #857, from adunkin, 177 chars, Mon Jan 27 20:10:30 1992
This is a comment to message 856.
There are additional comments to message 856.
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In the paper last week it stated that Watterson wanted his comics to bee
a HALF page in length, and people who can’t allocate that much space won’t
get it.
— Alan Dunkin
==========================
animation/comics #858, from switch, 69 chars, Mon Jan 27 22:15:48 1992
This is a comment to message 856.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
In this neck of the woods, we get ’em on Saturdays! Great! 🙂
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #859, from hmccracken, 99 chars, Mon Jan 27 22:23:47 1992
This is a comment to message 858.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
You..you…you *Canadians*, you! Sunday comics on Saturday are
positively…un-American!
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #860, from switch, 174 chars, Mon Jan 27 23:34:36 1992
This is a comment to message 859.
There are additional comments to message 859.
————————–
b&w comics and part of the Sunday colors on Saturday, and the
remainder of the color comics on Sunday.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #861, from ianl, 250 chars, Tue Jan 28 00:05:16 1992
This is a comment to message 859.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Here in Denver, we typically get the part of the Sunday paper I call the
“fluff” section on Saturday. It includes the comics, ads, classifieds,
and a few sections of semi-real news that’re written early in the week, like
the entertainment news.
==========================
animation/comics #862, from sharonfisher, 162 chars, Tue Jan 28 11:00:55 1992
This is a comment to message 861.
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I can pick up the entire San Francisco Sunday paper by about 10 am on Saturday.
When I lived in Sunnyvale, the San Jose Sunday paper was *delivered* on
Saturday.
==========================
animation/comics #863, from adunkin, 520 chars, Tue Jan 28 23:35:16 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Comics
I was looking through a recent comic I had bought recently, and in it was
a cost guide for back issues to buy, in good/semi-good/mint etc.
I saw the Spider-Man [McFarlane – New] #1 Platinum-Cover limited addition
was worth $1000 mint. I wonder, just what does this cover look like? It
Is it like a regular comic book, no hardcover or anything? I have this issue,
with the silver webbing and red/blue spider man. Is this the one? Or am
I confused with another version of the cover?
— Alan Dunkin
==========================
animation/comics #864, from switch, 72 chars, Wed Jan 29 00:08:13 1992
This is a comment to message 863.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The silver-webbing cover is the “platinum” edition, last I heard.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #865, from adunkin, 126 chars, Wed Jan 29 20:34:10 1992
This is a comment to message 864.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
So therefore, my issue, #1, in it’s plastic bag in the box, supposedly is
worth a thousand dollars? Hmm..
— Alan Dunkin
==========================
animation/comics #866, from hmccracken, 201 chars, Thu Jan 30 10:09:25 1992
This is a comment to message 865.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Alan, is your copy the Platinum Cover Limited Edition or just the
Platinum Cover? I think the Limited Edition was available only in
small quantities and cost an arm and a leg from the start.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #867, from adunkin, 278 chars, Thu Jan 30 22:02:11 1992
This is a comment to message 866.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
What’s the difference between the Platinum Cover Limited Edition and the
Platinum cover? The only thing I have to go buy is the “1st Collectors
Edition” on the top of the cover, which I don’t think means much since I
think all the 1st issue covers had that.
— Alan Dunkin
==========================
animation/comics #868, from hmccracken, 100 chars, Fri Jan 31 09:25:39 1992
This is a comment to message 867.
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I’m not sure what the difference are; the Limited Edition may be
numbered and/or signed.
– -Harry
==========================
animation/comics #869, from davemackey, 288 chars, Tue Feb 4 23:05:19 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: The new “Calvin And Hobbes”…
… doesn’t look too terribly different than the old, except in my local
paper (Asbury Park Press) the strip takes up an entire half page of a
broadsheet on Sundays. Oh yeah, the strip is now (C) by Watterson.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #870, from ianl, 430 chars, Wed Feb 5 02:05:45 1992
This is a comment to message 869.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Yeah, I liked the first of the new strips, because it wasn’t vastly different
from the old ones, and I liked the old ones, and also I liked the nice big
panels. I wish more artists would put their foot down and demand a similar
deal, and then comics would all look like they should. (Doonesbury and Zippy
are so small on Sundays now that I *know* I’m missing good sight gags in the
background because I can’t even see them.)
==========================
animation/comics #871, from hmccracken, 354 chars, Wed Feb 5 09:14:06 1992
This is a comment to message 870.
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There are additional comments to message 870.
————————–
I don’t think that Watterson is the kind of guy who’d suddenly make
wholesale changes in his strip, at least not without thinking it
over very carefully. In fact, _Calvin and Hobbes_ has changed very,
very little from when it first appeared in the mid-1980s. Only a few
new characters have been introduced, none of them very important at
all.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #872, from morganfox, 207 chars, Wed Feb 5 12:03:15 1992
This is a comment to message 871.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I certainly liked the new strip and was personally, glad not to see sweeping
new changes. But, I thought he was making a bit bolder use of color and
background detail. But Calvin is sure still Calvin! :]
==========================
animation/comics #873, from davemackey, 193 chars, Wed Feb 5 19:27:09 1992
This is a comment to message 872.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I don’t blame him one bit for attempting to bring back the majesty of the
Sunday comics page as it existed in the heyday of Winsor McCay and Hal
Foster.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #874, from switch, 98 chars, Thu Feb 6 00:01:45 1992
This is a comment to message 870.
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Calvin & Hobbes was the same half-page format it’s always been
in the Gazette. Oh, well 🙂
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #875, from hmccracken, 343 chars, Thu Feb 6 09:19:33 1992
This is a comment to message 873.
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The new format is great and I’d love to think it will influence
other cartoonists to make the same demand. Unfortunately, very
few have the clout of a Watterson, and I suspect that the
unique format of the Sunday _Calvin_ will end up like the
oversized _Doonesbury_ dailies — a refreshing exception
to the rule, but no trendsetter.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #876, from hmccracken, 283 chars, Mon Feb 17 15:33:38 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Wither Pogo?
As of yesterday, _Walt Kelly’s Pogo_ is gone from the _Boston Globe_,
replaced by something called _Non Sequitur_. I’m wondering if _Pogo_
has been cancelled, or whether the _Globe_ just dropped it. Has
anyone seen _Pogo_ strips for yesterday or today?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #877, from hmccracken, 1116 chars, Mon Feb 17 15:41:48 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Comics Heaven
While searching for a Sunday paper late yesterday night, I found
something much more interesting in a local convenience store.
_Strips_ is a weekly tabloid paper that carries no less than
*sixty* current comic strips — everything from _Peanuts_ and
_Beatle Bailey_ to _On the Fastrack_ and _Luann_ to _Popeye_,
_Bringing Up Father_, and _Tarzan_. The selection is quite incredible,
and the main gap is the lack of strips from Universal Press (home
of _Calvin and Hobbes_, _Doonesbury_, and Foxtrot_.) The other
significant flaw is that they run the strips too small (for
the most part, the layout consists of a week’s worth of two
different strips to a page — just dailies; the only Sunday they
carry is _Outland_).
_Strips_ is a companion paper to _The National Forum_, a similar
paper that collects syndicated columns. A third paper, _The
National Gallery of Cartoonists_, collects editorial cartoons.
Subscriptions to any of the three papers are $48/year from
Associated Features, PO Box 7099, Fairfax Station, VA 22039.
$68 will buy you a year’s worth of all three papers.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #878, from ianl, 365 chars, Mon Feb 17 17:26:24 1992
This is a comment to message 876.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Our paper (the Denver Post) has been dropping and readding Pogo at random
for the past couple months. I think they really intend to not carry it
anymore, but the service bureau that prints that funnies for them keeps
getting it wrong. In its place, we’ve got a piece-o-junk called
_Sherman’s Lagoon_, which is really lame. I’d rather have Pogo, personally.
==========================
animation/comics #879, from ianl, 376 chars, Mon Feb 17 17:30:07 1992
This is a comment to message 877.
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If you like editorial cartoons, a good tabloid is _The Santa Cruz Comic News_.
It’s only $20/yr, I can find and post the address if anyone’s interested.
In addition to a wide selection of editorial cartoons each week, they also
have a editorial writeup (done by their own staff, mostly liberal-minded),
two full pages of Far Side, and two full pages of Calvin and Hobbes.
==========================
animation/comics #880, from hmccracken, 285 chars, Tue Mar 3 19:07:23 1992
This is a comment to message 878.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Update on Pogo’s status in the _Boston Globe_: the possum is back,
after a couple of weeks’ absence. The _Globe_ got more than 100
complaints about the strip’s disappearance, and so brought him
back yesterday. He replaces, unfortunately, Doug Marlette’s
nifty _Kudzu_ strip.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #881, from adunkin, 147 chars, Tue Mar 3 20:30:51 1992
This is a comment to message 880.
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Ever since the Times Herald died I haven’t been able to get any Pogo.
Apparently the Morning News does not want to carry it.
— Alan Dunkin
==========================
animation/comics #882, from hmccracken, 720 chars, Tue Mar 24 09:35:50 1992
————————–
TITLE: _Pogo_ goes all in the family
As of yesterday’s installment of _Pogo_ artist/writer Neal Sternecky
appears to have left the strip. His replacements are Pete and Carolyn
Kelly, who happen to be children of the late Walt Kelly, creator of
Pogo. I don’t know yet if Pete is drawing and Carolyn is writing,
or if Carolyn draws and Pete writes, or if it’s another
form of collaboration. It’s also too early to tell how
successful their version of _Pogo_ will be.
Long-time Pogo fans may remember that Pete and Carolyn aren’t
the first Kelly relatives to work on the strip: Walt’s widow,
Selby, drew it at one point after his death, and his son
Steve worked on the writing on some of the post-Walt episodes.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #883, from davemackey, 270 chars, Sun Apr 5 14:24:50 1992
————————–
TITLE: The collected “Crankshaft”
Andrews & McMeel has released the first collection of the “Crankshaft”
comic strip. The adventures of this irascible old school bus driver are
concocted by Tom Batiuk and Chuck Ayers.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #884, from switch, 281 chars, Sat Apr 11 15:53:26 1992
————————–
TITLE: When…
you get tomorrow’s _Calvin and Hobbes_, could some kind soul out
there do me the favor of mailing me a (crisp, unfolded) copy?
I want to blow up and laminate the last two panels, but the one
we’ve got here in the _Montreal Gazette_ has badly registered
color.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #885, from davemackey, 315 chars, Fri Apr 17 19:07:06 1992
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TITLE: Brooke’s “Starr”-ing role…at last
The perpetually-delayed “Brenda Starr” movie which stars Brooke Shields in
the title role is finally getting big-screen exposure after years on the
shelf: It is starting an exclusive engagement in a New York City theatre on
Sunday.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #886, from dcolton, 70 chars, Sat Apr 18 18:16:19 1992
This is a comment to message 885.
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According to Headline News, the movie’s nationwide gross was $500.00.
==========================
animation/comics #887, from hmccracken, 207 chars, Sun Apr 19 14:03:27 1992
This is a comment to message 886.
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Five hundred bucks? Poor Brenda! I saw a few clips on TV, and it looked
like it might be OK. They did a nice job of making Brooke Shields
look like she was drawn by Dale Messick, Brenda’s creator.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #888, from davemackey, 400 chars, Mon Apr 27 20:37:15 1992
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TITLE: New strip…
United Features Syndicate has begun distributing the comic strip “Guy Stuff.”
This strip is the humorous adventures of three pals, all single. The strip is
written and drawn by a gentleman named Jim Ryan (not the same Jim Ryan of
animation writing fame), who writes from his own experiences as a 31-year-old
bachelor living in Hoboken, NJ.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #889, from hmccracken, 141 chars, Wed Apr 29 12:23:23 1992
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Jim Ryan is, however, the same Jim Ryan whose work has been seen
in various underground/independent comic books for several years.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #890, from davemackey, 191 chars, Wed Apr 29 21:19:08 1992
This is a comment to message 889.
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And, quite naturally, The Hudson Dispatch (the local paper in Hoboken) wrote
a big feature article about Mr. Ryan’s success and is carrying the strip.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #891, from hmccracken, 136 chars, Thu Apr 30 09:40:53 1992
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You’ll have to report on the strip here, Dave, since you’re the closest
thing to a 31-year-old Hoboken bachelor that we have!
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #892, from davemackey, 132 chars, Thu Apr 30 19:20:09 1992
This is a comment to message 891.
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Well, I’m 31, I’m a Bachelor, and I work in Hoboken. Maybe Ryan and I should
compare notes!
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #893, from hmccracken, 489 chars, Mon May 4 17:41:38 1992
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TITLE: B.C. and The Wizard of Id
While talking to my father the other day, he mentioned that these
two comic strips, both written by the great Johnny Hart, have been
dealing with religious topics lately. I remember the odd religiously-
themed B.C. in the past, but not any religious material in Wizard.
Of course, with the exception of Peanuts, religious isn’t often
discussed in comics (unless you count all those insipid Family Circus
tableaux of dead grandparents in heaven).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #894, from ianl, 761 chars, Thu May 7 04:53:12 1992
This is a comment to message 893.
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No religion in comics??? Oh, would that that were the case!
There’s religion (too much of it, IMAO) in Family Circus, Rose is Rose,
B.C. (as of late, as you mentioned), Hi and Lois, on a regular basis. In
other strips, it shows up occasionally. (Sometimes it’s as simple as the
family going to church, but that’s enough to annoy a non-christian, at
least this one.)
I’ve put B.C. on my “automatically skip it because even though it’s funny
sometimes it offends my sensibilities” list. Previously, this list was
occupied only by Andy Capp (arguably the worst strip ever that is occasionally
funny despite the badness).
(Those other religious strips don’t need to be on the list, because they’re
so rarely funny that they don’t bear reading anyway.)
==========================
animation/comics #895, from davemackey, 132 chars, Fri May 8 22:19:09 1992
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“One Big Happy” is another strip that seems to have strong moral values, if
not overtly so.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #896, from hmccracken, 479 chars, Sat May 9 18:56:58 1992
This is a comment to message 894.
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Well, I guess there’s a fair amount of religion in comics if you
count families going to church, depiction of angels, etc. I was
thinking of less generic, more explicit religious commentary…
which is fairly unusual. B.C.’s recent religious forays are likely
to strike a raw nerve in a lot more folks than the Family Circus’s
bland depiction of heaven (and wouldn’t be great if Bil Keane did
a Sunday page about the old folks who ended up in Hell instead
of Heaven?).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #897, from ianl, 416 chars, Sat May 9 23:35:45 1992
This is a comment to message 895.
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“One Big Happy” is sometimes moralistic, but rarely religiously so. (It
can’t be too religious, I read, and enjoy, it.)
Really, there’s nothing wrong with “old fashioned American values”, as it
were, in comic strips. It’s just when it’s overtly religious that I don’t
like it. (Especially because the religion is always christianity. Why are
there no jews in comicland? No muslims, hindus, etc. ::sigh::)
==========================
animation/comics #898, from davemackey, 104 chars, Sat May 9 23:54:41 1992
This is a comment to message 896.
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No, Harry. Hell is where Not Me and Ida Know are going ::grin::
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #899, from davemackey, 456 chars, Sun May 10 01:26:08 1992
This is a comment to message 893.
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Of course, if you extend this discussion into comic books, Archie and his
gang pop up quite a lot in Christian comic books (which were usually written
and drawn by Al Hartley, who was a regular Archie artist and a Christian
himself since the mid-1960’s). I find it a little hard to reconcile the
regular Archie and the Christian Archie. They may look like the same
character, but their motivations are not the same.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #900, from bcapps, 612 chars, Sun May 10 01:56:32 1992
This is a comment to message 896.
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What’s also interesting to see is some of the sideline stuff that Schultz
has worked on, such as “Whatever Happened to Ol
(nurtz!) Ol’ Phaoroh?” and “The Gospel According to Peanuts” plus several
sequels to the last one. As to Johnny Hart’s stuff, typically he’s done
a Christian-religion based strip on or around the various holidays, usually
Wiley scripting some witty poem on a clay tablet. But that has been about
the extent of it, to my knowledge. I haven’t been able to keep up with it
on a regular basis lately. As far as other religions in strips, didn’t
Wee Pals have a Jewish character in it?
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #901, from davemackey, 340 chars, Sun May 10 07:56:10 1992
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I remember the book “The Gospel According To Peanuts” (I had it in fact) and
can tell you that Schulz had nothing to do with that, since it was written by
a theologian whose name was (I think) Robert Short. He used examples from
both Scripture and Schulzture to illustrate various religious points.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #902, from switch, 34 chars, Sun May 10 12:16:51 1992
This is a comment to message 896.
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That’s Gary Larson’s job 🙂
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #903, from switch, 169 chars, Sun May 10 12:17:52 1992
This is a comment to message 900.
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Wee Pals had just about everyone represented in it 🙂 I forget the name of
the kid, though. I’m not near my books (I’m at my parents’), so I couldn’t
tell you…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #904, from hmccracken, 245 chars, Sun May 10 16:28:10 1992
This is a comment to message 901.
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That’s right — Schulz’s only contribution to Short’s book was the
reprinted Peanuts strips. But Schulz and Short are good friends,
and in recent years Schulz himself has authored at least one
book similar in content to Short’s tomes.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #905, from hmccracken, 263 chars, Sun May 10 16:30:06 1992
This is a comment to message 897.
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There aren’t a lot of Jews in comics anymore (is Mel Lazarus’s
Momma Jewish?), but in the Golden Age of newspaper strips the
funnies overflowed with Jewish characters — Harry Hershfeld’s
Abie the Agent and most of the work of Milt Gross, for instance.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #906, from davemackey, 416 chars, Wed May 13 19:20:48 1992
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TITLE: “Cathy” and Cathy take a breather
Cathy Guisewite is taking her comic strip “Cathy” on hiatus for the next
eight weeks beginning May 18.
Cathy (as opposed to “Cathy”) has decided to adopt a baby, and she needs
a little time off to get her affairs in order. Only the daily strips will be
in repeats during her time off, with fresh Sunday pages continuing as usual.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #907, from morganfox, 135 chars, Wed May 13 19:39:06 1992
This is a comment to message 906.
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Gee, I wonder if “Cathy” will make the same sorta life decision or maybe
Irving will finally do something like “pop the question”? 😉
==========================
animation/comics #908, from davemackey, 489 chars, Wed May 13 20:34:10 1992
This is a comment to message 904.
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Sort of reminds me of another non-Peanuts project of Schulz… back in the
1950’s Art Linkletter compiled a book of his “Kids Say The Darndest Things”
segment from his CBS television series “House Party”, and Schulz did the
illustrations for the book… some of the characters looking suspiciously
like Peanuts understudies, and perhaps the only time Schulz has ever done
drawings of adults… It’s worth seeking out if you are a Schulz completist.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #909, from davemackey, 781 chars, Wed May 13 20:34:26 1992
This is a comment to message 899.
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My brother, the Archie expert, noted that no, the regular Archie and the
Christian Archie did not look quite the same. He reports that on the Spire
books, Al Hartley inked his own work and did a pretty bad job of it. Usually,
his work for the mainstream books was inked by either Rudy Lapick or Jon
D’Agostino, two artists who could make anyone’s art look halfway decent
(especially D’Ag, who still has a very clean line after I don’t know how many
years in the business.). He also notes that as recently as a few years ago,
Hartley was still appearing sporadically in the Archie books, mainly the
digests (which seem to be the stomping grounds for the likes of Hartley and
Bob Bolling and Samm Schwartz and other old-timey Archie artists).
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #910, from switch, 58 chars, Wed May 13 22:06:48 1992
This is a comment to message 908.
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I’ve got that book lurking around here somewhere…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #911, from davemackey, 582 chars, Thu May 14 00:05:53 1992
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TITLE: What happened to the DeCarlo Brothers?
Since I’m not a CBG reader, I have totally lost touch with the world of
comics. Until I read an article about veteran Archie artist Dan DeCarlo
in something called “The Best Of Betty And Veronica Summer Fun” by Mary
Smith, I was not aware that his twin sons, Dan Jr. and Jim had both passed
away. Dan in October 1990, Jim in August 1991. Meanwhile, the elder Dan
is still drawing covers and stories for the Archie books at the age of 72.
Dan Jr. was a penciller and Jim inked his dad’s artwork.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #912, from davemackey, 90 chars, Thu May 14 05:58:14 1992
This is a comment to message 907.
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In the strip, “Cathy” has decided to adopt a dog.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #913, from hmccracken, 536 chars, Thu May 14 09:56:26 1992
This is a comment to message 908.
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_Kids Say the Darndest Things_ has another attraction for cartoon fans:
it has an introduction by Walt Disney.
Schulz has drawn adults here and there in several places over the
years, if you count teenagers: he illustrated a book on teens
called _Two by Fours_, did a series of religious comic panels about
teens that was collected into at least three books, and for some
years did a second syndicated strip called _It’s All in the Game_
which was about game-playing grownups (and was actually ghosted, so
it may not count).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #914, from hmccracken, 52 chars, Thu May 14 09:57:30 1992
This is a comment to message 911.
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How sad! I wasn’t aware of that, either.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #915, from davemackey, 293 chars, Mon May 25 19:04:37 1992
This is a comment to message 906.
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The repeated continuity for at least the first week of “Cathy” repeats
concerned Cathy’s never-ending struggle to fit into a swimsuit. Were
Guisewite doing new strips at this time, I’m inclined to think that she’d be
doing the same exact types of gags.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #916, from hmccracken, 659 chars, Tue May 26 15:22:09 1992
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TITLE: Calvin and Hobbes
One thing that has kind of bothered me since Calvin and Hobbes returned
to new strips after Bill Watterson’s vacation is that Calvin has usually
been a philosophy-spouting, reflective little thirty-year-old rather
than a little boy. (There’s nothing wrong with adult-like little kids
in comics — I love _Peanuts_ and _Miss Peach_ — but C&H has always been
at its funniest when Calvin was more-or-less realistic little kid.)
This is why I was especially delighted by last Sunday’s
strip, with Calvin and Hobbes in their treehouse. It had Calvin
being his old childlike self, and I’m hoping it’s a sign of
things to come.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #917, from ianl, 91 chars, Tue May 26 19:30:25 1992
This is a comment to message 916.
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Hmmm, I guess you can’t please everyone. I prefer the cynical adult-like
Calvin. 🙂
==========================
animation/comics #918, from switch, 47 chars, Tue May 26 19:56:36 1992
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Me, I like both. So what can you do? 🙂
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #919, from hmccracken, 319 chars, Wed May 27 10:50:51 1992
This is a comment to message 917.
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Funny, I always consider the more cynical Calvin to be more genuinely
child-like than the one who rhapsodizes over the simple pleasure of
a Summer’s Day, asks metaphysical questions, etc. I know some
*very* cynical little kids, but not too many pint-sized, philosophy-
spouting devotees of the pastoral life.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #920, from davemackey, 441 chars, Wed Jun 3 14:50:46 1992
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TITLE: Obituary: William M. Gaines
William M. Gaines, 70, founder and publisher of Mad Magazine and EC Comics,
died today in New York City.
Gaines, a second-generation comics publisher (his dad was Max C. Gaines)
founded Mad as a comic book in 1952; after 23 issues it went to large
black-and-white magazine format, as it is today. Gaines’ company also
published horror and space fantasy comics.
–Dave Mackey
==========================
animation/comics #921, from hmccracken, 238 chars, Wed Jun 3 16:21:52 1992
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Oh, NO! He will be missed. Anyone who ever read Gaines’ biography, _The
Mad World of William M. Gaines_, by Frank Jacobs, will have a real
fondness for Gaines. And anyone who was ever a 12-year old MAD reader
has lost a friend.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #922, from switch, 57 chars, Wed Jun 3 20:30:12 1992
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*snif* such as I. I loved reading _MAD_ reprints.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #923, from davemackey, 814 chars, Wed Jun 3 23:44:04 1992
This is a comment to message 921.
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Damn right… I almost considered calling up the Mad office and would have
expressed my deepest condolences.
Mad is run more like a close-knit family than a magazine; the artists
and writers have been (for the most part) a staunchly loyal bunch over the
years, and every so often Gaines would take them on group vacations all
around the world. And Gaines helped to foster lots of that camraderie. Gaines
was also quite fond of food and drink, as anyone could tell you.
Credit him, too, with finding a way for his company to survive as his
bread-and-butter line of horror comics was being all but taken away from him
by the Werthams of the world.
Without Mad’s guiding spirit, we’ll see if Alfred E. Neuman, after all
these years, finally has reason to worry.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #924, from hmccracken, 444 chars, Wed Jun 3 23:54:37 1992
This is a comment to message 923.
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Most of the Madmen *were* very loyal, although in recent years several
key contributors — not the least among them Don Martin — have defected
to Cracked magazine.
Gaines sounds like he must have been a very paternal boss, but a very
good one as well. The MAD trips (in which the entire staff would take
a an extended trip to a foreign country together on Gaines’ nickel)
has to be the greatest fringe benefit in corporate history.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #925, from hmccracken, 824 chars, Fri Jun 5 23:37:19 1992
This is a comment to message 922.
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Unfortunately, an “appreciation” of Gaines in yesterday’s _Boston
Globe_ repeatedly criticized Gaines for paying his artists and
writers “slave wages.” While I’m not up-to-date on what MAD’s
current page rate is — it may not have kept pace with the rest
of the industry — for many years it paid vastly more than any
other American comic magazine. MAD is also the only U.S. comic
that pays its writers the same page rate as its artists. The
_Globe_ article also said that MAD’s contributors were “overworked” —
how freelancers could be overworked, I’m not quite sure.
Gaines should also be praised for running writer and artist credits
in the E.C. line of comics starting in the early 1950s, years before
it was standard practice anywhere else. Hardly a sign that this man
was an abuser of his creative talent.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #926, from davemackey, 538 chars, Sat Jun 6 08:53:06 1992
This is a comment to message 925.
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Sounds to me like you should submit a rebuttal, Harry. The point I vehemently
disagree with is that the Mad “usual gang of idiots” are overworked, because
(a) Mad only publishes eight times a year, and (b) each writer or artist
maybe contributes six pages tops each issue.
I don’t think they’d have the time for their moonlighting projects (for
example, Aragones’ “Groo”) if they were overworked, but the fact that they
take on these jobs may validate the Globe’s claim about Mad’s page rate.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #927, from hmccracken, 553 chars, Sat Jun 6 11:29:48 1992
This is a comment to message 926.
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Well, I don’t know of many eight-time a year freelance jobs that would
be enough to make a nice living all by themselves. Let’s say that
a MAD artist does one six-page feature at $600/page (a figure I’m
making up for the sake of argument) per issue. That’s $3600 per story,
or less than $29,000 a year. But $600 a page would be a terrific page
rate in comparison to the industry. I think the Globe was confused
about a different, legitimate complaint — that Gaines retained the
copyright and, I believe, the original art of the MAD material.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #928, from morganfox, 205 chars, Tue Jun 9 23:09:35 1992
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TITLE: New Elfquest
Gee, Elfquest just went full color as a bi-monthly comic. Wowzers!
I think it looks great. Wendy’s colors are pretty neat and I like her
technique. Anyone else seen it? Wha cha think?
==========================
animation/comics #929, from switch, 3134 chars, Thu Jun 11 07:55:14 1992
————————–
It’s been so long since I’ve done this, you’ve probably all forgotten
I collect comics 🙂 So here we go, the beginning of my weekly
capsules of my latest buys. People who were reading these capsule
before will probably notice a shift in my reading material: the only
Big Two titles I read regularly anymore are _Batman_ and _Akira_
(if you can call the Epic imprint one of the Big Two, and if you
can call _Akira_ regular); the amount of Japanese translations I
read has dropped since Viz made their shift to color, muddying the
artwork and astronomically raising the prices; there’s been a recent
increase in the number of _Batman_ titles.
This week’s capsule has no less than four Batman titles, with
only two other entries. So let’s get those two out of the way
first, shall we?
DEADLINE #39: This is not the Dark Horse release, _Deadline USA_.
This is the original British _Deadline_, which precedes the Dark
Horse release by a couple of months. I find the Brit _Deadline_
more interesting because it has quite a few color pages, and is
about twice the size of the American release. For those who don’t
know, _Deadline_ is a comics and music magazine. The comics are
mostly shorts or serials by primarily British artists, and the
music discussed is mostly alternative.
This issue comes with a 40-minute tape labelled “Tape Fear”,
containing nine tracks by Carter USM, Senseless THings, Kingmaker,
Mega City Four, Natural Life, Sheep on Drugs, Airstream, The Heart
Throbs, and Scorpio Rising. Since we’re not the ‘music’ conference,
I’ll move on to the Jamie Hewlett cover, which features Tank
Girl, sporting an inverted mohawk and a gun to her head. Hmmmn.
“Bubble Up and the Sideshow Freak” is sort of your typical post-
apocalyptic callous violence and drug trip. Well-drawn though.
Next: a Milk and Cheese two-pager. _Milk and Cheese_ is a series
of one or two-page stories with two anthropomorphized characters:
a carton of milk and a chunk of cheese. Dairy products gone bad,
every episode is some new brand of psychotic mayhem, as the two
destroy anything and anyone in their path. This one, however,
is a bit different. “Milk and Cheese Vomit” is vile enough that
I felt queasy just seeing it in black and white. Best to move
on…
“Hot Triggers” is a strip created, and usually written and drawn
by Philip Bond. The setting is some tropical, out of the way
place, with an air force pilot (Major Milhous Milton) and his
four young, lovely, nubile, and wacko assistants: Chocho, Suki,
Honda, and
silly in nature. Although this issue’s instalment is written
by Spiro T. Tretchikoff and drawn by Glyn Dillon, it’s still very
much in keeping with the original flavor. (I do miss Bond’s work,
though – you’ve gotta love his wide-eyed girls.)
(Gadzooks, I’m only a third of the way through the magazine.
I’ll just highlight the points that struck me the most, then.)
Philip Bond interviews himself. Milk and Cheese are pretty funny
in “Flee Market”. Tank Girl does Kerouac. Sorta.
(Whoops. It’s time for work. Finish off later. Ta.)
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #930, from switch, 1299 chars, Sun Jun 14 20:40:32 1992
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TITLE: More thoughts from the week’s comics
BATMAN & DRACULA: RED RAIN: Finally! After being out in a very
nice-looking (and expensive) hardcover for months, this has
finally made it to prestige format. Weighing in at just over 90
pages, this is a comic that is meant to be savored in one lengthy
sitting. The artwork and the story come together for a truly
fantastic tale. Being a fan of Batman, vampires, and settings of
extreme urban decay, I consider this a must-read.
EPIC #2: A bit of a disappointment. I used to love _Epic_
magazine, but with the exception of _Stalkers_, this issue didn’t
do anything for me. This episode of Clive Barker’s “Nightbreed”
didn’t do all that much for me; “Wild Cards” is an adaptation of
a series of comic book-like novels, which really need more space
(a series of their own?) to get anywhere – these little vignettes
read like excerpts from _X-Men_. “Sleeze Brothers” was mildly
humorous, but I’ll leave it at that. Frankly, I had more fun
with _Epic Lite_.
BATMAN: RUN, RIDDLER, RUN #2: Hey, this is _fun_! “Former”
Nazis, urban renewal, lesbian activists, the Riddler, bad jokes,
great dialogue, great pacing, artwork that flip-flops between
gritty and cartoony without losing us, and the guy with the ears
and cape. Can’t go wrong here.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #931, from hmccracken, 109 chars, Mon Jun 15 22:28:36 1992
This is a comment to message 928.
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I haven’t seen the color _EQ_ yet, but will be looking for it the
next time I visit a comics shop!
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #932, from hmccracken, 382 chars, Mon Jun 15 22:35:17 1992
This is a comment to message 888.
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I’ll be able to follow _Guy Stuff_ from now on — the _Boston Herald_
recently picked up the strip, dumping _Annie_ (which is out of Boston
papers for the first time in more than 60 years as a result). The
Herald, which had made no changes to its comics page in five or more
years until now, also picked up _Ernie_and something called _Bound and
Gagged_ at the same time.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #933, from switch, 1271 chars, Mon Jun 15 23:14:07 1992
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TITLE: More comics comments
Still going through the pile…
DETECTIVE COMICS #646: The conclusion to the three-part “Electric
City”. The best I can say is, “eh.” The story and the art were
functional, at best. The art and coloring seemed more suitable
to a typical superhero slugfest comic.
BATMAN #482: I find it hard to believe this is written by the
same person who pulled off RED RAIN. Then again, the pressures
of getting several comics scripted monthly don’t allow for the
kind of refining you can do on an extended project like RED RAIN.
Jim Aparo’s art is doing less and less for me as the years go by,
too. It seems the newer Batman titles are doing better art and
storywise than the two old standbys. I hope there’s a change
soon.
VENUS WARS II #1: Now this is a nifty idea. VENUS WARS II takes
place at the same time as VENUS WARS, only the story’s being told
from the other side. It’s kind of nice to see that both sides
have their good points and their flaws. Other series in various
media attempt this sort of thing, but they rarely give us equal
time for both sides, and we’re often told we’re supposed to be
rooting for one side or another. From the looks of things, VENUS
WARS II will let us make our own choices.
More to come…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #934, from davemackey, 395 chars, Sat Jul 11 11:13:42 1992
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TITLE: Another strip to watch out for…
…collected in book form for the first time is “Big Nate,” a daily by
Lincoln Peirce about your typical average sixth-grader whose escape from
the world is by drawing cartoons about the people around him.
Topper Books has published “Add More Babes! Awesome ‘Big Nate’ Comics”
at $7.95 (ISBN 0-88687-682-6).
Dave
==========================
animation/comics #935, from hmccracken, 408 chars, Sat Jul 11 17:52:44 1992
This is a comment to message 934.
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Gee, what a coincidence! Just got back from a shopping trip
during which I bought a copy of that very book.
_Big Nate_ isn’t carried in either of the Boston papers, so it’s
good to have the book as a source for what is a pretty good
strip. From time to time, it kind of resembles an answer to
the question “What would Calvin be like if he reached the sixth
grade?,” but it’
s still worth reading.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #936, from davemackey, 476 chars, Wed Jul 22 06:39:40 1992
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TITLE: London off “Popeye”, so he says
Cartoonist Bobby London says he has been fired as writer and artist of the
King Features comic strip “Popeye,” over a sequence that depicts Olive Oyl as
pro-choice.
London submitted a sequence in which Olive was given a baby Bluto doll,
and she tells two priests that she doesn’t want it because it’s her right to
choose.
King Features would neither confirm nor deny the London firing.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #937, from switch, 180 chars, Sat Jul 25 11:40:01 1992
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I’m a a week behind in _Popeye_ – I only read it in _Strips_ –
but really liked the way it was running. That King would would
fire London over it seriously burns my butt…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #938, from ianl, 220 chars, Sat Jul 25 14:21:25 1992
This is a comment to message 937.
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————————–
Especially since, as London mentioned on CNN, there was no direct reference
to abortion rights at all in the strips in question. It was, he said, an
allegory, and the excerpts that CNN showed seemed to back that up.
==========================
animation/comics #939, from davemackey, 1677 chars, Sat Jul 25 16:57:27 1992
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————————–
The Asbury Park Press had an interview with London yesterday which reprinted
this snatch of dialogue from the strips, between Olive and Sea Hag:
S.H.: “Well, Ms. Oyl, this is a surprise. What’s your problem? Want me
to turn Popeye into a toad?”
O.O.: “Well, uh… there’s this baby, Missus Sea Hag. Sort of. It was
totally unplanned.”
S.H. (to the reader): “They always come to me during a Republican
administration.”
S.H. (to Olive): “Ms. Oyl, for centuries the good clergymen of
Sweethaven have been trying to burn me at the stake for helping women take
control of their own lives and babies…”
O.O.: “But.. but…”
S.H. (putting on gloves): “Good thing I belong to a union.”
O.O.: “Missus Sea Hag! Those rubber gloves! You’re not going to… to..
operate!”
S.H.: “Ms. Oyl, it’s only fair to warn you that abortion has been
illegal in Sweethaven since 1680. I should know. I was there.”
(A bomb, thrown by the clergymen, crashes through the window.)
S.H.: “And things haven’t changed much since.”
London said of his six-year tenure on Popeye, “It’s a total surprise
that they decided to dismiss me. But then, I felt I was living under the
threat of dismissal during my entire tenure.”
Though London says he’s received his 30 days notice from the syndicate,
King Features still will not confirm nor deny his firing.
Popeye has been reported to have run in less than 2 dozen newspapers,
including the Daily Southtown Economist of Chicago, which did run the barred
strips. A few years ago some of London’s work on the strip was collected in a
book called “Mondo Popeye.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #940, from ianl, 371 chars, Sat Jul 25 19:24:16 1992
This is a comment to message 939.
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————————–
It should be noted that Olive is talking about a doll somebody gave her,
not a real live human baby. Other characters misunderstand what she’s on
about. (At least, that’s how I understood it from the CNN story.)
Still, I didn’t realize there were such direct references to abortion in
the strips in question. That is pretty controversial stuff for Popeye strips.
==========================
animation/comics #941, from davemackey, 116 chars, Sun Jul 26 01:51:51 1992
This is a comment to message 940.
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I wonder where KFS was six months ago when London did a Roe v. Wade gag…?
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #942, from hmccracken, 391 chars, Thu Jul 30 00:42:16 1992
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————————–
If those are genuine excerpts from the work London got fired for, he’d
have to be pretty out of it if he’s surprised that King Features is
upset. Of course, long before London did Popeye, he was an underground
cartoonist and did far more controversial stuff than that.
My big question is: did King Features release these strips and
*then* sack London? (And who will replace him?)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #943, from switch, 131 chars, Thu Jul 30 09:54:37 1992
This is a comment to message 942.
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Picked up this week’s _Strips_ – the cartoon still deals with,
quote: “The ‘A’ Word”, but it’s a different sestet of strips.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #944, from hmccracken, 1505 chars, Mon Aug 3 21:29:32 1992
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TITLE: R.I.P. Joe Shuster
Joe Shuster, co-creator of Superman, died last week at the age
of 78. A native of Toronto, Shuster moved to Cleveland, Ohio
as a child, where he met Jerry Siegel. They formed a team,
with Siegel writing and Shuster drawing, and began selling stories
to the newly-born comic book industry. Among their creations
was Superman, a character whom many publishers turned down until
D.C. Comics took a chance on the character in 1938.
Siegel and Shuster sold their creation to D.C. for a few
hundred dollars, and so made no money from it other than their
payment for the stories they worked on. Artist Shuster suffered
from eyesight problems which led to his untimely retirement
in the late 1940s, after which he did almost no artwork
for publication. Despite having created the most famous
comic-book character — and thus having launched an industry —
Shuster took a job as a delivery boy, and on
one delivery carried a package to the offices of D.C. Comics.
In the late 1970s, an unsuccessful lawsuit by
Siegel against D.C. led to a public outcry, and Superman’s
creators were given a pension which was enough to ensure
that they wouldn’t die in poverty.
Most discussions of Joe Shuster’s career focus on its
unfortunate aspects, so it’s easy to forget that he
was one of the best of the early superhero artists. His art
was crude but full of vitality and humor, qualities
lacking from the work of the many ghosts and
successors who have drawn Superman over the years.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #945, from mwillmoth, 138 chars, Tue Aug 4 06:36:54 1992
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TITLE: COMICON
Anyone going to ComiCon in San Diego? Trade show is Aug 11-13
(oops should be 11-12) with the regular convention Aug 13-16
==========================
animation/comics #946, from hmccracken, 133 chars, Tue Aug 4 11:28:04 1992
This is a comment to message 945.
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I *wish* I was going! The two I’ve been to have been fantastic.
Unfortunately, it’s on the wrong coast from my standpoint.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #947, from hmccracken, 662 chars, Tue Aug 4 11:31:19 1992
This is a comment to message 939.
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————————–
The current issue of _Strips_ has the Popeye abortion sequence, so I
guess King Features released the strips before they decided to fire
London. (Seems to me that once the syndicate puts the work before
the public, it’s equally responsible for it with the artist —
but it’s not uncommon for columnists to get in trouble with newspapers
for stuff that’s already been published, and I guess this is the
same thing.)
Speaking as a Popeye fan of long standing, the fact that London drew
an abortion sequence and King Features accepted it (at least initially)
is bizarre. Especially since K.F.S. has traditionally been the most
conservative of syndicates.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #948, from davemackey, 444 chars, Tue Aug 4 19:20:17 1992
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————————–
I often wonder what old man Hearst himself, or Cap Patterson (former KFS
head) would have to say about all this…
London was noted for falling over backwards trying to inject
contemporary themes and gags into his Popeye (such as casting Olive as a punk
rock follower, or Sea Hag as a ruthless 80’s businesswoman/condo queen), but
at least he returned to a drawing style closely resembling Segar’s.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #949, from hmccracken, 381 chars, Wed Aug 5 00:09:39 1992
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Small correction, Dave: Captain Patterson was the head of the Chicago
Tribune/Daily News Syndicate, home of Dick Tracy, Moon Mullins,
Little Orphan Annie and others. The most famous editor associated
was probably Sylvan Byck (though Heast himself was very much
involved with the syndicate’s comics lineup and personally
approved every acquisition through Beetle Bailey.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #950, from davemackey, 49 chars, Wed Aug 5 23:44:30 1992
This is a comment to message 949.
————————–
Oops. 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #951, from davemackey, 222 chars, Wed Aug 5 23:44:39 1992
This is a comment to message 944.
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I wonder if Joe Shuster was related to the Canadian entertainer Frank
Shuster, who was half of Wayne And Shuster (and whose daughter is comedy
writer Rosie Shuster of “SNL” fame)…
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #952, from hmccracken, 187 chars, Thu Aug 6 16:57:22 1992
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————————–
Yes, they are related — not sure exactly how. But Rosie worked on
the Superman 50th anniversary show of a few years back, and an
article I read noted that she was kin to Joe.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #953, from hkenner, 729 chars, Thu Aug 6 20:50:10 1992
This is a comment to message 952.
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Fascinating. I knew Frank Shuster slightly (we were in the same class
at U. of Toronto in the early 40’s) and never heard of a US connection.
Incidentally, Wayne and Shuster are underrated in the US. They were
accorded a US network show back in the ’50’s or early ’60’s, which
bombed thru failure on the network’s part to realize that they were
writers much more than performers. Their Canadian TV profited from
razor-exact knowledge of what they could depend on the audience knowing.
In an age when just about everyone had at least a year of Latin, they did a Spillane parody laid in ancient Rome. The
sleuth nestles up tp the bar.
“Gimme a martinus.” Bartender: “Martini?” Sleuth: “When I want two
I’ll ask for them.”
==========================
animation/comics #954, from hmccracken, 346 chars, Mon Aug 17 20:26:26 1992
This is a comment to message 953.
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I have since learned that Frank and Joe Shuster’s relationship
was that of cousin. Another piece of trivia: in the earliest
Superman stories, the paper that Clark Kent worked for was
not the Daily Planet but the Daily Star, named after the
Toronto Star. So the Man of Steel’s origins are really just
as much Canadian ones as U.S. ones.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #955, from davemackey, 295 chars, Tue Sep 1 08:45:49 1992
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————————–
TITLE: Take this job and shove it, Dithers
Heard a report on the radio this morning that say that in the comic strip
“Blondie”, Dagwood is going to finally tell Dithers what he can do with
his job, and go to work for his wife’s catering business instead…
Dave
==========================
animation/comics #956, from hmccracken, 66 chars, Tue Sep 1 09:20:49 1992
This is a comment to message 955.
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————————–
NO! Say it ain’t so, Dave! Does tradition mean nothing?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #957, from davemackey, 250 chars, Wed Sep 2 05:47:16 1992
This is a comment to message 956.
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————————–
Not at King Features, Harry… ::grin:: Times change, and so do the comics.
Next thing we know, Beetle Bailey will be court-martialed and will have to
adjust to civilian life after 40 years in the military! 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #958, from hmccracken, 1543 chars, Thu Sep 3 22:26:11 1992
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TITLE: _Pogo_ Volume 1: Thumbs Up!
After a *very* long delay, Fantagraphics Books has published the first
volume of what should be a several-dozen-volume project to reprint
the entire daily run of Walt Kelly’s _Pogo_ newspaper strip. While
I’m dubious that any of us will live long enough to see Fantagraphics
complete this project, this $9.96, 65 page book is a good start.
Volume 1 covers two different runs of the strip: Kelly began by
doing several months of it for the New York _Star_ in 1948 and
1949. After the _Star_ folded, _Pogo_ was picked up for syndication
by the Hall Syndicate, and Kelly redrew and reworked the _Star_
material for the early months of the run. None of the strips in
this book rank among Kelly’s best work — which, for me, was to
come from around 1953 to 1960 or so — but they’re all fine and funny.,
The book begins with a preface by R.C. Harvey which includes some good
material, but spends far longer on the history of _P.M._ (a predecessor
to the New York _Star_ that _Pogo_ didn’t even run in) than on the
pre-_Star_ history of Pogo (the character was created for comic books
in the early 1940s and was quite popular before he ever appeared in a
newspaper). Harvey also makes the very questionable assertion that
there are few clues of Kelly’s experience at the Disney studios that
show up in his Pogo work — for me, _Pogo_ looks very Disneyesque, and
it’s evident that Kelly was especially influenced by Fred Moore and
Ward Kimball, two Disney artists he worked closely with at the studio.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #959, from morganfox, 721 chars, Thu Sep 3 22:53:44 1992
————————–
TITLE: Well..
I have it! The new issue of Elfquest…I think. That is the first issue of
Elfquest: New Blood.
As Richard as given us to wonder in the past…here we have it; EQ
interpretted and drawn by other artists. Ands it looks great! I have only
flicked through the pages, but Hey, Looks good! I love the John Byrne
stuff (did I get that name right?) and I love how others go for it! I
know surely I will not so patiently await the “to be continued-s” as much
as I did Wendy and Richard’s!
And for your “what-evers” I saw the original art of some of this, especially
some of the back burner stuff…and Print, just don’t cut the mustard in
repro of the original! Hot damned!
Buy it! IMHO and all that jazz!
==========================
animation/comics #960, from davemackey, 154 chars, Fri Sep 4 19:25:47 1992
This is a comment to message 957.
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————————–
And speaking of life changes for comics characters, what’s this I hear about
Superman dying in an upcoming issue?
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #961, from hmccracken, 121 chars, Sat Sep 5 09:31:56 1992
This is a comment to message 960.
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————————–
He’s going to, apparently. It’s a multi-issue event. Wanna bet reports
of his demise turn out to be premature?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #962, from grekel, 133 chars, Sat Sep 5 09:36:53 1992
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Yeah — he’s gonna don a hood and become…
SPA-A-A-A-ACE GHO-O-O-O-O-OST!
(voiced by Gary Owens, of course)
(oops, wrong topic!)
==========================
animation/comics #963, from switch, 207 chars, Sun Sep 6 09:41:02 1992
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No, he’ll just come back to life somehow. Or they’ll bring back
either the Golden Age Superman or the Earth-Prime Superboy from
Alex Luthor’s alternate dimension (remember CRISIS ON INFINITE
EARTHS?)
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #964, from bcapps, 539 chars, Sun Sep 6 23:07:28 1992
This is a comment to message 963.
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————————–
Well, rumor has it that the big “S” will be on ice for approx. 6 months
and that there will be reports of a “shadowy” figure zipping around. The
other heroes will be filling in for him in Metropolis for awhile, it seems
according to the newspaper story here in D.C. What will be telling, is
whether or not, any of the current titles will be cancelled if low sales
is indeed the problem. Course, it’s not Superman’s fault that today’s
kids need blood ‘n gore ‘n guts to believe in superheroes. Wait’ll they
meet the real world…
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #965, from ianl, 550 chars, Sun Sep 6 23:30:11 1992
This is a comment to message 964.
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> today’s kids need blood ‘n gore ‘n guts to believe in superheroes.
> Wait’ll they meet the real world…
Actually, I hope I’m well insulated from the real world when these youngsters
hit it. It’s a scary thought that they don’t believe a problem can be
resolved or justice served without some mayhem, and without strewing guts all
over the scenery. It’s a worrisome thought that they find Superman to be
“corny” (as they said in CNN interviews) because he delivers criminals to
the justice system instead of blowing them away on the spot.
==========================
animation/comics #966, from hmccracken, 100 chars, Mon Sep 7 11:10:04 1992
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————————–
Maybe if Superman comes back to life, he can take Dagwood’s old job
at Mr. Dithers’ shop.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #967, from hmccracken, 552 chars, Mon Sep 7 11:13:56 1992
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Agreed. I’m no puritan, but I think DC Comics, especially, is being
irresponsible in publishing a line of comics that consists so
heavily of stories of “heroes” who dismember bystanders, bite the
heads off animals, etc. Most of what I’ve seen in the DC Line is
much worse than the infamous EC Comics of the 1950s ever were
in terms of violence, and seems uterly lacking in humanity.
DC Publisher Jeanette Kahn has come along way since she was the
creator of well-done kids’ magazines like _Kids_, _Dynamite_, and
_Bananas_ in the mid-1970s.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #968, from switch, 171 chars, Tue Sep 8 14:01:20 1992
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Wait a minute. Which “heroes” do these things? Lobo? Lobo isn’t
a hero – he’s been decidedly villanous since his introduction in
OMEGA MEN back in the early 80s.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #969, from hmccracken, 305 chars, Tue Sep 8 15:27:15 1992
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Heroes? Villains? The distinction seems to be fading. From what I
can tell (and correct me if I’m wrong), Lobo has his own comic,
is featured on merchandise, etc. I don’t see any evidence that
the kids are supposed to root against him. Is he anything more
than Wolverine taken one step further?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #970, from switch, 376 chars, Wed Sep 9 21:39:14 1992
This is a comment to message 969.
————————–
Wolverine we were at least supposed to be feeling a bit sorry for. He
was trying to control his animal nature. Lobo just kills – and if he’s
staying true to form, he kills largely on assignment. If anything, he’s
derivative of James Bond, any James Coburn character, Mel Gibson, et al.
Heck, we’ve always had heroes that kill. And kids have always rooted
for them.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #971, from switch, 300 chars, Sun Sep 13 23:38:57 1992
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————————–
TITLE: For Better or For Worse
Speaking of FBoFW (over in boob.tube), how many people think this
new Candace character is going to be a candidate for either anorexia
nervosa or bulimia?
Boy, it’s scary seeing little Elizabeth becoming interested in boys.
It almost makes me feel old. Almost.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #972, from davemackey, 334 chars, Thu Sep 17 10:12:12 1992
————————–
TITLE: Real-life Lacey passes on
Mention must be made here of the death yesterday of former Rep. Millicent
Fenwick (R-NJ), since she was the model for the “Doonesbury” character
Lacey Davenport.
Fenwick was perhaps best known for her tough attitude, punctuated by
her ever-present pipe.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #973, from ghurst, 421 chars, Sun Sep 20 22:07:35 1992
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TITLE: Galactus
I bought a copy of Epic years ago which turned out to be the last issue of this
magazine. In it, there was the first installment of “the last Galactus story”.
I am wondering if there has ever been a conclusion to this story in some
other magazine or a replay of the whole thing. I can’t remember who drew it,
but it was somebody with quite a reputation. I’ll have to look for it and
find out.
ghurst
==========================
animation/comics #974, from switch, 222 chars, Sun Sep 20 22:57:13 1992
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————————–
It was John Byrne, and I was wondering about the same thing…
I’m cleaning out my comic boxes to determine what to get rid of.
Some great stuff in there, and some ludicrous stuff. Anyone remember
Dial H For Hero?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #975, from ghurst, 425 chars, Sun Sep 20 23:14:21 1992
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————————–
Well, who does John Byrne do work for these days. I intend to write a letter
and find out what is going on. Gads, I waited too many years for Gilligan to
get off that stupid island. I am not waiting any longer. 😉
Dial H for Hero. Ah, of course! I have many issues of that wrapped up in the
attic somewhere.
Say, did anybody else enjoy the graphic novel, Judgement on Gotham? I was
pretty pleased with it.
ghurst
/
==========================
animation/comics #976, from ghurst, 125 chars, Sun Sep 20 23:17:07 1992
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————————–
BTW, was there ever an origin of Galactus story? Or was this same Byrne story
supposed to take care of that as well?
ghurst
==========================
animation/comics #977, from hmccracken, 297 chars, Mon Sep 21 17:39:18 1992
This is a comment to message 955.
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————————–
I’ve been out of touch with _Blondie_, but I did read yesterday’s strip,
in which Dagwood appears to be meekly asking Mr. Dithers for his job
back. So I guess he had submitted his resignation and gone to work
for Blondie’s catering serves in the days leading up to that.
can fill us in?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #978, from morganfox, 232 chars, Mon Sep 21 19:51:24 1992
This is a comment to message 975.
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————————–
John Byrne did a story for the new Elfquest comic “New Blood”. You should be
able to find this at your local vendor now. I liked it LOTS! Now, I am
starting to ask myself, “who is John Byrne? And where has he been all this time?”
==========================
animation/comics #979, from davemackey, 363 chars, Mon Sep 21 22:00:34 1992
This is a comment to message 977.
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All I know is what I’ve read in “Strips” — which is pretty much what you’ve
told us. They threw Dagwood a going away party, and Dagwood seems to be
enjoying his new job because it brings him closer to food. Of course what
happens when it’s time to lay out platters of cold cuts? Dagwood could make
the biggest sandwich ever… 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #980, from davemackey, 614 chars, Mon Sep 21 22:00:46 1992
————————–
TITLE: Comics Museum: benefactor?
When last seen, Mort Walker packed up the collection of the Museum Of Cartoon
Art, which had been in Rye Brook, NY, and moved it south to Boca Raton, FL.
He plans on opening an International Museum Of Cartoon Art down there. A
small matter of $8.8 million dollars stands in the way.
If Jim Davis has his way, Walker will see his dream realized. Davis, the
creator of “Garfield,” has vowed to help Walker raise the necessary funds.
(Doesn’t Garfield make that much in a year from merchandising and license
fees from the television show alone?)
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #981, from switch, 352 chars, Mon Sep 21 22:18:48 1992
This is a comment to message 975.
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Byrne seems to be freelancing these days, but I’m not sure. He
bipped from Marvel to DC, and then I think to Marvel again for
a short while. He recently co-wrote a Green Lantern story with
Larry Niven (“Ganthet’s Tale” — Niven wrote the story, Byrne
scripted it). He’s also doing his own comic, Next Men, I think
under the Dark Horse banner.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #982, from switch, 198 chars, Mon Sep 21 22:19:42 1992
This is a comment to message 978.
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————————–
He’s been around. He’s probably best known to longtime comics fans
for his long stint on X-Men. Or if they haven’t been around that
long, Fantastic Four. He started on X-Men around 1980…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #983, from switch, 216 chars, Mon Sep 21 22:26:23 1992
This is a comment to message 976.
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No… there was a one-shot (it looked to be the first of a series,
but nothing ever came of it) under the banner “Super-Villain Classics”,
which featured Galactus’ origin. It came out in the mid-80s, I
think.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #984, from switch, 69 chars, Mon Sep 21 22:26:56 1992
This is a comment to message 977.
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In a recent Blondie, Dagwood mentioned that Blondie fired him.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #985, from ghurst, 34 chars, Mon Sep 21 23:08:10 1992
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So what *was* his origin?
ghurst
==========================
animation/comics #986, from morganfox, 419 chars, Tue Sep 22 20:35:10 1992
This is a comment to message 982.
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I was so impressed as to how well J. Byrne was able to make a truly *great*
EQ story. Let’s face it….the idea of others doing Wendy Pini’s elves
has been a taboo subject area in the mind of fans for a long time. JB
enetered the world and made a very nice niche. Not only the art, but the
intensity of the story.
Elfquest: New Blood is all stories and art by folks other than Wendy and
Richard. IMHO….check it out.
==========================
animation/comics #987, from switch, 236 chars, Tue Sep 22 21:40:03 1992
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I’ll tell you when I get to that comic; I’m afraid I’m only on
the “J” titles now; it’ll be about two days before I get even close
to the “S”es, and there are a *lot*. (All those “Super-” adn
“Star-” and “Space-” titles… urk!)
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #988, from davemackey, 95 chars, Thu Sep 24 01:40:41 1992
This is a comment to message 984.
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For eating the Swedish meatballs? What a way to lose your job.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #989, from davemackey, 414 chars, Thu Sep 24 01:40:51 1992
This is a comment to message 971.
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I finally tracked down the continuity with Candace (I was hopelessly
infatuated with a girl named Candace all through high school, so I have no
small partiality to the name); she does seem a tad obsessed with her weight.
But then, all women do. One of my co-workers said yesterday she was going on
a diet. This woman is not fat by any means, and if she needs a diet I can’t
see it.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #990, from davemackey, 303 chars, Thu Sep 24 01:40:58 1992
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TITLE: New Groening in stores
One more descent into Hell for Matt Groening. HarperCollins has just
published “The Road To Hell,” in the same format as his other books,
reprinting his “Life In Hell” strips from “The Village Voice” and other
newspapers around the country.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #991, from morganfox, 112 chars, Thu Sep 24 20:15:57 1992
This is a comment to message 989.
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“But then, all women do.” Please, stereotyping is hard enough to counter
without it being enforced and nutured.
==========================
animation/comics #992, from bcapps, 460 chars, Fri Sep 25 01:41:21 1992
This is a comment to message 978.
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If you’ve been reading Superman for a number of years, you would know that
John Byrne was one of the principal artists behind the revitalization of
the Big “S” a few years back. But then, if more people had been reading
Superman’s books, they wouldna had ta kill him!
Also, to the original post here, I thought that they finished that storyline
in Epic. I could be wrong tho. I mainly picked it up for the little
Cerebus stories. Those were good.
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #993, from switch, 123 chars, Fri Sep 25 18:01:38 1992
This is a comment to message 992.
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Nope, the Last Galactus Story was to be concluded elsewhere, and
soon. I vaguely remember reading that somewhere…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #994, from switch, 3019 chars, Fri Sep 25 18:04:01 1992
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TITLE: Trading card mania
Since I dropped out of the world of mainstream comics a few years back,
I’ve largely ignored what’s been going on in the shops. Most of the time
I walk past stores that specialize in mainstream comics, and the few that
I pop into either don’t cater to the trading card/collector mentality or
I’m in and out so fast I don’t see a thing.
Well, last week my roommate got this interesting little package in the
mail. He publishes a magazine by name of Edge Detector, and he’s somehow
gotten on the mailing list of this distributor who thinks he’s a retailer.
In the package is a cover letter for this distributor (Victory Sports
Promotions), explaining their whole trading card distributor biz. But
enough about the cover letter – let’s see what’s lurking in here.
Hmn – a bunch of sample playing cards, comprised of:
– a Batman Returns card, with a picture of the Penguin on one side
and some fluff prose on the other;
– a Valiant promotional card, featuring all of the Unity-related
characters (looks like something Barry Windsor-Smith knocked off
one afternoon when he was bored);
– a bunch of sports cards and a Harley-Davidson American Vintage
Cycles card.
Let’s see, what about the promo flyers? Let’s look at a few:
– FernGully trading cards (“90 full-color trading cards of all the
lovable characters from the hit movie!” Huh? “Environmentally
friendly! Printed on recycled paper, using vegetable-based inks
and water-based varnish”);
– Barbie collector cards (BARBIE?!??);
– the Elvis Collection;
– hockey, basketball, etc.;
– Wolverine trading cards (Wolverine trading cards?);
– Fangoria collector horror cards (the horror! the horror!);
– a Marvel Universe Series III card checklist (I remember organzing
my cards on finding the gaps myself; I must have been an
aberration);
– Marvel Universe super-heroes (why is Thanos here?)
– and last, but not least: Punisher Guts and Gunpowder, scratch-and-
sniff trading cards.
Ladies and gentlemen, the fanboy-collector obsessiveness I witnessed as
a lad pales in comparison to the outright marketing mindset these cards
are promoting. There doesn’t even seem to be the pretense of buying the
cards in order to look at them; they’re all touted as “collectible” or
“collector’s items”, are now varnished in order to last longer, and –
most importantly – the images are only slighly smaller than a business
card! Why reduce a frame from, say, Spider-Man, with its obsessive
detail work (the sign of a “good” comic artist) to seven square inches?
Why, in order to sell of course. The kids recognize Spider-Man so
they snarf it up, seal it, and prepare to put it away from future resale.
It’s the Marvelization of the trading (ha! who trades ’em?) card
industry.
Emru
P.S. Y’know, if these kids put half the money they “invest” in comics
and cards into a bank and let it gain interest, they could help pay
their way through college.
==========================
animation/comics #995, from bcapps, 370 chars, Sun Sep 27 04:17:08 1992
This is a comment to message 994.
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Yeah, it’s sad, alright. We’re gleefully leading these young minds down
Ivan Boeschky’s philosophical path: Greed is good! Now go out and buy
some more stuff! People need jobs and businesses need the revenue!
Auggghh!
(Though I have to admit, the True Crime cards from Eclipse are informative!
They, at least, try to make those young-uns learn something!)
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #996, from switch, 109 chars, Sun Sep 27 13:06:27 1992
This is a comment to message 995.
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Yeah, and they were the subject of immediate backlash before anyone
had even seen the things. Sheesh.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #997, from davemackey, 409 chars, Mon Oct 5 19:07:40 1992
This is a comment to message 984.
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————————–
And more recently it seems that Dithers has given him his old job back. I
guess this makes it easier for KFS comic editors to pull old strips in case
Stan Drake breaks his arms or somesuch.
In a related development, the letters page of today’s Newark Star Ledger
carried a missive that queried how Dagwood stays so thin at his age and with
all the big sandwiches he eats.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #998, from hmccracken, 393 chars, Mon Oct 5 20:06:34 1992
This is a comment to message 997.
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————————–
My guess is that they never really intended for Dagwood to leave
his job with Dithers permanently. I mean, three-quarters of the
strip’s jokes relate to Dagwood either working or getting ready
to go to work. Presumably, the publicity when Blondie started up
her business was so great that they thought they could reap some
more with this development (even if it was only temporary).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #999, from switch, 275 chars, Tue Oct 6 21:28:17 1992
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TITLE: If you’re interested…
…the latest issue of Details (with Nicolas Cage on the cover)
shows the final two panels of the strip that got Bobby London
fired. It’s pretty blatantly pro-choice, and I suppose interesting
to see what the syndicate deems unsuitable.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1000, from hmccracken, 278 chars, Tue Oct 6 21:57:05 1992
This is a comment to message 999.
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Did they release the strip with those two panels to newspapers?
At the very least, they got far into the abortion sequence before
pulling the plug on London. Seems to me that once they released
the strips to papers, they lost the moral right to fire London
over them.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1001, from davemackey, 165 chars, Tue Oct 6 23:09:39 1992
This is a comment to message 998.
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It also makes it easier for KFS editors to pull inventory strips from stock
in case Drake breaks his drawing hand or something… 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1002, from davemackey, 850 chars, Wed Oct 7 19:03:40 1992
————————–
TITLE: The next controversial comic…
…is going to be next week’s “Luann.” In the strips, written and drawn by
Greg Evans, Luann’s older brother Brad is going to take his date to a movie.
When he reaches into his pocket for his wallet, a condom falls out.
Evans claims this is the first time the subject of condoms has been
broached on the funny pages. Previously, “Doonesbury” featured a character
called Dr. Whoopee selling condoms, but Evans considers that op-ed page
material not targeted to younger readers.
The strip, which last year featured Luann going through the trials of
her first menstrual period, runs in about 250 papers, including The New York
Post and The National Forum: Strips.
This week’s continuity deals with Brad deliberating as to whether to ask
Diane out in the first place.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1003, from switch, 120 chars, Thu Oct 8 00:08:45 1992
This is a comment to message 1000.
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I don’t think they released those two; then again, I only get
Strips reprints. I do agree with your assessment.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1004, from switch, 546 chars, Fri Oct 9 22:13:22 1992
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TITLE: Superman to die at the hands of a politically-correct bad guy
There’s an article in the paper today that says that the National
Alliance for the Mentally Ill and other advocacy groups were miffed
when they discovered that Superman was to die at the hands of a
“straitjacketed escaper from a cosmic insane asylum”, as it gives
an “insensitive and derogatory” portrayal of the mentally ill.
DC bowed down and the words “lunatic”, “straitjacket”, and “lunatic
asylum” won’t be used.
Sheesh. I wonder if these groups ever read Batman?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1005, from davemackey, 67 chars, Tue Oct 13 19:09:01 1992
This is a comment to message 1001.
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Hey, I said that already. ::grin::
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1006, from switch, 1596 chars, Sat Oct 24 00:49:20 1992
This is a comment to message 985.
————————–
Okay, I finally got to the “S” section in my comics. (Actually,
I passed the “S” section a week ago, and just finished cataloging
90% of my comic books a few hours ago, but I just got around to
reading the comic in question.)
Before the universe as we know it existed, there existed another
universe, which was nearing its end. On some Exceedingly Advanced
Planet, a Brilliant Scientist and Adventurer searched in vain for
a way to save his great race, the inhabitants of the planet known
as Taa. When no solution was found, he and a handful of others
decided to go out in a blaze of glory by plunging their rocket ship
into the heart of their dying sun. Our hero survived the cosmic
ray bombardment while his friends died, and he felt himself changing.
When he did plunge into the sun, he came into contact with a being
of Unimaginable Power, a Primal Force of the Universe. This entity
gave our hero the power to live on after the destruction of his
universe, to fulfill his mission (which is not made clear).
Shortly thereafter, their universe ends, and ours is created. Our
hero crashlands on a moon, coincidentally near a Watcher, who
observes what transpires and, naturally, talks to himself. Our
hero regains consciousness, and with his new cosmic powers fashions
a suit. He lifts off, and then creates Taa II, his new home (that
funky ship Galactus had until recently.) We learn that his feeding
on planets is not a desire, but a need, and that he must survive
until the last days of the universe, when he must (paraphrase)
“give back to the universe what he has taken”.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1007, from switch, 425 chars, Sat Oct 24 00:51:33 1992
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TITLE: Magazines
In the most recent Mondo 2000, it’s said that Details’ Wild Palms
will be made into a TV series… yikes!
But that’s beside the point. The latest reflex mentions that
the E.C. Segar Popeye introduced new words to the English language,
two of which were “jeep” and “goon”, according to the OED. Hmmmn.
Perhaps Hugh could scan to see if there are other Popeye-derived
words lurking around in the OED?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1008, from davemackey, 51 chars, Sun Oct 25 13:03:05 1992
This is a comment to message 1007.
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How about “wimpy”?
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1009, from hkenner, 199 chars, Mon Oct 26 08:27:22 1992
This is a comment to message 1008.
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The OED has separate entries for Wimpy, slang for hamburger or
things pertaining thereto, and wimpy, dull & sluggish. It derives
the former from Popeye but offers no derivation for the latter.
–HK
==========================
animation/comics #1010, from hmccracken, 376 chars, Tue Oct 27 15:26:22 1992
This is a comment to message 1007.
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————————–
I’ve never seen any definitive proof that Segar originated the
terms Jeep, Wimpy and Goon (nor any that he didn’t, actually).
In any event, the cartoonist who contributed the most to
the language was probably Billy DeBeck, creator of Barney Google,
who came up with “Heebie Jeebies,” “Great Balls of Fire,” and
about a million other phrases I can’t recall just now.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1011, from hkenner, 277 chars, Tue Oct 27 17:17:01 1992
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What proof do you need, Harry? I’m old enough to remember when the
Jeep (big-nosed yellow animal with spots, name of Eugene) turned
up in the strip; also the Goon, white, humanoid, perhaps 8′ tall,
mauve-spotted as I recall, name of Alice. They are both from the
’30’s.
–HK
==========================
animation/comics #1012, from hmccracken, 332 chars, Tue Oct 27 23:25:44 1992
This is a comment to message 1011.
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————————–
Definitely, Hugh. I just wasn’t sure if Segar coined the
terms, or used existing ones. Do you recall Jeep, Goon or Wimpy
being part of the language before Segar’s use
of them?
(In the case of Jeep, I’ve heard that it’s short for
General Purpose Vehicle — but that doesn’t mean
that it’s not also a reference to Eugene.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1013, from hkenner, 221 chars, Wed Oct 28 08:00:24 1992
This is a comment to message 1012.
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General Purpose Vehicles (GP) came well after Eugene. The story
is that people started pronouncing ‘GP’ as ‘Jeep’, and the spelling
eventually followed suit.
There seems no doubt that Segar made up the words.
–HK
==========================
animation/comics #1014, from hmccracken, 226 chars, Sun Nov 1 20:00:47 1992
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TITLE: Well, That’s a Big Relief Dept.
The radio news this morning reported that DC Comics has called an
emergency meeting to see if there isn’t *some* way that Superman’s
death can’t be averted or reversed somehow.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1015, from switch, 82 chars, Sun Nov 1 22:12:57 1992
This is a comment to message 1014.
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Hmn. Wonder why?
Doesn’t matter anyway – he can always come back after…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1016, from hmccracken, 422 chars, Mon Nov 2 13:53:58 1992
This is a comment to message 1015.
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I think it’s all a Barnumesque publicity stunt. What do you think
the chances are that DC would kill off the most profitable thing
they own? If they ever did, it’s entirely possible that Warner stockholders
might sue them! The death of Superman, if it was permanent, would be
akin to Heinz deciding not to make ketchup any more, or Coke deciding
not to make Coke (whoops, that *did* happen briefly, didn’t it?).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1017, from davemackey, 206 chars, Mon Nov 2 19:26:59 1992
This is a comment to message 1015.
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This is actually being discussed at the DC annual enclave, this year being
held in Rye, NY. They hold these strategy meetings every year, if I remember
my DC lore correctly.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1018, from switch, 89 chars, Tue Nov 3 21:30:41 1992
This is a comment to message 1016.
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Yup, they did — and they changed their minds afterward, much as
I expect DC will.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1019, from davemackey, 666 chars, Fri Nov 6 19:06:04 1992
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TITLE: Election Week in “Doonesbury”
Amazing how inventive cartoonists can get, especially in an election year.
With a three-way race that theoretically could have gone any-which-way within
the space of a syndicator’s deadline, Garry Trudeau dealt with the possible
election results in a rather entertaining manner: in this week’s “Doonesbury”
strips, he provided check boxes in sections of dialogue that provided
alternate scenarios depending on who won the election. Example:
Reporter: “Mr. Clinton, what’s next for you?”
Bill Clinton: “[ ] I’m going to Disneyland!
[ ] I’m going to The White House!”
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1020, from bcapps, 374 chars, Sat Nov 7 02:33:05 1992
This is a comment to message 1014.
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Well, only a few issues after the “Funeral for a Friend” storyline, Supergirl
looks to see who’s in Superman’s tomb. And guess what? It’s empty. Also,
the recent CBG shows all of the covers for the storyline and the last one
shows what looks to be Pa Kent lying face down in the middle of the field
with Ma running towards him. Another tie back to the first movie?
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #1021, from davemackey, 851 chars, Wed Dec 16 11:55:29 1992
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TITLE: “Mad” art at auction
“This is one of the funniest sales I’ve ever put together,” says Joshua Arfer
of Christie’s East in New York City of the auction of original art from Mad
Magazine which is currently previewing and will go on the block on Friday.
Pieces range from Antonio Prohias “Spy Vs. Spy” originals to complete film
satires drawn by Mort Drucker and covers by the late Norman Mingo. Most all of
the Usual Gang Of Idiots will be represented.
The auction house is on East 67th Street next to Channel 5 in New York,
and Arfer has provided chairs in the exhibition area for those who want to
spend more time with the artwork (i.e. to read the satires). “Half the fun
is coming and looking,” says Arfer, who is also responsible for heading the
Animation Art department at Christie’s East.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1022, from davemackey, 489 chars, Tue Dec 29 21:20:18 1992
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TITLE: Obituary: Pierre “Peyo” Culliford
Pierre Culliford has died in Brussels of a heart attack at the age of 64. The
cartoonist, who was professionally known as “Peyo”, created the Smurfs in the
1950’s.
It wasn’t until the late 1970’s that the Smurfs caught on here, first
through figurines and recordings, later a feature film called “Smurfs And The
Magic Flute”, and, beginning in 1981, in a highly-successful Hanna-Barbera
series that ran on NBC.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1023, from hmccracken, 268 chars, Tue Dec 29 22:00:12 1992
This is a comment to message 1022.
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…And this is as good a place as any to note that at least one wire
service obitiuary of the artist got confused by the European tradition
of calling books of comics “albums,” and reported that Peyo created
*recordings* about the Smurfs, rather than comics.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1024, from davemackey, 346 chars, Wed Dec 30 11:22:55 1992
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TITLE: Obituary: Ted Shearer
Ted Shearer, creator of the comic strip “Quincy,” died on December 26 in Mt.
Kisco, New York.
The cartoonist, who was 73, collaborated with his son John on the “Billy
Jo Jive” books, later adapted for use as animated segments on “Sesame Street”.
“Quincy” was syndicated by King Features for 16 years. –Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1025, from hmccracken, 139 chars, Wed Dec 30 16:19:31 1992
This is a comment to message 1024.
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That’s too bad! Quincy was always a well-drawn strip that reminded me
in some ways of Percy Crosby’s classic kid strip _Skippy_.
– Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1026, from cconroy, 241 chars, Wed Dec 30 23:06:21 1992
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TITLE: Comics for sale..?
I have a bunch of old DC comics (circa 1960) and some Marvel comics
from the mid-70’s that I recently “discovered” at my parent’s house.
I’m looking for help selling them – I’d like to sell them as a set.
Cconroy
==========================
animation/comics #1027, from davemackey, 206 chars, Thu Dec 31 03:14:09 1992
This is a comment to message 1023.
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But there were Smurfs albums, too, so the writer was partly correct. These
records (such as “Best Of Friends”) pre-dated the television series and were
in the Chimpunk mold.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1028, from hmccracken, 394 chars, Fri Jan 1 22:49:43 1993
This is a comment to message 1026.
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Well, there are several ways to go about selling old comics (that
is, unless someone here on BIX reads your message and is interested).
The easy way is to sell them to a dealer. The harder way is to
sell them to collectors through a periodical like _The Comics Buyers
Guide_ — but you can probably get more money for them that way.
Just out of curiosity, what titles do you have?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1029, from cconroy, 199 chars, Sun Jan 3 17:11:31 1993
This is a comment to message 1028.
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Harry,
Mostly mid-70’s Marvel – SpiderMan, Iron Man, Hulk, Avengers, etc..
I Also have some early 60’s Action Comics, World’s Finest, and others..
If you’re interested, I can send you a list
Chris
==========================
animation/comics #1030, from hmccracken, 425 chars, Mon Jan 4 22:36:55 1993
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If you’d feel like posting a list of the titles here, Chris,
go ahead! Are they in good condition?
Finds like this are neat, but they always get me remembering
that my mother’s collection of vintage early 1940s comic books
, disposed of by my Grandmother sometime in the 1950s, would
be worth a mint today (and would be full of fun comics like
_Captain Marvel_, _Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories_, and the
like).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1031, from hmccracken, 741 chars, Sat Jan 23 20:32:09 1993
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TITLE: Trudeau Stung By Baird Brouhaha
The current sequence in _Doonesbury_ has Joanie Caucus being
interviewed by Zoe Baird for a Justice Department job. While
Trudeau works much closer to publication than most cartoonists,
it’s obvious this material was done before the
Baird nomination ran intro serious trouble and was eventually
withdrawn. And it’s interesting to note that other strips
weren’t run in these ones’ place; you’d think Trudeau would have
plans for that in case of totally unexpected events such as
this one.
This also raises the question: why can’t Trudeau — just about the
onky comic-strip cartoonist who does truly topical material these
days — work as close to publication as editorial cartoonists do?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1032, from ianl, 603 chars, Sat Jan 23 21:37:13 1993
This is a comment to message 1031.
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> why can’t Trudeau work as closse to publication as editorial cartoonists
Perhaps because “the funny pages” part of a newspaper is almost always
produced offsite and delivered to the local newspaper way ahead of time?
(Whereas an editorial toonist is generally onsite, and even if not, his
work is received via fax or whatever and printed onsite as part of the
editorial or op-ed page.)
If Trudeau miss-guesses, a bajillion copies would have to be reprinted
nationwide and reshipped to the local papers. An editorialist can just
fax out a new panel right up to the local printing deadline.
==========================
animation/comics #1033, from hkenner, 219 chars, Sat Jan 23 22:04:57 1993
This is a comment to message 1032.
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>>copies printed and reshipped …
Hey, aren’t you thinking of color supplements?
Trudeau’s daily strips aren’t printed elsewhere & added in. They are
printed in the same press run that produces the rest of the paper.
==========================
animation/comics #1034, from hmccracken, 718 chars, Sat Jan 23 22:40:17 1993
This is a comment to message 1032.
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The daily comics are indeed provided to newspapers way ahead of time,
but I wonder if it has to be that way. (As opposed to Sunday comics,
which are printed in advance, often by someone other than the paper
itself — making early deadlines essential.)
I don’t see why Trudeau’s deadlines couldn’t be the same as those of
a Herblock or MacNelly, whose syndicated editorial cartoons see
print in papers within a day or so of being drawn. Especially in
this day of electronic transmission, it’s possible to get material
from artist to paper very quickly….And wouldn’t be exciting if
Trudeau, or any comic strip cartoonist, could be commenting on
*today’s* (or at least yesterday’s) events, as they happen?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1035, from ianl, 236 chars, Sun Jan 24 00:41:22 1993
This is a comment to message 1033.
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Oh, right. I haven’t seen a daily (non-Sunday) issue of a newspaper in
about 20 years, so I didn’t think of that. To me, newspapers come in two
flavours: Sunday, and the 6 fluff/advertising editions that come between
Sundays. 🙂
==========================
animation/comics #1036, from cconroy, 347 chars, Sun Jan 24 19:52:11 1993
This is a comment to message 1030.
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Harry,
I’ll send you a list of the issues I have. I know what you mean about
giving up comics. My uncles had given all of their comics to me
when I was younger – I know that I had a complete set of all the DC
stuff from the early 60’s. But we left them lying around, and my
mother got upset, and they went out in the trash.. Sigh…
Chris.
==========================
animation/comics #1037, from cconroy, 225 chars, Sun Jan 24 19:53:46 1993
This is a comment to message 1031.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Harry,
I may be mistaken, but I don’t believe that editorial cartoonists
put out a cartoon each day. I think that the quality of the
strip would suffer if a cartoonis had to crank out the stuff in
such a timely fashion…
==========================
animation/comics #1038, from hmccracken, 370 chars, Sun Jan 24 20:07:26 1993
This is a comment to message 1037.
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That’s true — I don’t think any editorial cartoonist does seven cartoons
a week. (On the other hand, a number of them *do* do both several
editorial cartoons a week, plus a comic strip — Mike Peters (_Mother
Goose and Grimm_ and Doug Marlette (_Kudzu_) come to mind.
Jeff MacNelly does editorial cartoons, a comic strip (_Shoe_), and
a panel (_Pluggers_).)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1039, from mholcomb, 1137 chars, Thu Jan 28 00:16:59 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Questions and Answers
I would like to discuss comics, DC and Marvel stuff mainly, and just get some
general activity on the topic so I will try by asking some questions hoping
for some speedy answers!
1. What issue did Silver Surfer first appear in? (MARVEL)
2. What issue did Bucky die in? (Bucky is Captain America’s sidekick)
3. Who published Marvel Comics No. 1? (It is NOT Marvel Comics Group)
4. How many different origins are there for Batman? (Comic based only, not
the movie versions)
5. What artist drew Spiderman #1, Fantastic Four #1, Davedevil #1 and Captain
America #100? (All MARVEL Titles)
6. How many types of Kryptonite are there?
7. What is the name of the city Braniac stole from Krypton?
8. Who lives in that city? (Referring to question 7)
9. Why did Spiderman become a crime fighter?
10. Who is Aquaman’s wife?
I don’t promise to be able to answer all of these off the top of my head so
I will need some help from you comic collectors out there!
Hope this starts some activity around here. I would also like to just
discuss things like the Death of Superman books (which I notice I missed)
MAR.
==========================
animation/comics #1040, from hmccracken, 287 chars, Thu Jan 28 09:37:24 1993
This is a comment to message 1039.
There are additional comments to message 1039.
————————–
Well, a lot of those questions are beyond my realm of knowledge, but
here’s a shot at some of them:
3) Timely Comics
5) Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Bill Everett, Jack Kirby
7) Kandor
8) Nightwing and Flamebird
9) Because a crook killed his Uncle Ben
Anyone else have any guesses?
– Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1041, from davemackey, 197 chars, Thu Jan 28 19:26:43 1993
This is a comment to message 1039.
There are additional comments to message 1039.
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1. The Silver Surfer first appeared in Fantastic Four #48, cover-dated March
1966.
10. Aquaman married Mera in issue #18 of his comic, dated November-December
1964.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1042, from davemackey, 411 chars, Thu Jan 28 19:26:57 1993
————————–
TITLE: Strip artists on Joan Rivers
No, not strippers. (Thank goodness.) Today’s syndicated Joan Rivers show
played host to four of the more popular comic strip artists: Jim Davis
(Garfield), Lynn Johnston (For Better Or For Worse), Mike Peters (Mother
Goose & Grimm) and Chris Browne (Hagar The Horrible). It was quite an
entertaining hour with those four very creative people.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1043, from switch, 612 chars, Thu Jan 28 21:19:41 1993
This is a comment to message 1039.
————————–
1. Errr…
2. Errr…
3. Timely Comics.
4. Now this depends. They’re all essentially the same (parents gunned down
by an unknown assailant after a movie) but the particulars (which movie,
the identity of the assailant, the assailant’s employers) change from
time to time…
5. Jack Kirby.
6. Ummm, red, green, gold.
7. Kandor
8. Kandorians. There’s Van-zee and (mumble), who have secret identities
analogous to Batman and Robin (this is all pre-Byrne Superman, of course.)
9. His uncle Ben was shot by an unknown assailant.
10. Errrr….
That said, where were you during our trivia CBIX? 🙂
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1044, from hmccracken, 549 chars, Sun Jan 31 13:11:23 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Changes for _Dick Tracy_
Tribune Media Services, the syndicator of _Dick Tracy_, has not renewed
the contract of Max Allan Collins, the crime novelist who has written
the strip since creator Chester Gould’s retirement in 1977. (Gould
and Collins have been the strip’s only writers throughout its more
than sixty years.)
No replacement has been named for Collins, and artist Dick Locher
will remain (and apparently may take over the writing end). The
syndicate has enough Collins material on hand to last into March of
this year.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1045, from switch, 133 chars, Sun Jan 31 16:32:26 1993
This is a comment to message 1044.
There are additional comments to message 1044.
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Geez, and I was enjoying Dick Tracy just the way it is! Here’s
hoping the new Tracy won’t be anything like the new Popeye…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1046, from mholcomb, 275 chars, Mon Feb 1 20:21:41 1993
This is a comment to message 1029.
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[From cconroy #1029]
I am interested in the Marvel titles listed.
Spiderman, Iron Man, Daredevil are the ones I have near complete collections
for but the others I would be interested in too.
If you have a whole list send it, else just the titles I asked for.
Thanks!
MAR.
==========================
animation/comics #1047, from davemackey, 217 chars, Tue Feb 2 19:06:53 1993
This is a comment to message 1044.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Max Collins gave “Dick Tracy” whatever bite it’s had in recent years.
Hopefully this will give him more time to pursue other projects… like doing
“Ms. Tree” on a regular basis again.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1048, from hmccracken, 186 chars, Tue Feb 2 21:58:21 1993
This is a comment to message 1047.
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Collins will forever have the gratitude of at least some hard-core
_Tracy_ fans for killing off Moon Maid, which he did shortly after
assuming his duties on the strip in 1977.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1049, from jwiede, 466 chars, Sun Feb 14 04:57:23 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: John Byrne’s Next Men
An interesting book, that’s quite captured my interest. Anyone
else out there who’s read and been taken by this?
The subtle depth on some of the characterizations is impressive.
Currently, I suspect that Jazz/Nathan and Jack/Bethany might be
safer for all parties. B)
Anyways, it was enough of an interesting read that having read three
of em (6, 8 and 10) that I went out and bought 1,3,4,7 and 9. I couldn’t
find 2 or 0 locally.
==========================
animation/comics #1050, from switch, 23 chars, Sun Feb 14 11:19:44 1993
This is a comment to message 1049.
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What’s it about?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1051, from hmccracken, 325 chars, Sun Feb 14 20:55:29 1993
This is a comment to message 1049.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I’ll have to check out the series, John. I’ve heard about it, but
haven’t actually seen. it. In fact, I haven’t read any Byrne comics
since his Superman revamp issues of a few years ago. (Welcome to
the conference, by the way — and feel free to introduce yourself
and your interests in the “characters” topic!)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1052, from jwiede, 408 chars, Mon Feb 15 17:31:02 1993
This is a comment to message 1051.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Howdy!
I’ll try and do the “characters” thang when I get a free moment to
figure out precisely what my interests are. B)
I would definately recommend taking a look at the series as the
story is quite well-done. As for Emru’s question regarding the
precis of the book, well, gimme a little time, it’s not that easy
a story to characterize quickly (they’re not particularly deep into
the series yet).
John
==========================
animation/comics #1053, from jwiede, 2225 chars, Fri Feb 19 02:25:03 1993
This is a comment to message 1052.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Hmm…describing Byrne’s Next Men is far harder that I’d thought it
would be.
I could say it’s a human and more-constrained version of X-Men but
that wouldn’t give a real depth to it. Byrne’s made it clear that
he limited them to “reasonable” abilities as a goal, and did a pretty
good job of meeting that goal (where I can plausibly believe that a
person could be basically indestructible ala Bethany with the constraints
they’re making clear on indestructibility affecting senses). This is
a rather stark contrast to say Storm or Phoenix in X-Men which, while
plausible requires a far greater suspension of disbelief.
The humanity aspect of the characters is nice. In particular, you get
a real feel that these people have additional abilities which they neither
understand nor have a clear control over, which to me is far closer to
reality than the “learn you’re a mutant and control the world” rampant
in the plethora of X-Books.
You really need to read it to get a better feel. People get hurt, and
hurt badly. They react to that. Continuity is a very strong theme to
date. Furthermore, they don’t have the basic acceptances of implausibility
rampant in other comics.
Example: Jack has great strength. As his strength has grown, his control
over it has diminished proportionately. This to the point where
he has to wear a restraining harness to avoid “demolishing
everything he comes in contact with” (slight paraphrase). He does
NOT like this condition, and it is portrayed as having a very real
effect on his personal life, but without the trite self-pity aspect
too often applied in other comics.
You get a strong sense of believable people dealing with real situations.
This is a stark contrast to the demi-god aspect too prevalent in the X-books
and other comic books of late.
Byrne also does better without the Comics Code. He doesn’t belabor the
intimacy of characters, but it can be used at times to portray very distinct
changes in the inter-relationships between the characters.
Byrne admits much of Next Men came from a novel he gutted. It shows. This
is much closer to a novel with pictures than a comic book with depth, IMO.
==========================
animation/comics #1054, from jwiede, 699 chars, Fri Feb 19 02:32:21 1993
This is a comment to message 1053.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Having said that, am I the only one here reading this series?
I’m looking for idle speculation on the events in #’s 10 and 11, and what
the end result will be. We’re close to a nuke on them, and while Bethany
might survive one, she’s just not much of a solo series. B)
Also, Jazz and Nathan makes for interesting dynamics when Jack finds out.
Of course, one can’t help but notice that Bethany is a better pairing for
Jack than Jazz. Hidden tragic aspect?
I’m still lost as to the what’s going on with Jorgenson’s mutates, but I
have a strong suspiscion that the “large skulled” person seen squatting
around might be the sixth Next Man, Gillian, as Byrne hinted in a letters
column in #2 or #3.
==========================
animation/comics #1055, from jwiede, 238 chars, Fri Feb 19 02:34:53 1993
This is a comment to message 1054.
There are additional comments to message 1054.
————————–
BTW, getting #0 and #2 tomorrow, then I’ll be caught up. Nothing in
there will be particularly unexpected, but might as well go for karmic
completion (I have X-Men #100 and 101 too, not to collect, just to know
where Phoenix came from).
==========================
animation/comics #1056, from switch, 120 chars, Fri Feb 19 10:50:26 1993
This is a comment to message 1054.
There are additional comments to message 1054.
————————–
Hmn. Well, I guessed it to be an X-Men knockoff, so I never bothered
picking it up. Maybe I’ll have a look-see.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1057, from davemackey, 267 chars, Mon Feb 22 14:29:34 1993
————————–
TITLE: Home shopping for comics…
The cable channel Home Shopping Network will present comics-related items this
coming Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. Eastern time. The in-studio guest will be
veteran Marvel Comics artist Sal Buscema.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1058, from davemackey, 388 chars, Tue Feb 23 10:33:18 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Harvey Kurtzman
Harvey Kurtzman, the creator of “Mad” magazine, has died in Mount Vernon,
New York, at the age of 68. Cause of death, which occurred Sunday, was not
disclosed.
Kurtzman’s other credits include “Hey Look”, “Humbug”, “Help!” and
“Little Annie Fanny” (a collaboration with Will Elder for Playboy magazine).
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1059, from hmccracken, 554 chars, Tue Feb 23 14:12:52 1993
This is a comment to message 1058.
There are additional comments to message 1058.
————————–
Aw, gee! Kurtzman was one of the greats (and I’m glad I got to meet him
a couple of times at 1970s comic-cons). There’s no doubt that _Mad_’s
influence on modern humor was tremendous, and while Kurtzman’s funny
stuff is probably what he’ll be most remembered for, he did some
excellent, serious war comics as well. I’ve heard that Kurtzman had
been ill for some time, but he was working on a new war series at
the time of his death.
How sad that he and Bill Gaines, the other guy behind _Mad_, should die
within a few months of each other.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1060, from switch, 187 chars, Tue Feb 23 18:58:33 1993
This is a comment to message 1058.
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There are additional comments to message 1058.
————————–
Oh, my goodness. Kurtzman always struck me as sort of immortal,
and incredibly energetic. I couldn’t imagine him even having a
cold. Another legend I’d like to have met, gone…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1061, from davemackey, 973 chars, Tue Feb 23 19:17:18 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: The tradition continues
When Tina Brown took over the editorship of “The New Yorker” a while ago,
people shuddered in horror as to what she would do to the magazine’s mascot,
Eustace Tilley. (Some envisioned Eustace naked and pregnant, in homage to
Brown’s most notorious Vanity Fair cover that so pictured Demi Moore.) Tilley
has appeared on the cover of the late February issue every year since the
1920’s.
Well, the “Eustace” issue has made its annual appearance, and while the
traditional cover graphic of Eustace peering through the monocole has not
been tampered with (thank you Tina), inside there are a variety of
interesting re-realizations of Eustace from such cartoonists as Art
Spiegelman, Roz Chast, and Ronald Searle. (One speculates that Ms. Brown
commissioned these paintings for possible cover use, but anticipated the
public outcry if one of these radical versions were used instead of the old
familiar image.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1062, from hmccracken, 595 chars, Tue Feb 23 21:30:25 1993
This is a comment to message 1061.
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I was disappointed by the re-interpretations of Eustace. Rather boring,
for the most part — I’d have liked to see something more radical
(although *not* as a replacement for the Rea Irvin cover).
Since Brown became editor, the NY has become a lot more innovative in
its use of comic art in general, with interesting contributions from
Feiffer, Art Spiegelman, and others, and a greater emphasis on topical
cartoons. Also worth noting was this year’s Valentine’s Day cover,
a Spiegelman painting of a Hassidic Jew kissking a Black woman that
stirred up a fair amount of controversy.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1063, from davemackey, 248 chars, Thu Feb 25 19:28:17 1993
This is a comment to message 1060.
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And if your local newspaper carries the syndicated column by Jeff Greenfield,
look for a recent one (which ran today in the New York Post) that wonders why
Kurtzman’s death didn’t receive the respect it should have.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1064, from davemackey, 99 chars, Mon Mar 1 19:10:10 1993
This is a comment to message 1058.
There are additional comments to message 1058.
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According to Time, Kurtzman died of complications of liver cancer.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1065, from bcapps, 127 chars, Thu Mar 4 01:43:25 1993
This is a comment to message 1058.
————————–
Oh man! I didn’t even hear about this one! Boy, now I’m really down. The
world just keeps getting poorer and poorer…
Bob
==========================
animation/comics #1066, from hmccracken, 491 chars, Thu Mar 4 18:08:40 1993
————————–
TITLE: Most Unusual Use of a Comic Character in an Ad Department:
A new ad for Visa Gold (or is it MasterCard Gold?), aimed at retailers,
has a bar graph with two bars: one for the purchasing power of the
card’s users, the other for the purchasing power of American Express
cardholders. What’s clever about the graph — and makes it worth
mentioning here — are that the two bars are two Daddy Warbucks
(Warbuckses?): a short one for Amex, and a very tall one for the
other card.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1067, from jwiede, 149 chars, Fri Mar 5 04:12:44 1993
This is a comment to message 1054.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I take it there are no other Next Men readers present?
Shame, Byrne’s really crafting something nice in it, and I’d love
to disucss it with others.
==========================
animation/comics #1068, from switch, 60 chars, Fri Mar 5 12:08:52 1993
This is a comment to message 1067.
There are additional comments to message 1067.
————————–
I’m hoping to be able to check some out this weekend.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1070, from lwherrman, 432 chars, Sun Mar 7 12:23:46 1993
This is a comment to message 1067.
————————–
No, there is another Next Men reader here. I have only just recently
started to read it and had to acquire some back issues to understand
what was going on. After having read all of them (including 0), I now
understand what is going on, though Santhas’ role still confuses me a
bit. I like the way Byrne has developed their abilities, much more
realistic than “Wow, look what I can do” without any errors along the way.
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1071, from hmccracken, 431 chars, Wed Mar 24 09:27:02 1993
————————–
TITLE: Kurtzman in _The New Yorker_
Harvey Kurtzman fans should rush out and buy the current _New Yorker_,
for a four-page tribute to the late creator of _Mad_ magazine that
includes a painting by Will Elder, a 2 1/2-page comic strip by
Art Spiegleman, and a prose piece by Adam Gopnik. It’s one of the
most impressive examples of the magazine’s heightened interest in
comic art since Tina Brown assumed the editorship.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1072, from davemackey, 469 chars, Thu Mar 25 10:27:56 1993
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Alden McWilliams
Alden McWilliams, artist for the comic strip “Dateline: Danger”, died on
March 19, in Stamford, CT, at the age of 77. Mr. McWilliams and writer
John Saunders paired a black and white reporter for the strip, much in the
style of “I Spy” — not coincidentally, Mr. McWilliams was the artist for
the comic book version of “I Spy.”
He received the NCS award for Best Story Cartoonist in 1978.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1073, from davemackey, 293 chars, Wed Apr 14 19:16:12 1993
————————–
TITLE: “Supes” editor visits The World’s Greatest Store
Michael Carlin, editor of the Superman comics for DC, will be appearing at
Macy’s Herald Square on Friday, April 16 at 1 p.m. The visit is part of a
“Salute to Superman” promotion that the store is doing.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1074, from lwherrman, 215 chars, Wed Apr 14 20:59:14 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Dark Horse Presents
Are there any DHP readers out there? Any comments on _The Madwoman of Sacred
Heart_?
Also are there anymore of us “out there” people who read _Cheval Noir_ on BIX?
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1075, from switch, 71 chars, Thu Apr 15 11:48:46 1993
This is a comment to message 1074.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’m still an avid Cheval Noir reader, though I’m a bit behind 🙂
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1076, from lwherrman, 330 chars, Thu Apr 15 20:34:42 1993
This is a comment to message 1075.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I am a recent arrival to the _Cheval Noir_ readership. I have acquired all
but two of the entire series-#’s 1 & 27. I’m sure I’m going to have a
difficult time finding number one 🙂 41 has some neat stuff. I just picked
it up today.
Anthologies-the way to expand your horizons and tastes.
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1077, from switch, 263 chars, Thu Apr 15 22:07:33 1993
This is a comment to message 1076.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 1076.
————————–
Yeah 🙂 For me, Cheval Noir is occasionally a nice way to relive
my childhood, as CN occasionally reprints things I read years ago,
in the original language (the Jacques Tardi stuff, for instance —
I read their first Tardi story when I was 9, In French.)
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1078, from lwherrman, 251 chars, Fri Apr 16 00:04:04 1993
This is a comment to message 1077.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I like the Tardi stories. Je parle francais, un peu. It’s nice to see some
action in this topic again. I also enjoyed La Tour, and Fever in Ubricand.
It’s a bit of a conceit on Dark Horse’s part when the named the book “Dark
Horse” 🙂
Link
==========================
animation/comics #1079, from switch, 204 chars, Fri Apr 16 00:38:16 1993
This is a comment to message 1078.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I liked La Tour and Fever in Urbicand as well. I’m hoping to pick
up DH’s collections when I get the $$$. I liked the play on the
name as well, but it’s fairly obvious to everyone in this town 🙂
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1080, from lwherrman, 449 chars, Fri Apr 16 20:04:30 1993
This is a comment to message 1079.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Actually I think NBM is putting out the collections. I rember seeing the add
in the back of CN or was is DHP? :: shrug :: “The Great Power of Chinkel”
had many aspects that I liked. My favorite is when he recieves the prophesy
at the island and the means he has to go to get it. I found the twist of
the prophet having to be in a state of ecstasy to prophesize amusing,
especially considering her true form 🙂
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1081, from switch, 407 chars, Fri Apr 16 23:13:01 1993
This is a comment to message 1080.
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————————–
Eh. I can’t afford the collections yet anyway. 🙂
Yeah, Chninkel was pretty fun. It skewered a lot of fantasy conventions, and
fantasy’s a genre I’ve gotten pretty tired of, so I enjoyed it immensely 🙂
The state of ecstasy thing is old hat if you’ve been following anime and manga
(smile), but I found the whole shape-changing thing hilarious.
Gee, guess I’ll have to go re-read the thing now…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1082, from lwherrman, 269 chars, Sat Apr 17 00:44:25 1993
This is a comment to message 1081.
————————–
Unfortunately one of the issues I’m missing has an episode of “Chinkel” in it.
I have withing the past 8 months gotten back in to comics much to my wallet’s
suffering 🙂 I haven’t sample much magna or anime, but am willing to try new
things.
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1083, from lwherrman, 254 chars, Sun May 2 19:52:15 1993
This is a comment to message 1076.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
My local comic retailer pulled a small miracle…. He found me Cheval Noir #1
with the Dave Stevens cover. BTW: He’s Mark Brown of Prairied Dog Comics in
Wichita KS. I also found #27 so my collection is now complete (at least of CN)
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1084, from switch, 87 chars, Mon May 3 08:27:59 1993
This is a comment to message 1083.
————————–
That is a small miracle. I wonder whose soul he had to sell to pull
that off 😉
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1085, from davemackey, 180 chars, Mon May 3 17:58:50 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Manuel Gonzales
Manuel Gonzales, 80, artist of the “Scamp” comic strip for the Disney studios,
died on March 31 of cancer in Van Nuys, CA. –Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1086, from hmccracken, 301 chars, Tue May 4 01:14:43 1993
This is a comment to message 1085.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Gonzales may have drawn the Scamp strip, but he should probably be
remembered more for his work on the Mickey Mouse newspaper strip;
he drew the Sunday version for more than thirty years (second only
to Floyd Gottfredson, who did the daily Mickey strip for an incredible
forty-five years).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1087, from davemackey, 197 chars, Tue May 4 02:12:32 1993
This is a comment to message 1086.
————————–
You are correct, Harry. His obituary in Variety did mention his work on the
Mickey Mouse newspaper strip; thank you for reminding me that I forgot to
include it. 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1088, from davemackey, 409 chars, Mon May 17 19:55:46 1993
————————–
TITLE: Comic art on “Broadcasting” cover…
For the first time since they changed their cover policy to editorial rather
than advertising, “Broadcasting And Cable” has an illustrated front cover
instead of a photo. The caricature of Howard Stern, Larry King and Rush
Limbaugh (the three foremost names in syndicated talk radio) is provided by
Mad Magazine regular Sam Viviano.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1089, from hmccracken, 599 chars, Sun Jun 6 19:14:01 1993
————————–
TITLE: Kudzu and its critics
See today’s New York Times for an interesting article on Doug Marlette’s
_Kudzu_ comic strip, which often makes fun of faddish therapy programs.
A group organized to combat those who make light of mental illness in
the mass media complained to Marlette about the strip’s references to
depression, and Marlette revealed to them that the subject was one that
hit home with him (his mother suffered from it for many years).
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1126, from kipw, 353 chars, Fri Jan 21 19:37:56 1994
This is a comment to message 1120.
————————–
Verbeek was a twisted genius. I’ve seen examples of his work over the
years and can’t fathom how he could do that every week (even with some
tricks he used). Dutch artist Joost Swarte did a modern-day version of
one of these in an underground called DUTCH TREAT that was okay, but
nothing like the sustained strangeness of Lovekins and Muffaroo.
–Kip
==========================
animation/comics #1127, from kipw, 734 chars, Fri Jan 21 19:44:31 1994
This is a comment to message 1123.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I like to imagine my own Family Circle strips (sorry, circles), with
Dolly topping herself for the weakest non-pun cute-kid saying (“Mom,
can I play ‘Intendo’?” “MTV is showing that new video by Scoop Doggy
Doo.” and so on), or implying a disfunctional family (“Billy hit
Jeffy with a Tuba Floor!”). I also try to bring the strip up to the
present by imagining the family, still together because the kids just
won’t leave home. In this scenario, we find the father slain, and the
polic (weary of questioning a surly, unshaven Billy) say they just don’t
know who did it. “Ida Know” and “Not Me” are somewhat dismayed to see
themselves joined by a newcomer, “F–k You, I was Drunk.”
Well, late at night, these things seem funny.
–Kip
==========================
animation/comics #1128, from kipw, 426 chars, Fri Jan 21 19:47:14 1994
This is a comment to message 1124.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, I planned out one last Sunday strip with Billy’s route home,
where Billy is near school and a black van pulls over, then we follow
the path of the van as Billy is assaulted and kicked out, then we follow
Billy as he tries to drag himself home. Here’s the spot where Barfy tries
to play with the weakening tot. Then Dolly comes in to deliver the cute
laugh line, “Mom, Billy’s not movin’!”
Maybe I need a vacation.
–Kip
==========================
animation/comics #1129, from switch, 49 chars, Fri Jan 21 20:48:49 1994
This is a comment to message 1128.
There are additional comments to message 1128.
————————–
Or professional help. Or an inking brush.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1130, from robairmackey, 285 chars, Fri Jan 21 21:19:29 1994
This is a comment to message 1127.
There are additional comments to message 1127.
————————–
Barnes and Noble bookstores carry about 50 different Family Circus
paperback books, and only about 3 Peanuts books. Hmmm.
I wonder if they sell extra-strength refrigerator magnets to
stick the entire book on the door.
–Bob
==========================
animation/comics #1131, from robairmackey, 517 chars, Fri Jan 21 21:22:49 1994
This is a comment to message 1128.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
This is similar to what I used to do, which was write alternate captions
for the Dennis the Menace strips that were risque, dirty or just plain
weird. I still have many of these lying around and perhaps my muse will
strike again. It’s easy to do: Get some Avery labels that will cover the
caption perfectly, and write your own strange captions. Make a party
out of it! But do NOT use rare first edition Gold Crest paperbacks.
This desecrates valuable paper.
–Bob
==========================
animation/comics #1132, from hmccracken, 250 chars, Fri Jan 21 22:56:50 1994
This is a comment to message 1131.
————————–
I’m too in awe of Hank Ketcham’s drawing skills to tamper with his
humor. I do, however, fondly remember a Nat’l Lampoon _Dennis_
parody — Dennis, brandishing a skull and telling his father, “Hey!
Look what I found in Mr. Wilson’s head!”
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1133, from sharonfisher, 125 chars, Sat Jan 22 18:50:29 1994
This is a comment to message 1127.
————————–
I have heard of such a thing as the Dysfunctional Family Circus; I
forget whether it’s on the Internet or is a zine or what.
==========================
animation/comics #1134, from davemackey, 635 chars, Tue Jan 25 19:05:25 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Falseheart?
That comic-strip detective, Dick Tracy, and his wife, Tess Trueheart, may be
headed to divorce court.
Writer Richard Killian, who took over those duties a few years ago from
“Ms. Tree” creator Max Allan Collins, notes that many police wives are
concerned that their husbands are married to their job and they get
neglected, so Mrs. Tracy is going to serve her husband with divorce papers on
the strip being published on February 7.
Asked by radio interviewer Maureen Langan of WBBR New York if there was
hope for reconciliation, Killian said it was not out of the question.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1135, from hmccracken, 51 chars, Tue Jan 25 20:04:49 1994
This is a comment to message 1134.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
WHAT? Who’s next — Blondie and Dagwood?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1136, from robairmackey, 266 chars, Tue Jan 25 22:23:07 1994
This is a comment to message 1135.
————————–
Or that happy little family in that panel WITHOUT CORNERS!
“Dolly, why is Mommy in the milkman’s truck?”
(Bil Keane’s use of topical humor strikes again. He takes the
next week to explain what a milkman is)
–Bob
==========================
animation/comics #1137, from linkster, 1715 chars, Sat Jan 29 22:56:05 1994
————————–
TITLE: some news
I read in Comics Buyers Guide #1055 February 4, 1994 that…
Mike Richardson, founder and president of Dark Horse Comics, named
Lou Bank to the position of vice president of of marketing and sales.
He begins at Dark Horses headquarters in Milwaukie, OR in early
February. Bank was director of sales at Marvel.
Innovation closed its doors December 31, 1993 after the investors
informed the staff on December 27 that the 31st was their last day.
Former Editor-in-Chief George Broderick, Jr. told CBG that he had
expected it. He was told not to get any new licenses and delay
additional cost projects until 1994.
The projects that are scheduled to ship.
(Will not ship unless noted otherwise)
January
Interview with the Vampire 12
Lost in Space: Voyage to the Bottom of the Soul 8
Mack Bolan: The Executioner 7
On a Pale Horse 5 (in stores, lacks one issue of completion)
Queen of the Damned 12
of completion at time of shutdown)
February
Hero Alliance
Lost in Space: Voyage…. 9
Mack Bolan 8
Quantum Leap Annual 1
March
Lost in Space: Voyage…. 10
Mack Bolan 9
Quantum Leap: Second Childhood 1
Note: The article mentioned that _Lost in Space_ 18 would ship, but
I’m not sure which issue of _Voyage to the Bottom of the Soul_ is 18
since I don’t collect LIS and _Voyage_ is a continuation of the plain
_Lost In Space_
I’ll post some more if there is any more news of import as I read the rest
of this weeks issue.
==========================
animation/comics #1138, from linkster, 489 chars, Sat Jan 29 23:09:46 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: some birthdays of note
I didn’t think to post these until today 🙂
Jan 23, 1952 Klaus Janson of _The Dark Knight Returns_ fame.
[A.
Jan 24, 1930 John Romita
Jan 26, Jules Feiffer
Jan 26, Jacob Pander
Jan 27, 1954
Jan 27, 1957 Frank Miller
Jan 28, 1947 Daerick Gross, Sr.
Jan 28 1951 Todd Klein
This is not a complete listing of the dates in Comics Buyer’s Guide
I just chose names that sounded familiar to me. In the future I’ll post all
for each day. Thanks CBG.
==========================
animation/comics #1139, from linkster, 54 chars, Sat Jan 29 23:14:25 1994
This is a comment to message 1138.
————————–
the Jan 27, 1954 is Peter Laird. ooops…
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1140, from linkster, 207 chars, Sun Jan 30 01:40:51 1994
————————–
TITLE: Today’s Birthdays
1953 Dann Maxx Thomas
1953 Fred Hembeck
1957 Guy Gilchrist
1961 Denys Cown
1965 Link Yaco
1968 Todd Michael Wright
Hmm… I finally found a person with the same first name as me.
==========================
animation/comics #1141, from linkster, 375 chars, Sun Jan 30 13:45:38 1994
————————–
TITLE: Cheval Noir reprints
The first of the specials and reprints of stories that have appeared in _Cheval
Noir_ has already been solicited. It is _Coutou_ by Andreas. It appeared in
_CN_ 8-? (I can’t recall at the moment). It is the story of a NYPD dectective
hunting down a murder who’s pattern is that of Coutoo, who was supposedly
killed by his father.
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1142, from linkster, 168 chars, Mon Jan 31 00:26:52 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Born today
Paty Cockrum
1949 Wendy Fiore
LInk
P.S. Someone will have to tell me who they are, CBG doesn’t give much info
on their accomplishments.
==========================
animation/comics #1143, from hmccracken, 182 chars, Mon Jan 31 09:53:08 1994
This is a comment to message 1142.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Paty Cockrum is, I believe, a colorist and artist who has worked for Marvel Comics.
Also the ex-wife of Marvel artist Dave Cockrum. I think Wendy Fiore is a colorist,
too.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1144, from linkster, 293 chars, Mon Jan 31 20:58:09 1994
This is a comment to message 1143.
————————–
thanks I’ll be posting more birthdays on a regular basis. Unfortunately, I’m
still relatively new to comics and am only starting to recognize names.
I’ll be getting better. I’m currently entering my collection into a data
base and keeping track of the credits.
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1145, from linkster, 291 chars, Tue Feb 1 00:10:06 1994
————————–
TITLE: Feb 1 Birthdays
1954 Nate Butler
1954 Bill Mumy, Lost in Space’s Will Robinson and comics writer
1954 Bill Spangler
1955 Diana Schutz, Editor of Grendel and other comics
1957 Gilbert Hernandez, one of the Hernandez Brothers of Love and Rockets(?)
1960 Ron Frenz
Suzanne Gaffney
==========================
animation/comics #1146, from linkster, 206 chars, Wed Feb 2 00:04:12 1994
————————–
TITLE: Born Today.
1912 Creig Flessel
1940 Larry Wright
1955 Bob Schreck, Dark Horse head of special projects and editor of the tabloid
version of the Dark Horse Insider a few years ago.
==========================
animation/comics #1147, from linkster, 269 chars, Wed Feb 2 21:21:32 1994
————————–
TITLE: The quake.
This weeks Comic Buyer’s Guide has big article on what happened to comic
creators in LA. The hardest hit was apparently Harlan Ellison and his wife
Susan. I’ll work up something to post. The article is quite information
heavy.
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1148, from linkster, 126 chars, Thu Feb 3 00:49:29 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Feb 3 bdays
Byron Erickson
1949 Richard Marschall
1951 Tim A. Conrad
1953 Randy Loffier, translator and Dr. Who expert
==========================
animation/comics #1149, from switch, 40 chars, Thu Feb 3 08:09:25 1994
This is a comment to message 1148.
————————–
That should be “Randy Lofficier”.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1150, from linkster, 476 chars, Sat Feb 5 11:11:34 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Sorry I missed the last couple days, Bix wouldn’t even prompt for login thurs.
Feb 3
Byron Erickson
1949 Richard Marschall
1951 Tim A. Conrad
1953 Randy Lofficier
Feb 4
1951 Dez Skinn
1960 Scott Saavedra
1962 Tom Sniegoski
1966 Francis J. Mao
Today Feb 5
1920 George Evans
1925 Jess M. Jondloman
1941 Marty Pahis
1955 Val Semeiks
1963 Mark Bloodworth
1967 Kelly McQuain
1972 D. Alexander Gregory
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1151, from hmccracken, 265 chars, Sat Feb 5 11:36:56 1994
This is a comment to message 1150.
————————–
Since this is BIX, it’s worth noting that Francis Mao (happy belated
birthday!) started out as a cartoonist for _The Comics Buyer’s
Guide_ and is now a computer-magazine art director, working on
_GamePro_, _Electronic Entertainment_, and other magazines.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1152, from linkster, 39 chars, Sun Feb 6 11:05:27 1994
————————–
TITLE: Born Today
1949 Richard Buckler
==========================
animation/comics #1153, from linkster, 122 chars, Sun Feb 6 21:12:11 1994
————————–
TITLE: Feb 7 Birthdays
1953 Richard Bruning
1955 Miguel Ferrer
1956 Bob Camp
1966 Paul Castiglia
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1154, from hmccracken, 2752 chars, Mon Feb 7 14:06:02 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Jack Kirby, 1917-1994
The King is dead. Jack Kirby passed away yesterday, after a long
illness. Over his six-decade career he was, by almost anyone’s
accounting, the greatest artist that superhero comics ever
knew.
His resume is far too long to justice to in this message. One
of his first professional cartooning jobs was as an inbetweener
at the Fleischer studios in the 1930s, but he soon switched
media, moving to the new field of comic books. By the early
1940s, along with co-writer and co-artist Joe Simon, he had
created Captain America, the Newsboy Legion, the Sandman,
the Boy Commandos, and many other very popular characters,
many with a patriotic theme. During this period, Simon and
Kirby also wrote and drew _Captain Marvel Adventures_ #1,
the first issue of one of the most popular comics of its
time.
After a stint in the service during WWII, Kirby returned
to cartooning as a writer, editor, and publisher, creating
(along with Simon) the romance comic, and trying his hand
at horror comics, funny animals, westerns, and practically
every other genre. By the early 1960s, the Simon/Kirby
partnership had ended, and Kirby went solo as an artist
for Marvel Comics, where he co-created and drew
_The Fantastic Four_, _The Incredible Hulk_, _Thor_,
and umpteen other popular series. His influence in
this period was such that most of the Marvel comics
that he didn’t draw were drawn in an approximation
of his style; actually, there have been “Kirby
clones” since the early 1940s, and there are many
in comics today.
In the early 1970s, Kirby left Marvel for DC, where
he did not equal his commercial success of the 1960s,
but created numerous series that have been repeatedly
revived since then, such as _The New Gods_, _Kamandi_,
and _Mr. Miracle_. He then returned to Marvel,
where he worked again on _Captain America_, then
returned to DC again. In the early 1980s, he created
_Captain Victory_, one of the first comics from
an “independent” publisher, and continued to
work for several publishers, his workload gradually
decreasing over the years. Recently, he had been
contributing to Topps Comics, which publishes
an entire line of “Kirbyverse” comics.
Kirby’s style has aptly been described as 3D comics
that don’t require 3D glasses. Every pose was
extremely dramatic, and everything was layered
with detail. It wasn’t a subtle style, but it
was the perfect one for American superhero
comics, as has been proved by the success of
his legion of imitators. If you want to see
some of his best work, check out the recent
hardcover reprints of _Boys Ranch_ (an
extremely atmospheric western series),
_Fighting American_ (a McCarthy-era parody
of his own Captain America_, or early issues
of _Fantastic Four_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1155, from davemackey, 109 chars, Mon Feb 7 15:48:54 1994
This is a comment to message 1154.
There are additional comments to message 1154.
————————–
Rest in peace, Jack. He shall be missed by anyone who
loved comics.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1156, from linkster, 69 chars, Mon Feb 7 20:21:52 1994
This is a comment to message 1154.
————————–
The Comics Man is gone. May others carry the torch.
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1157, from linkster, 148 chars, Tue Feb 8 00:06:39 1994
————————–
TITLE: Born Today
:: drum roll :: Hmm.. aren’t there more of them. :: looks about, and shrugs::
oh well
Born today
Terry Stewart.
==========================
animation/comics #1158, from linkster, 258 chars, Wed Feb 9 00:29:20 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: today’s bdays
1928 Frank Franzetta, is a bio necessary? 🙂
1946 Danny Bulanadi
1954 Jo Duffy, self publisher and writer of Catwoman
1956 Timothy Truman
1962 Sarah E. Byam, writer of the canceled Black Canary series
1964 T.C. Ford
1975 Whitney Barber
==========================
animation/comics #1159, from linkster, 169 chars, Wed Feb 9 22:30:21 1994
————————–
TITLE: Feb 10 Bdays
If you know of any you have more info than CBG has.
“Rule No. 6. There is NO……..
Rule No. 6” – Bruce the aussie Philosopy teacher.
==========================
animation/comics #1160, from linkster, 95 chars, Fri Feb 11 00:05:50 1994
————————–
TITLE: today’s Bday
Rich Dufour
1938 Maily Holmes Wilkinson
1946 Jim Bradrick
1962 Shon Howell
==========================
animation/comics #1161, from linkster, 131 chars, Sat Feb 12 01:52:36 1994
————————–
TITLE: Feb 12 Birthdays
Joe Albelo
1957 Ken Meyer, Jr., artist
1966 Lou Bank, former Marvel marketing type, now a VP at Dark Horse
==========================
animation/comics #1162, from linkster, 67 chars, Sun Feb 13 01:05:52 1994
————————–
TITLE: Feb 13 Bdays
Barb Kaalberg
1962 John A. Peck
1962 Stan Shaw
==========================
animation/comics #1163, from linkster, 77 chars, Mon Feb 14 22:15:40 1994
————————–
TITLE: Born Today
Suzanne Dechnik
1912 Oliver Harrington
1959 Gordon Purcell
==========================
animation/comics #1164, from linkster, 193 chars, Mon Feb 14 23:59:51 1994
————————–
TITLE: Feb 15 Bdays
Albert DeGuzman, Inker for DC (I think)
Joan Weis
1933 Bud Gordinier
1948 Art Spiegelman
1954 Matt Groening, Simpson’s creator
1959 Les Dorscheid, colorist
1963 Marc Hansen
==========================
animation/comics #1165, from davemackey, 632 chars, Tue Feb 15 12:14:46 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Well, I guess nothing is sacred
For the first time in 69 years, Rea Irvin’s famous cover graphic of Eustace
Tilley does not appear on this week’s issue of The New Yorker. He has been
replaced by a pimply punk in a backwards baseball cap staring at an ad for
a Times Square porno palace. It was painted by Robert Crumb.
Tina Brown, editor of The New Yorker, told The New York Times, “He’s
an anarchic character by the look of him — a rebel. He’s Eustace’s grandson.
He’s Elvis Tilley.”
Tina says Eustace will be back next year to celebrate The New Yorker’s
70th anniversary. –Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1166, from hmccracken, 366 chars, Tue Feb 15 17:30:51 1994
This is a comment to message 1165.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 1165.
————————–
That’s *horrible*! Eustace has been on the cover of the issue that
coincided with my mother’s birthday every year for her entire life.
It is, in fact, the first sign that her birthday is coming.
I have just called her to break the bad news, and while I tried to
do it gently, she didn’t take it well. She’s about to compose an
angry letter to Ms. Brown.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1167, from robairmackey, 95 chars, Tue Feb 15 22:38:42 1994
This is a comment to message 1165.
There are additional comments to message 1165.
————————–
What color will his hair be, though?
–Robair
==========================
animation/comics #1168, from kipw, 137 chars, Tue Feb 15 23:08:26 1994
This is a comment to message 1165.
————————–
It had to happen sometime, like _Life_ doing a cover without a logo,
and the first _Mad_ magazine cover without Alfred E. Neuman.
–Kip
==========================
animation/comics #1169, from davemackey, 1858 chars, Wed Feb 16 19:58:20 1994
This is a comment to message 1166.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I went back through the old messages in this topic and found #1061, which
discusses what Tina Brown did last year. Here, via instant replay, is that
message:
+=========
animation/comics #1061, from davemackey, 973 chars, Tue Feb 23 19:17:18 1993
———-
TITLE: The tradition continues
When Tina Brown took over the editorship of “The New Yorker” a while ago,
people shuddered in horror as to what she would do to the magazine’s mascot,
Eustace Tilley. (Some envisioned Eustace naked and pregnant, in homage to
Brown’s most notorious Vanity Fair cover that so pictured Demi Moore.) Tilley
has appeared on the cover of the late February issue every year since the
1920’s.
Well, the “Eustace” issue has made its annual appearance, and while the
traditional cover graphic of Eustace peering through the monocole has not
been tampered with (thank you Tina), inside there are a variety of
interesting re-realizations of Eustace from such cartoonists as Art
Spiegelman, Roz Chast, and Ronald Searle. (One speculates that Ms. Brown
commissioned these paintings for possible cover use, but anticipated the
public outcry if one of these radical versions were used instead of the old
familiar image.)
–Dave
—————————————————————————–
Yes, I saw it coming. I knew back then that somewhere down the line, Ms.
Brown would make her mark on the magazine, so to speak. My reaction was a
Nancy Kerrigan-esque whine of “why”.
Brown noted that when Crumb submitted the cover painting, he made no
reference to the similarities to the original Eustace graphic, letting her
figure it out for herself.
But anyway, I hope Tina braces herself for the full unleashed fury of
Natalie McCracken, a woman whose birthday memories have been forever
tarnished.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1170, from robairmackey, 309 chars, Wed Feb 16 21:00:06 1994
This is a comment to message 1169.
There are additional comments to message 1169.
————————–
Leave it to Dave to come up with le dernier cri on Tina Brown, the wrecking
ball that is the editor of “The New Yorker.” Hey, Tina! Alfred E. Neuman
missed the last issue of Mad! He’s available! (cf: Diane Sawyer).
Good detective work, Dave.
–Robair
==========================
animation/comics #1171, from linkster, 357 chars, Wed Feb 16 23:27:13 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Birthdays
sorry for getting today’s so late.
Feb 16
J.A. Fludd
Ron Wilson
1955 Len Stazewski, writer for the Ultraverse line
1958 John Totleben
1967 Timothy Bradstreet, penciller, inker, writer
Feb 17
David Fox
1920 Curt Swan, artist
1944 Bernd Metx
1969 Nelson, Writer, artist of _Eudaemon_ and others
==========================
animation/comics #1172, from switch, 295 chars, Wed Feb 16 23:29:18 1994
This is a comment to message 1171.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 1171.
————————–
Has Curt Swan done anything lately? While going through my comics a few months
back, I happened to go through some early-80s SUPERBOY comics, as well as issue
600 of ACTION COMICS (when it went weekly). I found it fascinating that his
style had changed so little, and I still hated it.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1173, from hmccracken, 233 chars, Wed Feb 16 23:56:28 1994
This is a comment to message 1172.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 1172.
————————–
You hate Curt Swan? Guess there’s no accounting for differences in
taste. At least when inked by Murphy Brown, he was a nice cartoonist
and one of the few superhero types with some sensitivity regarding
facial expressions.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1174, from switch, 112 chars, Wed Feb 16 23:57:50 1994
This is a comment to message 1173.
————————–
I’ll give him an A for facial expressions; what irks me is that his work just
looks so lifeless and flat.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1175, from hmccracken, 316 chars, Wed Feb 16 23:58:50 1994
This is a comment to message 1169.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Oddly enough, Eustace appeared in a clever gag on _The Critic_ tonight.
I’m distressed that I’m growing to dislike so much of what Brown
is doing with _The New Yorker_. I was all in favor of having
it shook up a bit, and liked her first three months or so.
But it’s getting awfully predictable and tacky.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1177, from linkster, 402 chars, Thu Feb 17 21:25:23 1994
This is a comment to message 1172.
————————–
According to CVM Presents Comic Book Artist (i’m borrowing it from the library
so I can make a check list for some of my favorites). He’s doing some work
on the Superman Titles. This may be out of date even though it came out last
month. I noticed that on some other artists it was behind by a couple months.
Quite easy considering the lag time on publishing such a large book.
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1178, from linkster, 533 chars, Thu Feb 17 21:31:20 1994
————————–
TITLE: Upcoming B-days
I’m not going to be on the next few days.
Feb 18
1930 Gahan Wilson
1931 Johnny Hart, Creator of the _B.C._ strip
1950 Terry Echterling
1959 Aaron McClellan
1960 Jay Allen Sanford
1963 Mark Bode, son of the artist Vaugn Bode, artist in his own right
Feb 19
1914 Henry Boltinoff
1949 William Messner-Loebs, comics writer
1953 Bob Palin
1957 Gerry Shamray
1960 Jim Lawson
1965 Mark Winfrey
Feb 20
1952 Anthony Tollin
1960 Dave Roberts
==========================
animation/comics #1179, from dgh, 79 chars, Sat Feb 19 04:51:01 1994
This is a comment to message 1171.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
No. 3 is missing an “r”. It should read “Len Strazewski”.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1180, from dgh, 94 chars, Sat Feb 19 04:51:05 1994
This is a comment to message 1158.
————————–
>is a bio necessary?
Apparently so, because there’s no “n” in Frazetta…
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1181, from linkster, 56 chars, Sat Feb 19 16:05:16 1994
This is a comment to message 1179.
————————–
Just call me butter fingers 🙂 I”m only human.
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1182, from linkster, 242 chars, Mon Feb 21 01:05:54 1994
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TITLE: Born Feb 21
Barry Kaplan
1949 Frank Brunner
1967 Brian Douglas Ahern, Creator of _The Adventures of Bumpkin Buzz_ in CBG
1968 Joseph M. Monks, (I’m thinking he’s a letterer, correct me if I’m
wrong)
==========================
animation/comics #1183, from linkster, 39 chars, Mon Feb 21 22:32:27 1994
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TITLE: Feb 22 Birthday
1956 Doug Allen
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animation/comics #1184, from linkster, 398 chars, Wed Feb 23 00:46:40 1994
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TITLE: Born Feb 23
Ken Selig
1948 Doug Moench, Batman writer
1955 Jim Main
1957 Eric Lurio
1958 Janet Jackson, (colorist or letterer I think )
1965 Martin Thomas
I’m starting to see a pattern. Even on the ones that don’t have a year you
can get a rough age, becase the go oldest to youngest. Ken Selig is at least
as old as Doug Moench by this pattern, If I’m correct.
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1185, from hmccracken, 152 chars, Wed Feb 23 08:51:22 1994
This is a comment to message 1184.
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Ken Selig (an art director for many years at Harvey Comics) is definitely
older than Doug Moench — old enough, I imagine, to be his father.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1186, from linkster, 117 chars, Wed Feb 23 21:32:10 1994
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TITLE: 9[HFeb 24 B-Days
1952 Bryan Talbot
1954 Jim Borgman
1954 Greg LaRocque
Mindy Fisch
1958 Keith S. Kez Wilson
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animation/comics #1187, from linkster, 133 chars, Thu Feb 24 20:54:24 1994
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TITLE: Feb 25 Birthdays
1929 Arnold Roth
1946 Rick Geary, National Lampoon cartoonist and slice of life cartoonist
1960 Phil Lasorda
==========================
animation/comics #1188, from linkster, 1900 chars, Sat Feb 26 01:29:28 1994
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TITLE: Birthdays
I’m going to start posting birthdays a week in advance and a week’s worth
at a time. So this week there’ll be two week’s worth so we’ll be on
schedule. This will allow people to get cards out.
Feb 26
Ron Aiken
1928 Ric Estrada
1953 David Boswell
1958 Karen Berger, DC Editor in charge of the Vertigo line
1958 Jeffrey Butler
Feb 27
1953 Jeff Smith, creator of _Bone_
1960 Norm Breyfogle, artist of Batman and many other titles
1960 Jeff Smith, (hmmm… now which Jeff Smith is the Jeff
Smith of _Bone_ fame? I’m guessing this one)
1962 Andy Kubert, artist, son of Joe Kubert.
1969 Eiwin Mark
Lisa Patrick
Feb 28
Joe Brozowski (J.J. Birch)
Feb 29
Nelson Yomtov
1956 Wendi Lee
March 1955 Chuck Rozanski ( CBG didn’t give a day your guess is good as mine)
March 1
Tom Orzechowski
1922 William Gaines, the _Mad_ man.
1952 Joyce Brabner
1956 Ralph Ellis Miley
1957 George Kochell
March 2
1904 Theodor Suess Geisel, the Dr. Seuss generations have grown up with
1952 Mark Evanier
1956 Kevin Farrell
March 3
1948 Max Allan Collins
1953 Dan Mishkin
March 4
1956 Randy Stradley, creative director and Dark Horse, editor also
1963 Bill Fitts
1969 Glenn Hauman
March 5
Nathan Massengill
March 6
Allen Milgrom
1917 Wil Eisner, creator of the Spirit, name sake of the Eisner Award
1956 Carl Knappe
1967 Kieron Dwyer, currently illustrating John Byrne’s _Torch of Liberty_
1971 Alan Weiss
March 7
1934 Gray Morrow, artist
1958 Peter Gross
1969 Cully Hamner
March 8
1955 Joellyn Dorkin (related to Evan Dorkin??)
March 9
1952 Rick Burchett
1962 Mike Kazaleh
1963 Mike Wolfer
1966 Richie Prosch
March 11
Steve Novak
Whew!
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1189, from robairmackey, 509 chars, Sun Feb 27 22:08:28 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: We’re Pregnant…Again
This conference has had some comment lately about the “Baby Blues” comic
strip, some in a negative light.
On the Friday, February 18th strip, Wanda uses an “R.U.P.G.” home
pregnancy test, and to her shock, discovers that she’s pregnant again.
The tone for the next chapter in Wanda’s saga will be the comment that
“this time the baby will think we’re in charge.”
Let’s hope this kick starts the strip back to glory.
–Robair
==========================
animation/comics #1190, from hmccracken, 180 chars, Sun Feb 27 23:47:25 1994
This is a comment to message 1189.
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Isn’t their other baby still a baby? Wouldn’t you be nervous about
reproducing again, once you noticed that your first child
hadn’t aged one iota in four or five years?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1191, from hkenner, 92 chars, Sun Feb 27 23:50:51 1994
This is a comment to message 1190.
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>>not aged one iota …
No, aged irregularly. Sometimes still in arms, sometimes walking.
==========================
animation/comics #1192, from robairmackey, 956 chars, Tue Mar 1 18:36:05 1994
This is a comment to message 1190.
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Actually, Zoe is now three…which seems right because Baby Blues has been
out there for about 4 years now. I expect Kirkman and Scott to go full
real-time on this strip for a long time. In 20 or so years, Zoe may marry
and be pregnant…
Sort of reminds me of another comic strip called “The Smith Family,”
which was not too widely syndicated in the 1950’s, which was by George and
Virginia Smith, who had eight kids of varying age and sex. During the 50’s
through the 70’s the kids did grow older, but after the 70’s they narrowed
the focus of the strip on young Georgie and his sister (I forget her name).
The strip had a rebel streak in it which was very ahead of its time and
can be cited as an influence (by me, anyway) of much of the humor of
“Calvin and Hobbes”. The strip ran Sundays only in the 1990’s and I
believe is no longer in production (syndicated by the Miami Herald Synd.)
–Robair
==========================
animation/comics #1193, from davemackey, 428 chars, Tue Mar 1 18:58:18 1994
This is a comment to message 1189.
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I certainly have not commented negatively about “Baby Blues.” At its peak a
few years ago, Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott did some great strips about
pregnancy and early parenthood. Now that Zoe has grown up a little, the
strip’s lost some of its edge.
So Bravo for making Wanda pregnant again. And hopefully she and Darryl
won’t make the same mistakes they made the first time. Or will they?
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1194, from hmccracken, 870 chars, Tue Mar 1 19:37:48 1994
This is a comment to message 1192.
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I was a huge _Smith Family_ fan when I was a kid and the strip was a staple
of the _Boston Globe_ comics section. Virginia Smith’s drawing style
was wonderfully cockeyed, and the humor was much more offbeat than that
of the typical kid strip of the time. (Babs was the name of Georgie’s
sister, by the way.)
The Miami Herald may have syndicated the strip at one time, but Universal
Press Syndicate was its home for many years. And may still be; as of
last Summer, they were still offering it, although it no longer has
a Sunday edition. I would imagine it doesn’t run in many papers
anymore.
I believe George Smith, Virginia’s husband and collaborator, actually
passed away many years ago, although the strip remained credited
to “Mr. and Mrs. George Smith.” In recent years, Vi Smith has also
contributed cartoons to _Cat Fancy_ and _Dog Fancy_ magazines.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1195, from robairmackey, 114 chars, Thu Mar 3 18:53:37 1994
This is a comment to message 1193.
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“This time will be different..this time the baby will think
we’re in charge.” –Darryl
==========================
animation/comics #1196, from robairmackey, 131 chars, Thu Mar 3 18:55:13 1994
This is a comment to message 1194.
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Many people I have spoken to about comics had never even heard of the
Smiths. Good to have someone around who remembers it fondly.
==========================
animation/comics #1197, from linkster, 549 chars, Sat Mar 12 14:38:12 1994
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TITLE: March 19-25 Birthdays
March 19
Michael Jantze
1953 Laurie S. Sutton
1952 Willie Schubert, Letterer
March 20
Diana Albers
1960 Steven Phillip Jones
1960 Vince Argondezzi
1968 David Gross
March 21
1931 Al Willimson
1947 Don Markstein
1956 Pasquale “Pat” Gabriele
1962 Mark Waid
March 22
Diane Valentino
1914 John Stanley
1919 Bernard Krigstein
1967 Lisa Moore
March 23
1946 Jim Friel
1968 Chuck Bordell
March 25
Neil Grahame
1964 Angel Medina
==========================
animation/comics #1198, from robairmackey, 302 chars, Mon Mar 14 20:45:27 1994
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TITLE: Rick Geary in “Jeopardy!”
Longtime alternative press cartoonist Rick Geary appeared today on
“Jeopardy”, not winning the game but giving it the good fight. He
came in second place, good for a laptop computer and business software.
–Robair
==========================
animation/comics #1199, from linkster, 162 chars, Mon Mar 14 23:02:03 1994
This is a comment to message 1198.
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did you get it on tape? I wouldn’t mind seeing it. So just what does he look
like? I have really enjoyed his work, Especially his Blanche books.
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1200, from linkster, 353 chars, Mon Mar 14 23:05:52 1994
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TITLE: Bubblegrum Crisis makes Cover of CBG
Toren Smith has a article on magna in this weeks Comics Buyers Guide. Adam
Warren or _Dirty Pair_ fame and Shirow (I’m not going to try to spell his first
name without it in front of me) of _Appleseed_ and _Dominion_ fame are
interviewed. The Dark Horse “prequel” to the OAV by Warren was the cover
==========================
animation/comics #1201, from hmccracken, 156 chars, Sat Mar 19 22:23:09 1994
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TITLE: Pointer
See /best.of.net #55 for some not-so-good news for any _Calvin
and Hobbes_ fan: Bill Watterson is going on another sabbatical soon.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1202, from hmccracken, 1867 chars, Tue Apr 5 14:23:28 1994
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TITLE: Lotsa Luck Speaks!
For many years, I was a great fan of Tom K. Ryan’s _Tumbleweeds_ comic
strip. The strip ran in the _Boston Globe_, and kept getting cancelled —
because, I believe, it included a lot of goofy American Indian characters.
(It included just as many goofy cowboys, of course.) The _Globe_ would
always print several letters of protest about the cancellation, then
bring the strip back for awhile. Eventually, one of the cancellations
stuck, and I lost contact with the strip.
Unfortunately, when I saw _Tumbleweeds_ from time to time in out-of-town
papers, a fairly steep decline in its imagination and wit was
increasingly apparent. Ryan also began using what appears to be a
Selectric typewriter to produce the strip’s word balloons, which
detracts from both the prose and his excellent art.
Just yesterday, I saw the first _Tumbleweeds_ book collection in many
years: _The Best of Tumbleweeds_. Despite the title, all the strips
therein are of recent vintage, and not nearly as enjoyable as
those of the strip’s lengthy golden age (from its beginnings in the
mid-1960s through 1980 or so).
But the main thing that struck me about the book was that it includes
strips in which Lotsa Luck speaks! For non-_Tumbleweeds_ readers:
Lotsa Luck is a diminuitive, incredibly foppish Indian who is arguably
the strip’s funniest character. He was mute, and communicated with
others by scribbling pompous notes on a pad of paper.
Judging from the book, he gained the ability to speak fairly recently —
and he’s much less of a funny character because of it. (The scribbling
process was somehow an important part of the comic timing of his
appearances.) Anyone know when this happened, and if it was explained?
For a _Tumbleweeds_ fan, it’s as big a change as if Snoopy began speaking,
or if Hobbes was suddenly visible to Calvin’s parents.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1203, from hmccracken, 96 chars, Thu Apr 7 09:37:42 1994
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TITLE: Pointer
See /best.of.net #69 for a bibliography of Charles Schulz’s
_Peanuts_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1204, from hmccracken, 633 chars, Mon Apr 11 17:46:08 1994
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TITLE: Garfield Moves On
Jim Davis, the creator of the _Garfield_ comic strip, has purchased
the rights to his creation from United Media, the syndicate that has
distributed _Garfield_ since it began in 1978. (Why didn’t Davis
own the rights to his strip in the first place? Because in most
cases cartoonists must sign over such copyrights to the syndicate
in order to get syndicated, a situation that’s only slowly
changing.)
Effective shortly, all Garfield merchandising will be handled by
PAWS Inc., Davis’s company. The strip will be syndicated by
Universal Press Syndicate, one of United Media’s biggest competitors.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1205, from hmccracken, 318 chars, Wed Apr 13 16:53:23 1994
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TITLE: Pointer
See best.of.net #73 for information on _Strips_, a weekly newspaper that’s
more or less a comics fan’s dream — no news, sports, Dear Abby, or
horoscope, but page after page of comics. It’s been mentioned here before,
but if you haven’t sought it out yet, you’re missing a nifty publication.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1206, from robairmackey, 396 chars, Wed Apr 13 22:42:19 1994
This is a comment to message 1205.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I pick it up every so often because of the mass of strips that it carries.
It’s especially helpful for Doonesbury fans in case they miss a frame.
(Here’s a dirty trick for you to try: slip a “Strips” into a copy of The
New York Times. Watch the Op-Ed Page the next day for a scathing letter.
Deny everything when you go on Geraldo.)
–Robair
==========================
animation/comics #1207, from davemackey, 422 chars, Sun Apr 17 18:50:42 1994
This is a comment to message 1206.
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Robair, have you heard the recent radio ads for the New York Times in which
they play on — and seem to be quite proud of — the fact that they have no
comics? They mention that they’ve just won three Pulitzers and near the end
of the spot comes the cruel tagline “No comics, no gossip.”
Me, I’ve been a little down on the Times since they cut the bridge
column to three times a week.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1208, from hmccracken, 1001 chars, Sun Apr 17 19:34:15 1994
This is a comment to message 1207.
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I meant to mention that _Times_ ad here. The ad seems to suggest
that the _Times_ won its recent Pulitzers *because* it lacks
comics and gossip. As a comics fan, I’ve always looked at it
the other way around: the _Times_ is a great newspaper
*despite* the fact that it doesn’t have a comics page.
All this aside, comics/cartoons fans should check out today’s
_Times_: it has an article about the ne Broadway adaptation
of Disney’s _Beauty and the Beast_ that’s illustrated with
a spectacular, full-color drawing by Al Hirschfeld — which
all by itself justifies whatever costs the _Times_ incurred
for its recent move to color printing. The same issue also
has an interesting article on the screenwriting credit for
the upcoming _Flintstones_ movie (more than twenty writers
vied for credit) and a weird-but-interesting fashion photo
spread, inspired by the films of Gene Kelly, that includes
a photograph of a young male model posed with Jerry Mouse,
Kelly’s co-star in _Anchors Aweigh_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1209, from hkenner, 146 chars, Sun Apr 17 20:32:04 1994
This is a comment to message 1208.
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Gawd, that color Hirschfeld travesties everything H ever stood for,
notably the nearly-blank page rendered alive by a minimum of thin
lines. …
==========================
animation/comics #1210, from hmccracken, 525 chars, Sun Apr 17 21:14:46 1994
This is a comment to message 1209.
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Really? I liked it (and have liked his non-_Times_ color pieces of
past years, which have always used a less minimalist approach than
his b&w work). I hope this isn’t a sign that the Hirschfeld drawing will
be in color every Sunday from now on, though.
In any event, Hirschfeld is amazing. Who would have thought that
an artist who began his career during the Coolidge administration,
three years before the creation of Mickey Mouse, would be around
to do a _Beauty and Beast_ drawing nearly seventy years later?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1211, from hkenner, 71 chars, Sun Apr 17 22:55:10 1994
This is a comment to message 1210.
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Thoroughly agred, that Hirschfeld is amazing. But color — ugh .
–HK
==========================
animation/comics #1212, from robairmackey, 164 chars, Mon Apr 18 23:46:01 1994
This is a comment to message 1207.
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The only thing the New York Times is good for is 15×15, except on Sunday
when it’s 23×23. (I am in a X-word contest at Barnes and Noble next
Tuesday. Wish me luck)
==========================
animation/comics #1213, from hmccracken, 29 chars, Tue Apr 19 00:07:50 1994
This is a comment to message 1212.
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Good luck, Robair!
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1214, from hmccracken, 327 chars, Tue Apr 19 10:36:16 1994
This is a comment to message 1207.
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It should also be noted that while the _Times_ does indeed lack
a comics section, it’s not gossip-free. Take a look, for instance,
at its piece today on the planned divorce of Roseanne and Tom
Arnold, in which it speculates on an unverified on-set argument
between the two that has been reported in other newspapers.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1215, from davemackey, 206 chars, Tue Apr 19 19:29:30 1994
This is a comment to message 1212.
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Well, good luck to you, Bob. Someone who used to do the New York Times
crossword puzzle during homeroom period in high school — in INK — should do
quite well in a contest.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1216, from hmccracken, 379 chars, Sun May 1 20:37:21 1994
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TITLE: A Marriage Worth Saving
Happy news for Dick Tracy fans: you will recall that Dick’s marriage
to Tess Trueheart had been strained to the point that Tess had filed
for divorce. According to a radio (ordinary, not two-way wrist) report,
the Tracys will soon patch things up — Dick has agreed to spend more
time at home — and the marriage will not come to an end.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1217, from robairmackey, 410 chars, Tue May 17 18:40:55 1994
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TITLE: Spidey, meet Casper
Marvel comics has agreed to assume worldwide publishing and distribution of
Harvey Comics in the fall. It will plan at least 5 new Harvey titles (with
new material, it is hoped) and major line extensions for 1995. Marvel will
also be involved with the live action Richie Rich movie and next summer’s
Casper movie.
–Robair
==========================
animation/comics #1218, from hmccracken, 303 chars, Tue May 17 21:10:34 1994
This is a comment to message 1217.
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Interesting! What will happen to the current line of Harvey comics?
This is a good place to note that Marvel will also be publishing
Disney comics in the future — but only, as I recall, ones based
on feature-length films and TV shows. The others will continue to
be published by Gladstone.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1219, from hmccracken, 2082 chars, Sat May 28 23:27:56 1994
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TITLE: More Flintstones Hype, If You Can Stand It
Harvey Comics has published the official comic-book adaptation of _The
Flintstones_. Normally, this would not be worth noting here, except that
the comic is in a rather unusual process: Doublevision.
Doublevision works exactly like ordinary, old-fashioned 3-D comics — with
each page printed in overlapping red and blue images — except that the
two images are completely different. Look through the red side of the
included glasses and you see a completely different page of comics than if
you look through the blue side. (Look through *both* sides and you’ll get
a headache). This idea was used in 1950s 3-D comics for the odd one-page
story, but to my knowledge this is the first time an entire comic has been
done with it.
Why did Harvey publish this magazine in Doublevision? To provide readers
with two different versions of this movie adaptation. Look through the
blue side and you’ll see a realistically-drawn adaption of the movie. Use
the red side, and you see the same script illustrated with the standard,
cartoony Flintstones style we all know and love.
It’s a clever idea, I guess, but two problems make it less than a rousing
success. First, it’s almost impossible to read the story in either form.
You’ve got to hold the appropriate side of the 3-D glasses up to one eye
while winking the other eye, something that’s hard to do for very long. As
you as you keep it up, you can dimly see part of the appropriate version
of the story, but only with great difficulty. (What’s really needed is two
sets of glasses: one with two blue lenses, one with two red ones.)
Secondly, it appears that licensing agreements prevented Harvey from
actually using the likenesses or names of John Goodman, Rick Moranis, and
the other actors in the movie — so the characters in the realistic half
of the adaptation don’t look much at all like their movie counterparts.
(Oddly, Wilma’s mother, played by Elizabeth Taylor in the movie, doesn’t
seem to appear in the comic at all — as if Taylor had veto power over it.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1220, from robairmackey, 268 chars, Mon May 30 22:10:47 1994
This is a comment to message 1219.
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What? An “official comic book adaptation” of a movie that doesn’t even
use the correct actors? What do we have? Meat Loaf as Fred? (I’m surprised
Marvel didn’t have Harvey sneak Wolverine in there somewhere, as long as
there’s no Mrs. Slaghoople.)
==========================
animation/comics #1221, from switch, 34 chars, Tue May 31 00:55:54 1994
This is a comment to message 1220.
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Wouldn’t be the first time.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1222, from switch, 4525 chars, Sun Jun 5 22:50:22 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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So I’m a bit behind in my comics, thanks to a big reserve box at my favourite
comics place, Nebula. Still, I do occasionally pick up the odd Marvel and DC
book to flip through while waiting for my friends at Multimags, and I did
pick up a few trade paperback compilations while skimming through Librairie
Astro and Nebula over the last few days. So here’s what I think of
them, off the top of my head.
The Death of Jean DeWolff
————————-
This TPB is a compilation of a four or five-issue run of _Peter Parker, The
Spectacular Spider-Man_, from a few years ago.
I remember when this first came out, and it’s one of the few Marvel titles I
kept when I sold off about half my collection a few months ago. This was
during the Jim Owsley/Peter David reign of the title, when it sported “The
All-New, All Daring” above the “Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man”
logo.
It definitely was all-new and all-daring. Few comics since have done what
this series did. David and Owsley gave us top-notch storytelling for about
95 cents a comic, compared to the present where two bucks buys you about as
much innovation as a New Kids on the Block concert. Reading the series
again, I was once again moved to agonize over the sorry state of mainstream
comics today, compared to the time when I could honestly say that Marvel and
DC produced comics for adults.
The story starts with Jean DeWolff’s murder. You don’t actually see it
happening; to be more precise, it starts with her death. Spider-Man, while
going after a couple of hoods, hears about it and offers to help find the
killer.
That’s really about as far as I’ll go, save to say that Daredevil (and his
alter ego, Matt Murdock) are also present. The amazing thing about this
series is that it touched on so much — serial killings, race relations,
covert government operations and coverups, police relations with the
community, the US legal system, etc. — without being heavy-handed. Just
enough elements of these topics were presented to show how a series of events
like these affect different people from all walks of life.
Oh yes — there was comparatively little superhero posturing and fighting in
the series. What a breath of fresh air.
The Batman Adventures, Vol. 2
—————————–
When I first heard that a comic was going to be made based on _Batman: The
Animated Series_, I started to worry. Didn’t we go through this with
_Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_? That started as a comic, was adapted to TV,
and then back into a cheesy comic.
I should have known better, or at least paid more attention. Now, more than
a year later, _The Batman Adventures_ is easily the best Batbook on the
market today. Why? Because it adheres to Batman’s roots. There’s none of
this Azrabat crap; none of this “I’m so driven it hurts” angst. Batman is
still the Dark Knight, but he’s doing his job and not “cathartizing” all over
the place.
The artwork and visual storytelling is clean and wonderfully dynamic. We
need more animation-derived works out there. _Bone_ is another good example
of this.
Showcase ’94 #7
—————
Feh. I picked this up thinking it was a Bat-title because of the Penguin on
the cover. More importantly, it said that P. Craig Russell was the artist.
I should have paid more attention; P. Craig Russell was working with someone
else, and that someone else destroyed Russell’s beautiful line work.
The stories weren’t that hot, either. Why the hell did Wolfman (I assume
Marv Wolfman is still working on _Teen Titans_) turn Speedy — an ordinary
guy who just happened to be in reasonable shape and had a quiver full of
trick arrows — into the overly-muscled walking weapon named Arsenal? What
is this crap? Why does every superhero in the 90s have to have:
(a) huge muscles,
(b) huge guns, or
(c) huge breasts?
Heck, even Catwoman — who was always rather slinky and relatively
flat-chested — can now give Anna Nicole Smith a run for her money. Please.
Some X-Comic
————
I didn’t buy it. Nothing could make me buy any X-Title these days. But I
see that Doug Ramsey is back. Oh, please. Can’t anyone stay dead?
Some Other X-Comic
——————
It looked like Barry Windsor-Smith, it smelled like Barry Windsor-Smith, but
it wasn’t Barry Windsor-Smith. Someone’s learned to ape him so well I was
fooled for all of five minutes. Sheesh. Ever get the feeling Marvel is
training people to be carbon copiers since their real talent has fled for
greener pastures?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1223, from dgh, 532 chars, Mon Jun 6 04:18:03 1994
This is a comment to message 1222.
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>Some X-Comic
That was Excalibur, not “some X-comic.” And it’s not really Doug Ramsey,
but a Techno-Virus life-form. And yes, it’s a really stupid idea, but it’s
not quite as bad as actually bringing Doug back to life. The creature knows
that it isn’t Doug and it isn’t trying to pass itself off as Doug. The idea
is that Doug’s memories were absorbed into the Technovore’s collective
conciousness, where it remained “trapped” until recently, when it “escaped”,
formed itself a body and ran into Excalibur.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1224, from switch, 251 chars, Mon Jun 6 11:03:37 1994
This is a comment to message 1223.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Sigh.
I think I liked it better when everyone though Phoenix came back to life,
and it turned out not to be so. Of course, they mucked with that too…
I honestly don’t understand the obsession with bringing people back to life,
even partly.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1225, from hmccracken, 663 chars, Mon Jun 6 16:05:24 1994
This is a comment to message 1224.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, bringing-people-back-to-life isn’t a fascination that’s unique to
X-Men comics. Witness the enduring idea that folks like Elvis, JFK, and
Jim Morrison are still around, yours to be found if only you stumble into
the right Burger King. (Not to mention the vital role that
bringing-people-back-to-life plays in most of the world’s major religions.)
It’s also a major part of most Disney animated features. How many can you
name that *don’t* end with a scene in which one or more of the characters
appears to have given his life to save his friends, only to blink into
consciousness a few moments later? It’s present even in _The Return of Jafar_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1226, from switch, 575 chars, Tue Jun 7 16:24:36 1994
This is a comment to message 1225.
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————————–
True, but the real-life fascination with people coming back to life —
excluding major religions — is really limited to the minority of the populace,
nad the objects of their interest are a select few individuals.
The Disney schtick is an old adventure staple, and rarely is the character
ever dead.
What gets to me is the mainstream comic bit where someone is *dead* and
*buried* (or atomized, or whatever) and they end up being resurrected. In
some cases, the death is a significant event, and the rebirth is horribly lame
as a consequence. (Jean Gray, anyone?)
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1227, from hmccracken, 502 chars, Tue Jun 7 17:13:18 1994
This is a comment to message 1226.
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————————–
Well, I disagree that the fascination with people coming back to life isn’t a
pretty pervasive part of the human condition. But I agree whole-heartedly that
the way it’s done in comic books is cheap and shallow.
In fact, it’s one of the major reasons that I feel that super-hero comics
are by their very nature a children’s medium, not something that can ever
be handled in a truly adult manner. Because characters who have died come
back to life so often, death has no meaning whatsoever.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1228, from switch, 664 chars, Tue Jun 7 22:28:34 1994
This is a comment to message 1227.
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————————–
This only holds true for Marvel and DC, really. For that matter, it only
holds true for bad Marvel and DC comics. When Jean Grey died, there wasn’t
really a precedent within the series for people who were certifiably dead
to come back. Sure, there was the usual villain-presumed-dead-but-escaped-
in-time, but that’s an old adventure cliche. In the case of Jean Grey, she
was *atomized*, and then came back to life ten years later.
What’s the point? As Peter David said in the afterword for the “Death of
Jean DeWolff” TPB, he had a hard time dealing with fans who said, “So when
is Jean DeWolff coming back?” Hey, he says, she’s dead. Deal with it.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1229, from hmccracken, 189 chars, Tue Jun 7 22:37:30 1994
This is a comment to message 1228.
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————————–
I just had another piece of evidence that coming-back-to-life is everywhere: I
just saw the late Colonel Harland Sanders touting the wonders of Kentucky Fried
Chicken in a TV ad.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1230, from switch, 23 chars, Wed Jun 8 20:01:30 1994
This is a comment to message 1229.
There are additional comments to message 1229.
————————–
Aaaaaaaaaughh!!!
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1231, from dgh, 136 chars, Thu Jun 9 02:32:23 1994
This is a comment to message 1229.
There are additional comments to message 1229.
————————–
And then there’s the “Proof that JFK Lives” on the cover of that B&W tabloid
that purports to be a science journal.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1232, from kipw, 420 chars, Thu Jun 9 20:00:04 1994
This is a comment to message 1229.
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————————–
Death in Marvel-land:
I drew a cartoon once of a writer asking Stan Lee “Uh, Stan… we
had the villain blown up and atomized, then the atoms were neutralized
and broken down, and their constituent quarks dispersed to all the
farthest reaches of the galaxy, and sent to all different times.
I was wondering… are we going to kill him off?” And Stan says,
“Nah, let’s just leave it hanging like that.”
–Krazy Kip
==========================
animation/comics #1233, from dgh, 37 chars, Fri Jun 10 03:58:16 1994
This is a comment to message 1232.
————————–
That’s *choice*!
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1234, from robairmackey, 430 chars, Sun Jun 12 21:57:54 1994
This is a comment to message 1229.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I believe the ad you refer to originally ran in 1979. This was a year before
Harlan kicked the–er, bucket. But it’s generic, KFC will always stand for
the things the Colonel espoused.
A month or so back, they ran an ad with the fake Colonel, and this may
have been a make good for his estate.
Lake Edna may come and go, but the Colonel endures.
–Robair
==========================
animation/comics #1235, from hmccracken, 544 chars, Sun Jun 12 23:12:09 1994
This is a comment to message 1234.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Nope, this Colonel Sanders that I was talking about is the actor, who
spouts 90s-style stuff about how his chicken brings together families who
don’t get to see each other much. He also boasts of the quality of several
KFC products that weren’t even devised until years after the real Col. had
died.
I’ll bet that KFC wishes they had thought of using an actor posing as the
Colonel years ago. The real McCoy (er, Sanders) was fond of speaking
unfavorably of the quality of KFC in the years after he sold the chain in
the mid-1960s.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1236, from robairmackey, 710 chars, Mon Jun 13 21:59:28 1994
————————–
TITLE: Comic Strip TV Dad Dies
A television actor known for his dead-on portrayal of a comic strip dad
has died in Los Angeles: Herbert Anderson, 79, played Henry Mitchell,
father of firebrand wunderkind Dennis Mitchell on TV’s “Dennis the
Menace”. He died in his sleep Sunday after suffering a stroke two months
ago.
Watching “Dennis the Menace” was always enjoyable because of
Anderson’s uncanny resemblance to Hank Ketcham’s rendering of Henry
Mitchell (actually based on Ketcham). I did not enjoy the last episodes
where Dennis was almost a pre-teen, though. (I think Anderson had a part
in one of the “Dennis” live-action specials.)
–Robair
==========================
animation/comics #1237, from kipw, 266 chars, Mon Jun 20 20:45:45 1994
This is a comment to message 1235.
————————–
Two of my sisters met Col. Harland Sanders when they were working in
Food Service at Colorado State University in the early-mid 70s. They
report that he displayed an interest in them that was not at all
grandfatherly. I think they were serving chicken, too.
–Kip
==========================
animation/comics #1238, from davemackey, 563 chars, Wed Jul 6 11:01:27 1994
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Alfred Harvey
The man behind Harvey Famous Comics, Alfred Harvey, died July 4, 1994
in New Rochelle, NY, of heart failure at the age of 80.
Harvey’s company published a variety of titles, including “Richie
Rich”, “Little Dot”, “Little Lotta”, and “Sad Sack.” They also acquired
the comic book rights to the Paramount Pictures cartoon characters Casper,
Little Audrey, Herman And Katnip, and Baby Huey, eventually acquiring
the characters and films themselves.
Mr. Harvey retired in 1982.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1239, from jgoddin, 366 chars, Sun Jul 31 02:26:27 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: ComiCon
Anyone here going to attend ComiCon?? Aug 4-7 in San Diego?? It is
their 25th anniversary and they have a few special things planned.
If so, please let me know and maybe we can do a BIX Bash!! I will
be working with the folks in Artist’s Alley and helping with the
charity auction. Sure hope I can get away long enough to attend a
few panels too!!
==========================
animation/comics #1240, from linkster, 124 chars, Sun Jul 31 10:14:00 1994
This is a comment to message 1239.
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————————–
I’d *like* to go, but can’t afford it right now. Make sure you treat
the inhabitants of artist alley right.
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1241, from switch, 126 chars, Sun Jul 31 11:20:04 1994
————————–
The transcript of our CBIX with comics creator Brian Bendis is now available
in /listings. Check /about.listings #180.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1242, from hmccracken, 187 chars, Sun Jul 31 11:46:05 1994
This is a comment to message 1239.
There are additional comments to message 1239.
————————–
*sigh* I’d like to go, but I’ll be in Boston at Macworld Expo instead.
Maybe next year! It’s a great convention for anyone interested in
comics, animation, or related subjects.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1243, from linkster, 256 chars, Sun Jul 31 22:39:09 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: The Mask
Just got back from seeing it. Extremely funny. The whole crowd was laughing
hard several times. The expanded a bit from the comic, but it’s faithful
to the spirit of the book, but the violent nature of the mask is toned done.
LIn
==========================
animation/comics #1244, from linkster, 158 chars, Sun Jul 31 22:40:33 1994
————————–
TITLE: Brian Bendis Update
Brian did not get the assignment for _Batman_Adventures_. He said “It’s like
Hollywood. The love me, they hate me.”
LInk
==========================
animation/comics #1245, from dgh, 152 chars, Tue Aug 2 02:33:51 1994
This is a comment to message 1243.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I was going to go see it, regardless of any and all reviews, but it’s nice
to know ahead of time that I’m going to enjoy it!
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1246, from switch, 60 chars, Tue Aug 2 14:01:05 1994
This is a comment to message 1245.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’m checking it out in four hours. It should be fun!
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1247, from dgh, 174 chars, Wed Aug 3 01:16:48 1994
This is a comment to message 1246.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Fun, fun, fun! That it was. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry (well, maybe from
laughing), you’ll laugh some more. There was even a smattering of applause
at the more clever bits.
==========================
animation/comics #1248, from switch, 81 chars, Wed Aug 3 08:52:26 1994
This is a comment to message 1247.
————————–
Yep! It was certainly enjoyable. (More detailed posting to come later 😉
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1249, from davemackey, 298 chars, Sat Aug 6 17:54:34 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Archie Andrews: One Woman Man?
News reports of late note that Archie Andrews, involved for almost
fifty years in a love triangle with Betty and Veronica, is going to
try monogamy for a change. Will it be with Betty? Or Veronica?
Or a new chick?
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1250, from switch, 13 chars, Sun Aug 7 10:51:54 1994
This is a comment to message 1249.
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————————–
Midge!
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1251, from robairmackey, 263 chars, Mon Aug 8 22:19:52 1994
This is a comment to message 1250.
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There are additional comments to message 1250.
————————–
Well, he could do the Michael Jackstone thing and date Li’l Jinx…better
yet, I think Ethel Muggs is the gal for him.
The press release for the Archie developments was put out by Paul
Castiglia, who remodeled the Little Archie characters three years back.
==========================
animation/comics #1252, from davemackey, 172 chars, Tue Aug 9 20:59:34 1994
This is a comment to message 1250.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Look Out! Here comes Big Moose, and he’s got an loaded automatic… those
checks on Archie’s head are now beginning to resemble crosshairs!
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1253, from hmccracken, 445 chars, Tue Aug 9 21:47:42 1994
This is a comment to message 1252.
————————–
I’m all in favor of convervative family values, but I hope that Archie
goes on dating both Betty and Veronica for the next fifty years or more.
That love triangle is the core of Archie’s whole appeal, as far as I’m
concerned, and I wouldn’t want to see it tampered with permanently.
It’s like the Superman myth — a sort of similiar triangle, except it
only includes two people. DC Comics keeps fiddling with that, and it
never works.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1254, from hmccracken, 1625 chars, Fri Aug 19 21:24:34 1994
————————–
TITLE: Comicsville, USA?
Years ago, I heard — I don’t remember where — that San Antonio was the
best newspaper comics city in the country. There were two papers, and both
had enormous daily and Sunday comics sections, or so I was told.
Despite my enthusiasm for the funnies, I managed never to actually see either
of the papers — odd, considering that I used to gorge on comics in the
Boston Public Library’s enormous and comprehensive newspaper reading room,
and that I often visit the Out of Town newsstand in Harvard Square, which
I’m sure has the San Antonio papers.
But last week, a friend visited Texas, and when she asked me if I’d like a
gift, I knew what to ask for. She brought me a copy of last Thursday’s
_San Antonio Express-News_ — she couldn’t find the other paper.
Here’s its lineup, which takes up five tabloid-sized pages:
Peanuts
Blondie
Broom-Hilda
Luann
Tumbleweeds
Andy Capp
Curtis
Cathy
Dick Tracy
BC
Beetle Bailey
Wizard of Id
Snuffy Smith
Tiger
Calvin and Hobbes
Hi and Lois
Garfield
Mother Goose and Grimm
Frank and Ernest
Henry
Fred Basset
Willy and Ethel
Trudy
Hazel
The Far Side
The Quigmans
Believe it or Not
For Better or Worse
Hagar the Horrible
The Born Loser
Sally Forth
Momma
Marvin
Rose is Rose
Spider-Man
Bringing Up Father
One Big Happy
Geech
Shoe
Crock
Ernie
Dennis the Menace
The Family Circus
The Lockhorns
Marmaduke
Whew! Come to think of it, there aren’t a whole lot of major strips that
aren’t on that list — I wonder if maybe the two papers I heard of were
the Express and the News, and they merged and kept all the comics?
Any San Antonians out there know?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1255, from hmccracken, 142 chars, Fri Aug 19 21:26:32 1994
This is a comment to message 1239.
————————–
Jean, if you’re reading this: now that the San Diego Con has come and
gone, how about a report for those of us who couldn’t attend?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1256, from hmccracken, 275 chars, Sat Aug 27 00:41:54 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Whither _Strips_?
I’ve been looking for _Strips_ — the weekly newspaper that publishes
nothing but comic strips — at my local newsstands lately, but haven’t
found it. Does anyone know if it is, or isn’t, still extant? It
would be a shame if it has folded.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1257, from switch, 77 chars, Sat Aug 27 22:10:16 1994
This is a comment to message 1256.
————————–
…especially since I’ve been thinking of getting a subscription soon.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1258, from switch, 242 chars, Sun Aug 28 00:36:28 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Mondo Popeye
I’ve got a bunch of back issues of _Strips_ I’m meaning to throw out, but I’d
like to avoid losing certain cartoons, if possible… does anyone know if there
are any compilations of Bobby London’s _Popeye_ in print?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1259, from hmccracken, 69 chars, Sun Aug 28 10:56:44 1994
This is a comment to message 1258.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Do you have _Mondo Popeye_? That’s the only one I know of.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1260, from switch, 60 chars, Sun Aug 28 12:45:16 1994
This is a comment to message 1259.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I don’t have any, I’m afraid.
Time to go shopping…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1261, from hmccracken, 355 chars, Sun Aug 28 16:12:34 1994
This is a comment to message 1260.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I liked London’s _Dirty Duck_ (a _National Lamptoon_ strip drawn in such
loving imitation of Herriman that the _World Encyclopedia of Comics_
accidentally printed a _Dirty Duck_ strip as an example of _Krazy
Kat_!). But his _Popeye_ never did much for me. Its art was too
rushed looking, and its stories too free-form and hamfistedly
“topical.”
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1262, from switch, 115 chars, Sun Aug 28 18:14:22 1994
This is a comment to message 1261.
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————————–
_Dirty Duck_ was my first introduction to London. I wonder if those are out
in book form?
…probably not.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1263, from hmccracken, 217 chars, Sun Aug 28 18:34:12 1994
This is a comment to message 1262.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I think NatLamp may have published a paperback, but it would have been
twenty or more years ago. There was also a _Dirty Duck_ theatrical cartoon,
but it had little or nothing to do with London’s creations.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1264, from switch, 98 chars, Sun Aug 28 19:01:52 1994
This is a comment to message 1263.
————————–
_Playboy_ ran _DD_ up until the early 80’s. Did London move, or were they
just reprinting?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1265, from kipw, 1029 chars, Mon Sep 5 19:36:29 1994
This is a comment to message 1261.
————————–
The “Dirty Duck” strip that was mistakenly reprinted in “The World
Encyclopedia of Comics” bore more than a generic resemblance to the
“Krazy Kat” strip the editors took it for. Bobby London robbed Herriman
wholesale on that one. If we compare the Duck strip (p 437 of the
Encyclopedia) with the Kat strip (p 173 of McDonnell’s Krazy Kat book),
we find that London basically ripped off the top half of the strip with
little or no alteration. While keeping the same layout, he replaced the
first two panels with originals (or, considering London’s “taking ways,”
perhaps he merely swiped them from somewhere else). The third panel, which
finishes the top row is slightly changed from the original. The remaining
panels, seven in all, two thirds of the strip, are apparently line-for-line
facsimiles of the June 18, 1922 Krazy Kat, with the narration below changed
by London to form a vaguely off-color joke. Inspiration, to Bobby London,
seems to have about the same meaning as the word “tribute” does to Ralph
Bakshi.
–Kip
==========================
animation/comics #1266, from davemackey, 726 chars, Mon Sep 12 21:39:01 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Mickey Spillane on the funny pages?
Sort of. The most popular crime novelist of all time has created a new comic
strip called “Mike Danger.” It’s about a detective who wakes up after 100
years in a cryogenic state. He is assisted by a hologram who resembles his
former secretary and girlfriend.
The strip will be scripted by Max Allan Collins, himself a highly
regarded detective novelist with many books to his credit. For the comics,
he’s written “Dick Tracy” and created “Ms. Tree”. It will be drawn by Keith
Giffen, who has worked on projects as diverse as “The Justice League Of
America” and “Ambush Bug”.
“Mike Danger” makes his funny page debut on Sunday, September 18.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1267, from hmccracken, 454 chars, Mon Sep 12 23:02:34 1994
This is a comment to message 1266.
There are additional comments to message 1266.
————————–
That’s interesting — serious (or semi-serious) comic strips have been
few and far between for many years, and most of those that have come
along have been short-lived ones based on licensed properties. I can’t
think of what the last dramatic strip was.
Spillane, of course, wrote comics and text stories for comic books
early in his career, including some work on the _Sub-Mariner_
comic.
(There was a _Mike Hammer_ strip at one time, too.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1268, from dgh, 256 chars, Tue Sep 13 00:26:04 1994
This is a comment to message 1266.
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————————–
Alright! One of my favorite comic book writers and one of my favorite comic
book artists collaborating on a newspaper comic strip. It’s almost enough
to tempt me to buy a newspaper. I eagerly await the first compilation into
a book.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1269, from davemackey, 369 chars, Thu Sep 15 22:02:11 1994
This is a comment to message 1268.
————————–
I used to love “Ms. Tree” — I think Terry Beatty’s stiff artwork was a good
match for the taut dialogue and gripping storylines. And Keith Giffen can be
an absolute nut sometimes.
The Asbury Park Press is going to carry the strip, and they’re one of
the more progressive papers in the country when it comes to breaking new
comics.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1270, from hmccracken, 452 chars, Thu Sep 29 09:08:08 1994
————————–
TITLE: You Can’t Fight Wal-Mart
…At least not in Arkansas, and at least not if you’re Garry Trudeau.
The _Northwest Arkansas Times_, a Fayetteville, Ar. newspaper, has declined
to print _Doonesbury_’s current strips, which deal with protests against
the building of a Wal-Mart discount house. The paper is located near
the headquarters of the retailing giant.
The newspaper is making the deleted strips available at its office and
by fax.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1271, from hmccracken, 623 chars, Mon Oct 3 23:53:07 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Au Revoir, The Far Side
Gary Larson, creator of _The Far Side_ — one of the most popular and oft-imitated
newspaper comics of the 1980s — has announced his retirement. His last _Far
Side_ will appear on January 1st, 1995. Larson had already been working a reduced
schedule, and several _Far Sides_ each week have been reprints for several
years.
No word yet on whether the panel will disappear completely from newspapers, but
it’s probably safe to say that Larson won’t been turning his pen over to
another cartoonist. I suppose it is possible, though, that _Far Side_ reprints
will continue to appear.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1272, from switch, 285 chars, Tue Oct 4 21:48:52 1994
This is a comment to message 1271.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Also, the _Far Side_ TV special has been completed by International
Rocketship, and I believe is slated for a Hallowe’en appearance.
It’s a shame about the strip, but I suppose it’s better for him to retire
when he feels it’s time, rather than continue when we’re tired of it.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1273, from hkenner, 315 chars, Tue Oct 4 22:14:32 1994
This is a comment to message 1272.
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————————–
Better by far. On the other hand, there’s the startling example of
Chas Schultz, after — how many years? Charlie Brown and Snoopy
seem no less inspired than they were 30-odd years ago.
But comic artists seem to burn out faster these days. Berke Breathed.
And (my prediction) Calvin & Hobbes’s Waterson. …
==========================
animation/comics #1274, from hmccracken, 748 chars, Tue Oct 4 22:33:02 1994
This is a comment to message 1273.
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————————–
Schulz just marked his forty-fourth year of doing _Peanuts_ — two
days ago, as a matter of fact. While I think Schulz hit his peak in
the 1960s, it’s impressive that he’s still at the drawing board,
doing the entire strip without assistants. It’s obviously not for
the money, so it must be a labor of love.
One reason why cartoonists seem to burn out more these days (and I’m
sure you’re correct that Watterson will retire at some point) is that
the use of assistants and ghosts is not quite as pervasive as it once
was. Chic Young is famous for having done _Blondie_ for more than forty
years, but he handed virtually the entire strip over to ghosts very,
very early on. Watterson, Larson, and Breathed, clearly, would never
do that.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1275, from davemackey, 250 chars, Wed Oct 26 19:15:36 1994
This is a comment to message 1274.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
And in a related development, Hank Ketcham has just announced that he is
going to stop drawing the daily “Dennis The Menace” and hand it off to an
assistant. (He hasn’t drawn the Sunday strip for quite some time now.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1276, from hmccracken, 415 chars, Wed Oct 26 22:02:27 1994
This is a comment to message 1275.
————————–
Really? I’ll miss it. For all of Ketcham’s success, he’s rarely gotten the
praise he deserves as an artist. At his best, he’s a brilliant stylist
with an uncanny ability to know just which lines he can leave out of a
drawing.
I’ve heard tell that Ketcham has taken up serious painting recently —
in fact, he’s going to have an exhibition in Boston in the near
future. I plan on filing a report for BIX.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1277, from davemackey, 363 chars, Thu Oct 27 22:36:40 1994
This is a comment to message 1251.
————————–
The book’s been out for some time now, and in case somebody doesn’t want to
read a spoiler, bail out now….
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Archie’s new steady girlfriend is (ta-da!) Cheryl Blossom.
Incidentally, Castiglia is another of those online comics people: he’s
75********@co********.com.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1278, from davemackey, 229 chars, Tue Nov 1 18:16:01 1994
This is a comment to message 1266.
————————–
The strip has not been in papers five weeks, and already there’s been a
change of artist.
Keith Giffen has been replaced as artist of “Mike Danger” by another
comics-page veteran, Joe Staton.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1279, from hmccracken, 375 chars, Fri Nov 4 13:46:09 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Marvelbu
Marvel Comics has acquired Malibu Comics, one of the most successful
of the smaller, “independent” comic book publishers of recent years.
(Somebody help me: what are some of their titles?)
Along with a popular line of comics, Marvel gains what is said to be
one of the most advanced computerized coloring systems in the comics
publishing business.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1280, from dgh, 329 chars, Fri Nov 4 20:21:35 1994
This is a comment to message 1279.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Ratman and Protectors leap to mind. Malibu also prints the Ultraverse
titles, which include The Solution, Solitaire, Mantra, Freex, Hardcase,
Prime, Prototype, The Strangers, and two or three others.
To me, this is VERY BAD NEWS. Do you have at least two sources for this
news? I’m loathe to believe it!
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1281, from hmccracken, 206 chars, Sun Nov 6 21:34:52 1994
This is a comment to message 1280.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Sorry to disappoin you, but it seems to be true. It was reported in
the _Wall Street Journal_ last week.
In theory, at least, Malibu will operate as a completely independent
division of Marvel.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1282, from jjanney, 138 chars, Tue Nov 8 21:54:16 1994
————————–
Title: Overboard
I love those sea monsters that show up now and then in Overboard.
They look like something out of William Hope Hodgson.
==========================
animation/comics #1283, from dgh, 310 chars, Wed Nov 9 03:26:29 1994
This is a comment to message 1281.
————————–
I also heard about it in the COMICS forum on CompuServe. The Bravura
imprint should remain unchanged, because Malibu is only part-owner of that
line. Any changes or additions to the Bravura line-up requires approval
from the creators who created the Bravura line (with help from Malibu).
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1284, from dgh, 797 chars, Wed Nov 9 03:26:36 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: The Carton History of the Universe II
I picked up the second book in Lary Gonick’s Cartoon History of the Universe
series (it contains volumes 8-13, “From the Springtime of China to the Fall
of Rome”). I’ve had book I for years and this one is almost as good (which
means that it’s spectacularly good, instead of being exceptionally good).
I’m about half-way through it and am enjoying it very much.
In case you’re wondering just how condensed this history is, I’ll quote from
the first panel on p. 136: “The Chu army was running out of FOOD* and Hsiang
Yu rode off to solve the problem PERSONALLY.” And the footnote reads “*I
wish I had the space to explain why!” So do I, because Chu’s army was
laying seige to a city, so they should have had easy access to food!
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1285, from hmccracken, 148 chars, Wed Nov 9 10:41:05 1994
This is a comment to message 1284.
————————–
I’ve heard that Gonick’s Cartoon Histories have been turned into
a CD-ROM, which is supposed to be excellent. Haven’t seen it yet
myself.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1286, from hmccracken, 607 chars, Sat Nov 19 22:01:13 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: _Strips_
Awhile back, I asked if _Strips_, the newspaper which carries nothing but
comics, was still around. I recently picked up the September issue, and
while I’m not positive that the October or November issues have been
published, it’s a good sign. _Strips_ still carries everything from
_Calvin and Hobbes_ to _Bringing Up Father_, and it’s now available in
both weekly and monthly editions. The weekly version is $48 a year;
the monthly is the same price. For $2 extra, a weekly version which also
includes 100 editorial cartoons is also available. The order line is
(703) 764-0496.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1287, from switch, 91 chars, Sun Nov 20 14:28:47 1994
This is a comment to message 1286.
————————–
It is still out. A magazine store not two minutes away still has it on the
shelves.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1288, from hmccracken, 272 chars, Tue Nov 29 22:25:28 1994
————————–
TITLE: Now in your local comics pages…
or mine, anyhow, is a comic-strip version of Disney’s _The Lion King_.
It may be a seasonal special; Disney has traditionally offered a comic
strip with a holiday theme that runs between Thanksgiving and Christmas or so.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1289, from hmccracken, 681 chars, Mon Dec 5 19:09:20 1994
————————–
TITLE: The Return of the Dragon Lady!
The TMS newspaper syndicate is reviving _Terry and the Pirates_, Milt Caniff’s
classic action comic strip. I haven’t seen any samples, but the storylines are
by Michael Uslan and the art is by the excellent Hildebrandt brothers.
Dramatic comic strips aren’t just a dying breed anymore; they’re *dead*, except
for a few stalwarts. The new _Terry_ sounds promising, and I hope it starts
a resurgence of interest in comics that don’t simply try to dispense a gag
each day.
After Caniff left _Terry_ to start _Steve Canyon_, by the way, it
continued to run quite successfully until 1973, written and drawn by the
late George Wunder.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1290, from hmccracken, 492 chars, Thu Dec 15 21:10:16 1994
————————–
TITLE: Zippy Meets Jeffy
_Zippy the Pinhead_ is currently running a particularly weird sequence
in which everyone’s favorite circus freak meets Bill, Thel, Jeffy, Billy,
Dolly, and PJ — better known as the Family Circus. This series appears
to be at least semi-authorized, and possibly a collaboration between
Bill Griffith and Bil Keane, creator of the Family; it carries Keane’s
copyright and signature. (Both Zippy and the Family Circus have the same
syndicate: King Features.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1291, from davemackey, 225 chars, Fri Jan 13 19:00:18 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: The Wolf and The Girl in The Comics…
Dark Horse has announced a new comic which features Tex Avery’s classic
creations, The Wolf and Red Hot Riding Hood. First issue will be in April.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1292, from hmccracken, 100 chars, Fri Jan 13 21:46:49 1995
This is a comment to message 1291.
————————–
Eeek! Any word on who’s doin ng it? (I assume it’s not Preston
Blair — but it should be.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1293, from hmccracken, 442 chars, Fri Jan 13 23:37:44 1995
————————–
TITLE: Outland No More
I reported here some weeks ago that Berkeley Breathed was
considering retiring his _Outland_ comic strip — and it’s
happened. The last _Outland_ will appear on Sunday, March 26th.
_Outland_ is, of course, the follow-up to Breathed’s great
_Bloom County_. With luck, Breathed’s other ventures —
including books, computer software, and movies — will
flourish. I’d hate to think I’d never see his work again.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1294, from davemackey, 562 chars, Sat Jan 14 16:20:58 1995
This is a comment to message 1249.
————————–
As most all of comics fandom knows by now, Archie chose neither Betty nor
Veronica, but the prep-school babe, Cheryl Blossom. (You may remember Cheryl
and her brother Jason from their appearances in the Archie continuity in the
1980’s.)
The whole “Love Showdown” arc, as it’s called, has been reissued in a
special edition selling for $2.00, and a more deluxe $4.95 version.
For her part, Cheryl Blossom is getting a couple of one-shots (first of
which is due out February 7) and a four-issue miniseries thrown her way.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1295, from hmccracken, 2245 chars, Sat Mar 11 15:48:06 1995
————————–
TITLE: Remembrance of Comics Past
I recently picked up some copies of Boston newspapers from 1974, and
am having a wonderful, nostalgic time looking through them. Of course,
I’m reading the comics pages — and am struck by the almost complete
turnover that’s happened in the past two decades.
For instance, on October 11th, 1973, the _Boston Herald American_ had
the following comics:
_Peanuts_
_Catfish_
_On Stage_
_Dick Tracy_
_Winnie Winkle_
_Gasoline Alley_
_Louie_
_Quincy_
_Mixed Singles_
_Hagar the Horrible_
_Blondie_
_Marmaduke_
_Buz Sawyer_
_Half Hitch_
_Beetle Bailey_
_Steve Canyon_
_Tiger_
_The Phantom_
_Animal Crackers_
_Dooley’s World_
_Bringing Up Father_
_They’ll Do It Every Time_
_Grafitti_
_Moon Mullins_
_Redeye_
_Brenda Starr_
_Little Orphan Annie_
_Nancy_
_Dondi_
_Archie_
_Hi and Lois_
_The Dropouts_
_Boner’s Ark_
_Snuffy Smith_
Of that lineup (which was artificially large as the result of several
mergers with other papers), I think today’s _Herald_ still carries
_Peanuts_, _Dick Tracy_, _Blondie_, _Winnie Winkle_, _Hagar_, _Blondie_,
_Marmaduke_, _They’ll Do It Every Time_, _Brenda Starr_, and _Nancy_.
Actually, that’s not too bad compared to the _Boston Globe_, which carried
the following strips as of January 25th, 1973:
_Doonesbury_
_Pogo_
_Steve Roper_
_The Jackson Twins_
_The Smith Family_
_Apartment 3-G_
_Momma_
_Broom Hilda_
_Plain Jane_
_The Wizard of Id_
_Li’l Abner_
_Mark Trail_
_Tumbleweeds_
_Grin and Bear It_
_Dennis the Menace_
_Ziggy_
_Mutt and Jeff_
_Andy Capp_
_Judge Parker_
_Fred Basset_
_Funky Winkerbean_
_Rex Morgan MD_
_BC_
_The Flintstones_
_Kelly_
_Lil Ones_
Of all those strips, only _Doonesbury_ has been in the _Globe_ ever since.
However, many of the strips that are no longer in the paper — including
_Dennis the Menace_, _Fred Basset_, _BC_, _The Wizard of Id_, and others —
switched en masse to the _Herald_ in the mid-1980s as a result of Rupert
Murdoch’s purchase of the Field syndicate, and they’re still running in
the _Herald_.
Also, the _Globe_, more than the_Herald_, ran a lot of strips that have
been discontinued: _Pogo_, _The Jackson Twins_, _Plain Jane_, _Li’l
Abner_, _The Flintstones_, _Kelly_, and _Mutt and Jeff_ are all no longer
with us.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1296, from hmccracken, 2606 chars, Sun Mar 12 21:55:06 1995
————————–
TITLE: Nancy, Charlie Brown, and Brenda Starr — Survivors
Besides buying those 1973/1974 newspapers, I bought a copy of the
November 26th, 1963 _Boston Herald_ — a very sad, very historical
one that reports on John F. Kennedy’s funeral.
Nearly everything in the paper deals with the assasination, of course,
except for the ads — which are mainly Thanksgiving- and Christmas-themed,
and eerily out of place — and the comics section.
Naturally, the comics were drawn weeks before the tragedy, and make no
reference to it. (_Little Orphan Annie_, in fact, involves a gunfight
in the street in which a hero (not Annie or Sandy) riding in a car
miraculously avoids being struck by a bullet — I’m amazed that the syndicate
didn’t pull the sequence.)
The fact that comic strips are produced so long in advance has always worked
against them being very topical, with rare exceptions such as _Pogo_ and
_Doonesbury_ (the latter of which has a much shorter deadline than most
strips).
But in those rare instances when comic-strip sequences involve the
President of the United States, they always risk unforseen real-world
events getting in the way. A few years ago, Jerry Dumas and Mort Drucker
did a rather enjoyable strip called _Benchley_, about a lower-level White
House administrator, that was built mainly around Reagan jokes. At the
time, I read an article by Dumas in which he said the syndicate was
nervous about what would happen to the strip if Reagan was defeated in his
bid for re-election. Perhaps he was simply being discreeet, but he did not
bring up other possible events that would have been far more problematic
for the strip, like the President’s unexpected illness or death. (Neither
of those happened, thank goodness, but I wonder if the possibility of such
happenings had anything to do with _Benchley_’s brief existence.)
Anyhow, I’ve gotten off the topic I meant to discuss here, which was to
report on the strips that the _Herald_ offered back in 1963. Here they are:
_Peanuts_
_Ceasar_
_The Flintstones_
_Abbie an’ Slats_
_Nancy_
_Ferd’nand_
_Gordo_
_Brenda Starr_
_Dixie Dugan_
_Smilin’ Jack_
_Ching Chow_
_Will-yum_
_Pogo_
_Mark Trail_
_Moon Mullins_
_Mickey Finn_
_Aggie Mack_
_Terry and the Pirates_
_The Jackson Twins_
_Little Orphan Annie_
_This Funny World_
Not only are most of these strips no longer in the _Herald_ — most of them
aren’t in existence at all anymore. However, _Nancy_, _Peanuts_, and
_Brenda Starr_ are still in the _Herald_ every morning, and _Peanuts_
is still even drawn by the same artist. (Charles Schulz, as if I had to
tell you.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1297, from hmccracken, 477 chars, Sun Mar 12 21:57:25 1995
————————–
TITLE: And Speaking of Brenda Starr…
I’ve heard that the U.S. Post Office is still deciding whether a particular
stamp in its upcoming comic-strip series should feature Pogo or Brenda.
I have nothing against Brenda — she’s one of my favorite comic-strip
reporters — but if these stamps don’t include one that honors Pogo,
they’ll be a travesty. For my money, Walt Kelly is the greatest cartoonist
of them all — and one of the greatest American humorists, period.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1298, from jjanney, 506 chars, Sat Apr 1 14:35:33 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Terry and the Pirates
showed up for a few days this week in the Salt Lake Tribune, perhaps
by mistake: it was gone again Friday and Saturday. The Tribune
doesn’t print the authors’ names for comic strips, but the signatures
inside say Uslan and Hildebrandt. I never saw the original version,
so I don’t know if this is something new or if they’re re-running the
original version, as was done with Li’l Abner a few years ago.
There is a WWW address listed:
http://comicspage.jvnc.net/terry/
==========================
animation/comics #1299, from hkenner, 426 chars, Sat Apr 1 15:15:31 1995
This is a comment to message 1298.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The *original* version of “Terry & the Pirates”, way back in the
30’s (can it have been?) was written, drawn & signed by Milton Caniff.
Caniff much later moved to another syndicate for a better deal but
couldn’t bring Terry with him. So he created a clone called Steve
Canyon, and the Terry bosses continued the strip with substitutes
whose names I never knew. Uslan & Hildebrandt? They are maybe
3rd generation. …
–HK
==========================
animation/comics #1300, from hmccracken, 706 chars, Sat Apr 1 18:03:28 1995
This is a comment to message 1299.
————————–
This is a new version of _Terry_ that was just launched, in conjunction
with a planned TV series. Uslan is the writer, Michael Uslan (best known
as a co-producer of the _Batman_ and _Swamp Thing_ movies); Hildebrandt
is the artists, the Hildrebrandt Brothers (well-known fantasy artists,
responsible for the _Star Wars_ movie poster and many other projects).
We don’t seem to be getting the strip here in Boston, but I’ve seen
a few samples that aren’t very impressive. Terry has been modernized
and punked up (as has the Dragon Lady), and the art isn’t that great.
The Hildebrandts are fine painters, but it looks like they need to
get used to the restrictive format of a daily newspaper strip.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1301, from jjanney, 148 chars, Wed Apr 5 00:57:11 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: I don’t think so
Whoever is drawing _Gasoline Alley_ these days doesn’t know what he’s
doing. “Remember when Rover was in diapers” indeed!
==========================
animation/comics #1302, from hmccracken, 300 chars, Wed Apr 5 09:03:59 1995
This is a comment to message 1301.
There are additional comments to message 1301.
————————–
I haven’t seen _GA_ lately, but last time I checked up on it, it
was drawn by Jim Scancarelli but written by Mark Cohen (who doesn’t
get credited). In any event, both of these gentlemen should know
that Rover did not come into Slim and Clovia’s life until he was
well past the diaper stage.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1303, from davemackey, 252 chars, Thu Apr 6 23:26:58 1995
This is a comment to message 1301.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Jim Scancarelli, who took over the strip upon the death of Dick Moores,
sometimes tries to force nostalgia in the strip, and that is one of his major
failings.
Jim’s main hobby outside the strip: model railroading.
–Dave
==========================
animation/comics #1304, from jjanney, 103 chars, Mon Apr 10 12:28:22 1995
This is a comment to message 1303.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Re: I don’t think so
After seeing today’s strip, I take it all back .. and am very happy to
do so 🙂
==========================
animation/comics #1305, from hmccracken, 59 chars, Mon Apr 10 16:36:46 1995
This is a comment to message 1304.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
We don’t get _Gasoline Alley_ here — what’s up?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1306, from jjanney, 705 chars, Mon Apr 10 17:57:23 1995
This is a comment to message 1305.
————————–
Well, Rover (who is now a rather unlikeable adolescent) has a new job
working at a diaper factory, where his foreman warns him not to ask
any questions about the “boss lady.” The “boss lady” turns out to be
a plump woman with a cigarette and a wide-brimmed hat, looking very
much like Rover’s long-lost mother, the con artist.
I find that I can remember strips from the period when Rover was first
introduced much more vividly than most of what has appeared since
then. It would be nice to get something of that quality again. My
all-time favorite is the time Rover got into a fencing match with the
horrible British boy, armed with a lollipop against a cane, and kept
scoring points. Ploop! Ploop!
==========================
animation/comics #1307, from rmharrold, 118 chars, Wed Apr 19 22:55:55 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: For Better or Worse
I have not been able to get a paper. Could someone confirm Farley’s death.
– Robert
==========================
animation/comics #1308, from lkaplan, 385 chars, Thu Apr 20 01:20:02 1995
This is a comment to message 1307.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Re: For Better or Worse
>Could someone confirm Farley’s death.
It has not been stated as such (Wednesday newspaper), but is implied.
I’d guess that the “real” Farley has passed on, Lynn Johnson’s strip is
drawn (very much so, apparently) from real life.
This will probably be done as well as Watterson handled the death of a
small bird in Calvin and Hobbes several years ago.
-Len
==========================
animation/comics #1309, from rmharrold, 128 chars, Thu Apr 20 20:41:27 1995
This is a comment to message 1308.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 1308.
————————–
Thanks.
My understanding is that the *real* Farley died a long time ago.
*sigh*, I’ll miss Farley.
– Robert
==========================
animation/comics #1310, from hmccracken, 547 chars, Thu Apr 20 22:43:48 1995
This is a comment to message 1309.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Farley appears to be a goner, but you never know. Right now, he’s
no more dead than all those Disney characters who *seem* to be
dead, then spring back to life. But I think that Lynn Johnston
probably has more dramatic integrity than that.
_For Better or for Worse_ has been around since the late 1970s,
and I think Farley has always been in it, and always been a
grown-up dog. If the real Farley only passed away recently, he
was a real geezer (although my parents own a cat who is remarkably
spry at the age of 17, so you never know).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1311, from hmccracken, 126 chars, Thu Apr 20 22:44:30 1995
————————–
TITLE: Arrrrrrrrrggggggghhhh!
Is nothing sacred? Today’s _The Family Circus_ contains a reference
to the O.J. trial!
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1312, from hkenner, 80 chars, Fri Apr 21 00:40:28 1995
This is a comment to message 1310.
There are additional comments to message 1310.
————————–
We to have a 17-year-old cat who could pass for 10. True, you never know.
–HK
==========================
animation/comics #1313, from hmccracken, 566 chars, Fri Apr 21 22:14:09 1995
This is a comment to message 1308.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, it seems to be official. Farley is dead — and the first
major character in a comic strip to have passed away in many
years, as far as I can remember.
I don’t think we discussed it here, but the strip _Curtis_ just
had a sequence in which Curtis’s mother was mugged and suffered
a miscarriage as a result. I think it’s a good thing that
we’re beginning to see newspaper strips strive for some real
drama in this way — it was certainly a staple of the golden
age of comics, and something that had disappeared almost entirely
in the past few decades.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1314, from rmharrold, 52 chars, Fri Apr 21 22:59:58 1995
This is a comment to message 1313.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
How old is Walt in Gasoline Alley?
– Robert
==========================
animation/comics #1315, from hmccracken, 328 chars, Fri Apr 21 23:57:50 1995
This is a comment to message 1314.
————————–
Well, he adopted Skeezix when — 1921? Let’s assume that he was
21 at the time. That would make him 95 today. That’s obviously
not out of the realm of possibility, but he’s certainly a youthful-
looking 95 year old. What’s more, all of his garage buddies —
some of who seem to be older than he is — are still around.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1316, from kipw, 767 chars, Sun Apr 23 14:18:56 1995
This is a comment to message 1310.
————————–
I imagine Farley is good and dead. _For Better or Worse_ is no Disney
franchise, and Lynn J. has a sort of integrity about the whole thing.
Anyway, she’s been telegraphing Farley’s demise for some time. A few
months back I recall feeling a slight chill on old Farley’s behalf,
as the first hints of foreshadowing emerged. “Say, Farley’s gettin’
sort of old, isn’t he?” “Yes, but he has a heart as big as all
outdoors.” “Look! Here’s a puppy!”
Well, even though I made a facetious prediction that in six months
the new puppy would look just like Farley, I really don’t think it
will happen anywhere near that fast. Rather, it will probably happen
at about the same pace as reality (which in a comic strip seems like
greased lightning).
Farley was a Good Dog.
–Kip
==========================
animation/comics #1317, from switch, 251 chars, Thu Apr 27 22:10:28 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: I’ve been pretty quiet lately…
…due to a sudden upswing in writing contracts and programming deadlines. But
I’ve been reading comics in my spare time, to keep from going mad. Has anyone
read Vamps, Preacher, or Kill Your Boyfriend?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1318, from dgh, 124 chars, Fri Apr 28 04:23:18 1995
This is a comment to message 1317.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I read Vamps. It was an interesting read. I didn’t care much for the art.
The ending was predictable.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1319, from switch, 285 chars, Sat Apr 29 10:05:17 1995
This is a comment to message 1318.
————————–
I’dhave to agree, except for the part about the art.
It seemed to me that, for a comic titled “Vamps”, they spent too much time
dwelling on Jezz. They might as well have called it “Jezz and the Vamps”.
It seems they’re leading into a regular series, or a few more miniseries.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1320, from hmccracken, 1111 chars, Sun Apr 30 20:31:52 1995
————————–
TITLE: Review: _Tex Avery’s Wolf & Red_ #1
Tex Avery was one of the grandmasters of comic timing in animation,
and his Red Riding Hood cartoons were some of the purest expressions
of 1940s Hollywood character animation. And maybe that’s why Dark
Horse Comics’ new comic book based on the Riding Hood films is so
disappointing: It’s in the wrong medium, and the wrong decade.
Issue #1 features _Woo-ful Wolf_, a story that involves a cupid
character who seems like a rip-off of Baby Herman from _Who
Framed Roger Rabbit_. The art isn’t bad, but the plotline doesn’t
have much to do with Avery’s films — which is understandable in
a way, since Avery only had one basic plot, which would be a problem
in a regular comic-book series — and the story doesn’t capture
much of Avery’s style of humor. Movement, timing, and sound effects
played such important roles in Avery’s work that the comic’s failure
isn’t really surprising. (Too bad that Avery wasn’t around to contribute
to this comic, and that Preston Blair, the brilliant animator of Red
Riding Hood, didn’t have anything to do with it, either.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1321, from hmccracken, 374 chars, Sat May 6 00:34:26 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Happy Anniversary!
Today is the 100th anniversary of the comic strip (out here on the
west coast, anyhow — I mean Friday). Several strips marked the
event today, including _Luann_ and _Mutts_. Anyone know of any
others that celebrated the centennial?
The *big* celebration will arrive later this year, when the post
office releases its comic-strip stamps.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1322, from jjanney, 178 chars, Sat May 6 11:43:18 1995
This is a comment to message 1321.
————————–
Hagar the Horrible
Beetle Bailey
Hi & Lois
Blondie
Drabble
Baby Blues
B.C.
Most of these come right and say “This is the 100th anniversary…”
The last two are a little subtle.
==========================
animation/comics #1323, from hmccracken, 628 chars, Mon May 8 03:14:17 1995
————————–
TITLE: The Comics Stamps
I’ve seen reproductions of the stamps (which won’t actually be
out until October, I think), and they’re excellent. The Popeye, Nancy, and
Blondie ones are particularly good-looking. I’ll certainly be at my post
office on the date of issue to purchase a large supply.
I’m still dismayed that Pogo didn’t get a stamp — apparently, the
selection is limited to characters who first appeared before 1950. Pogo
first showed up in a comic book in 1942, and was in the New York Star
beginning in 1949 — but I guess they mean that the character had to have
appeared in a national newspaper by 1950.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1324, from switch, 188 chars, Fri Jun 30 22:46:59 1995
————————–
TITLE: Bizarro
It’s been there for months, but I hadn’t noticed it — next to Dan Piraro’s
signature in the daily one-panel cartoon Bizarro is his e-mail address:
bi*******@ao*.com.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1325, from hmccracken, 558 chars, Sat Aug 19 23:14:16 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Nancy’s Back
For some years, Ernie Bushmiller’s _Nancy_ has been written and drawn by
Jerry Scott, who made no attempt to replicate Bushmiller’s art style or
humor. Scott has left _Nancy_ (possibly to concentrate on _Baby Blues_,
his other strip), and his replacements, Guy and Brad Gilchrist, are
returning _Nancy_ to the Bushmiller style.
Unfortunately, the _Boston Herald_ dropped _Nancy_ at the same time this
happened, so I haven’t seen its new/old look. But I’m looking forward to
it — has anyone else out there seen the new format?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1326, from switch, 81 chars, Sat Aug 19 23:17:59 1995
This is a comment to message 1325.
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————————–
I couldn’t help you there, but am I to take it that you’re back in Boston?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1327, from hmccracken, 187 chars, Sun Aug 20 02:29:15 1995
This is a comment to message 1326.
————————–
Yup — back in Boston after four months in San Francisco. In a couple of
weeks, though, I’ll be back in SF for a few days — my new job has me being
pretty bicoastal these days.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1328, from switch, 1392 chars, Mon Aug 21 23:03:06 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: New stuff
I’m notoriously behind in my comics, so I’ll just mention two that really got
my attention in the last batch I picked up:
Astro City #1: Kurt Busiek re-examined the Marvel superhero mythos in the
Marvels series, by watching the unfolding of the ’60s era of Marvel comics
from the perspective of ordinary humans. In Astro City, it seems as if he’s
looking at both the DC and Marvel universes, but from the superhero’s side —
not the usual angst-ridden exclamations, but through their innermost thoughts.
The first issue has a Superman-compatible, Samaritan, going through a typical
day of saving the world, driven to do the right thing, but despairing of ever
having any time for a personal life. Good stuff.
Preacher: Am I the only one who reads this?
What If… #1: Yep, What If… is having another go-round. They just can’t
seem to quit. This first issue, “What If Peter Parker Had to Destroy
Spider-Man?” is actually pretty good. It reminds me of the old What If…
stories in terms of execution. The artwork (Stuart Immonen — who I don’t
know — and an old favourite, Terry Austin) was very nice. Clean and
dynamic. My only problem: Flash Thompson is =completely= out of character
for this one, and he’s the wholebasis of the story! Nrrrgh…
And the cover says this features “The Final Appearance of The Watcher in
the Pages of What If!” Hey!
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1329, from mholcomb, 703 chars, Tue Aug 22 00:20:31 1995
This is a comment to message 1328.
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————————–
Re: New stuff
>What If… #1: Yep, What If… is having another go-round. They just
>can’t
>
I grow tired of the restarting of the issue numbers for comics.
I have basically stopped my collecting except for the four or five books I
need. Prices on the newer issues go up way too fast and IMHO are
overvalued. And these hot issues trends can inflate the value of a persons
collection for a short time, but hopefully, the market will correct them
over the long term. My collection has jumped in value at times where I was
strongly considering selling it off…but calmer heads prevailed!
I should probably get back into a subscription service so I can save myself
$100s on the newer issues.
MAR.
==========================
animation/comics #1330, from hmccracken, 304 chars, Tue Aug 22 22:00:31 1995
This is a comment to message 1328.
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————————–
I wish _What If_ didn’t just cover Marvel Comics characters:
“What If…Billy in _The Family Circus_ actually went straight where he
was going without shilly-shallying every ten feet?”
“What If…Tom captured, ate, and fully digested Jerry?”
“What If…Popeye was fitted with a glass eye?”
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1331, from switch, 180 chars, Tue Aug 22 22:20:43 1995
This is a comment to message 1329.
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————————–
I don’t follow Marvel anymore, so I don’t know how long the previous What
If…? has been gone. If they just restarted it at #1 after a month, well,
that’s just ridiculous.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1332, from switch, 101 chars, Tue Aug 22 22:21:01 1995
This is a comment to message 1330.
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————————–
Har!
> “What If…Tom captured, ate, and fully digested Jerry?”
Isn’t that Squeak the Mouse?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1333, from lkaplan, 204 chars, Tue Aug 22 22:49:03 1995
This is a comment to message 1330.
————————–
>”What If…Popeye was fitted with a glass eye?”
“What If … Wily Coyote actually caught Roadrunner?”
“What If … Yosemite Sam (in any of his many incarnations) actually
outsmarted Bugs Bunny?”
-Len
==========================
animation/comics #1334, from dgh, 102 chars, Thu Aug 24 02:29:16 1995
This is a comment to message 1331.
There are additional comments to message 1331.
————————–
I think it was less than 4 months between the last old one and the new #1.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1335, from dgh, 147 chars, Thu Aug 24 02:29:20 1995
This is a comment to message 1329.
————————–
I think I have over 50 comics on my pull-list. I’m 37 years old and feel no
need to make excuses for my comics habit…
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1336, from dgh, 172 chars, Thu Aug 24 02:29:26 1995
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————————–
Did you pick up Superman Aliens? It was a three-issue square-bound series
from DC and Dark Horse by Dan Jurgens and Kevin Nowlan.
Recommended.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1337, from dgh, 271 chars, Thu Aug 24 02:29:31 1995
This is a comment to message 1328.
There are additional comments to message 1328.
————————–
Did you pick up Dark Horse Presents #100? It’s so big, it’s being published
as #100 1, #100 2, #100 3, #100 4 and, yes, you guessed it, #100 5! As with
the regular anthology series, there is some so-so stuff in it, but most of
it is very good.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1338, from dgh, 1075 chars, Thu Aug 24 02:29:44 1995
This is a comment to message 1328.
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————————–
Highly recommended comes “Goddess” from DC’s Vertigo imprint. It’s by Garth
Ennis and Phil Winslade. It’s basically a story about what happens when an
unassuming young woman gains incredible god-like powers, with no idea about
how to control them, and is detected by CIA-types (via satellite) when she
breaks Scotland away from England–literally–and leaves it far north in the
Atlantic Ocean. Now she has this really obnoxious spy-guy after her (along
with hordes of comrades) and a vicious, corrupt bobbie (along with a pair of
big-as-oxen, really dumb, but loyal, henchmen) chasing after the spy-guy,
because the spy-guy screwed the bobbie over when they first attempted to get
the young woman into custody.
In issue #5 (which I got last week), she’s finally learning how to control
her Goddess powers, but she’s certainly caused havok to get to that point.
Such as leaving the luxury liner they boarded in England about 20 floors up
in a Brazilian hi-rise…
It’s a thrill-o-rama with comedy relief provided by the bobbie and his
henchmen.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1339, from dgh, 1022 chars, Thu Aug 24 02:29:58 1995
This is a comment to message 1328.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Gremlin Trouble is a *fantastic* new comic created by E.T. Bryan. He’s also
the artist and co-writer. His co-writer is (presumably his wife) Elizabeth
Bryan. She’s also the publisher, Anti-Ballistic Pixelations (i.e., it’s
self-published, which is *not* a bad-thing). It’s being carried by all the
big comics distributors.
The artwork is *gorgeous* and the writing is very good!
The first issue has 31 pages of story, 1 page of early renderings of the
heroine, color cover (front and back), and a letters-page on the inside
back-cover. They made up five letters for the first issue. One of the
“letters” asks, “What kind of computer did you use to put in the grey
tones in your comics?” And the answer is, “I don’t use a computer. I use a
.002 inch diamter red sable brush to hand paint each pixel, which, I think,
explains our quarterly publication schedule.”
Although this is technically a “black & white” comic, it puts grey tones to
*very* good use.
This comic is *highly* recommended!
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1340, from switch, 23 chars, Thu Aug 24 07:11:00 1995
This is a comment to message 1336.
————————–
Nope, missed it.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1341, from mholcomb, 381 chars, Thu Aug 24 08:31:57 1995
This is a comment to message 1339.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
It seems you are keeping up on the current stuff quite well… 🙂
I have long ago stopped reading most comics because of the poor story lines
(IMO). So now I mostly look for long term investment books, mostly in
Marvel early Silver Age books. I am also looking at some golden age books
that I could try to make a collection out of…things like Captian America
Comics. 🙂
MAR.
==========================
animation/comics #1342, from hmccracken, 1293 chars, Thu Aug 24 21:46:44 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: The Top Comics of All Time
_Editor and Publisher_ magazine has published its annual syndicate directory
issue, and as usual, it’s an invaluable resource for comics fans. The issue
includes an index of all current comic strips, as well as glossy ads from
all the syndicates that tout their existing and upcoming strips.
This year, _E&P_ also reports on the results of a survey of cartoonists,
syndicate executives, historians, and other comics fans. The topic was
the greatest comics of all time, and here are the results:
TOP FIFTEEN COMICS OF ALL TIME
1. Peanuts
2. Krazy Kat
3. Pogo
4. Little Nemo
5. Li’l Abner
6. Terry and the Pirates
7. The Far Side
8. Dick Tracy
9. Steve Canyon
10. Calvin and Hobbes
11. Prince Valiant
12. Bringing Up Father
13. The Yellow Kid
14. Bloom County
15. Popeye (aka Thimble Theatre)
The poll also asked about…
THE TOP CURRENT COMICS
1. Calvin and Hobbes
2. Peanuts
3. Doonesbury
4. For Better or For Worse
5. Dilbert
6. Mother Goose and Grim
7. The Wizard of Id
8. B.C.
9. Non Sequitur
10. Hagar the Horrible
11. Ernie
12. Beetle Bailey
13. Zippy the Pinhead
14. The Lockhorns
15. Blondie
I’m amazed that Blondie scored so low on the current comics list — and more
remarkably, didn’t place in the Top Comics of all Time list at all!
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1343, from dgh, 354 chars, Fri Aug 25 03:11:36 1995
This is a comment to message 1331.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, surpise, surprise! I just picked up issue #78 of What If… today.
It’s under the “Marvel alterniverse” imprint. Are you *sure* you saw a
#1 issue of “What If…”? Aha! *now* I see were you got confused! Issue
#76 (August) has a little box beneath the “Marvel alterniverse” logo that
says “First Issue of the All New What If!”
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1344, from dgh, 746 chars, Fri Aug 25 03:11:45 1995
This is a comment to message 1341.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I read everything I buy and only buy what I think I’ll enjoy reading. With
rare exceptions. I bought a black-bagged copy of the issue in which Superman
dies at the hands of Doomsday. But I also bought the “standard” edition to
read. And I’ve fallen for some of those multiple-cover scams. The oldest
comic I have is from 1983 (somewhere in my 5-wide, ceiling-high, stack of
two-deep, half-size, comics storage boxes), because that’s when my college
roommate, who was a Marvelite and despised DC, got me started on my $150 a
month habit (he didn’t have a car, so I’d drive him to the only bookstore
that had a decent size comics section, about 15 miles away). (Fortunately,
I got over his anti-DC mania after we graduated…)
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1345, from mholcomb, 595 chars, Fri Aug 25 03:50:33 1995
This is a comment to message 1344.
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————————–
>read. And I’ve fallen for some of those multiple-cover scams. The oldest
>comic I have is from 1983 (somewhere in my 5-wide, ceiling-high, stack of
>two-deep, half-size, comics storage boxes), because that’s when my college
>
Ok…that makes it about 1600 comics so far? Am I close?
1983? Really? To each his own. I would seriously like to start reading
books again, but don’t see it happening any time soon.
BTW, I have a sort of interesting desire (to me at least), I want to own at
least 10% of the Platinum Spiderman #1 comics. Only 10000 were printed, so
I need to buy 1000. 🙂
MAR.
==========================
animation/comics #1346, from dgh, 291 chars, Sat Aug 26 01:51:08 1995
This is a comment to message 1345.
————————–
>…about 1600 comics…
I haven’t a clue! I kept a database from about 1985 to 1989, but I gave up
on it. I just read ’em, but em in cardboard comics-sized magazine holders.
Then when they fill up, I put em in half-size comics storage boxes and pack
’em away…
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1347, from switch, 77 chars, Sun Aug 27 23:33:45 1995
This is a comment to message 1342.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’m not surprised at all. Blondie just hasn’t been funny for a while.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1348, from switch, 18 chars, Sun Aug 27 23:34:09 1995
This is a comment to message 1343.
————————–
Oh, for…!
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1349, from hmccracken, 318 chars, Sun Aug 27 23:52:59 1995
This is a comment to message 1347.
————————–
Well, I find today’s _Blondie_ funnier than _The Wizard of Id_, _Beetle Bailey_,
and (most definitely) _The Lockhorns_ — which isn’t saying much. But I’m mostly
amazed that the voters didn’t consider _Blondie_’s vintage period
(1935-1955 or so) to be worthy of a place on the top comics of all time chart.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1350, from switch, 841 chars, Sat Sep 2 23:32:26 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: The European invasion
I was leafing through an old distributor catalogue for November’s releases and
came across something interesting: three of the Belgian comics I used to read
in French (used to? Still do, on occasion) are being translated into English
and released in North America. This makes no difference to me — I’ve always
preferred BDs (bandes dessinees) in French — but now everyone else can see
what I’ve been raving about all these years.
The translated titles are: Spirou: Z Comme Zorglub (now Spirou: Z For Zorglub),
which features Marsupilami in his un-Disneyized form; Johan et Pirlouit (now
Johan and Peewee: The Black Arrow) from Smurf-creator Peyo (actually, the
Smurfs originated as a cameo in these books); and Lucky Luke: The Stage
Coach.
These are all being released by Fantasy Flight Publishing.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1351, from dgh, 468 chars, Sun Sep 3 02:32:02 1995
This is a comment to message 1350.
————————–
I read Lucky Luke: The Stage Coach in Icelandic around 20 years ago and
Spirou: Z for Zorglub around 10 years ago. I’ve read a lot of those French
comics in Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and even English. If I tried to read
them in the original, it would be like trying to “read” Ferdnand (I think
there’s supposed to be an apostrophe in there somewhere, but I can’t for the
life of me remember where).
Disney should have left Marsupilami alone!
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1352, from switch, 193 chars, Tue Sep 12 22:39:08 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Asterix
What’s the availability of Asterix books like in the US? I ask because the
latest distributor catalogue from Capital City lists 12 Asterix books coming
out in December…
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1353, from switch, 272 chars, Tue Sep 12 22:41:32 1995
This is a comment to message 1352.
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————————–
…and flipping the next page, I see that Little Brown is releasing the
“Tintin Three-in-Ones”, hardcover volumes that contain three Tintin adventures
each. The Canuck list price is slightly higher than the cost of buying one
of those stories in French. Amazing!
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1354, from dgh, 162 chars, Thu Sep 14 00:31:10 1995
This is a comment to message 1352.
————————–
I’ve never encountered any Asterix books in the Michiana area (south-west
Michigan, north-west Indiana). I have some in Icelandic, however…
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1355, from dgh, 274 chars, Thu Sep 14 00:31:18 1995
This is a comment to message 1353.
————————–
All right! I (stupidly) passed up buying the entire set of Tintin books when
they were released earlier (less than a year ago, I think). (I sure do hope
that they will be listed in the Diamond catalog. This exclusive distribution
crap is for the birds!)
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1356, from switch, 234 chars, Thu Sep 14 10:45:22 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Spider-Man
Walking past the magazine store yesterday, I noticed that the new Spider-Man
— sorry, the Scarlet Spider — has a new Dock Ock nemesis. She’s a redhead
and built like three supermodels. What’s up with that?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1357, from hmccracken, 173 chars, Thu Sep 14 14:40:10 1995
This is a comment to message 1356.
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————————–
Who is the Scarlet Spider?
Since BIX is a family system,. I’ll resist asking the question
I was about to ask about someone who’s built like three
supermodels.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1358, from switch, 521 chars, Thu Sep 14 22:25:27 1995
This is a comment to message 1357.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
In the future, people will say supermodels look like Marvel or Image
characters, depending on how far they can tilt at the waist.
Scarlet Spider is — wait for it — the clone of Peter Parker from way
back in the 1970s. He’s back. I don’t know the details, save that he has
a more 90s look.
Oh yeah — from the looks of some preview thing (I only glanced at it)
Spidey’s getting a new suit soon. Didn’t look too bad.
Speaking of new suits, did anyone notice Batman’s abrupt costume change
a few months back?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1359, from dgh, 357 chars, Thu Sep 14 23:52:10 1995
This is a comment to message 1356.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, you know the professor that “Ben Riley” (the real Peter Parker, not
the clone) has been hanging out with? She’s his daughter and claims to have
been Doc Ock’s partner (or something like that). We don’t know much more at
this point other than that she’s a bit teed off at old dad for ignoring her
while she was growing up…
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1360, from switch, 288 chars, Fri Sep 15 07:43:03 1995
This is a comment to message 1359.
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————————–
Okay, so this begs two questions: (1) How’d she get the arms attached?
(2) How come scientists’ daughters are always babes?
And what’s with this “Ben Riley” business? (I don’t actually read Spider-Man
these days… I just absorb what’s happening through previews and chatter.)
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1361, from dgh, 154 chars, Sat Sep 16 03:39:26 1995
This is a comment to message 1358.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
You haven’t been keeping up with events, Emru. Scarlet Spider is Peter
Parker and Spider-Man is the clone. It’s a hoot, I tell you…
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1362, from dgh, 1103 chars, Sat Sep 16 03:39:36 1995
This is a comment to message 1360.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Hmmm, how short can I make this?
Ok, do you remember when Spider-Man fought the last Spider-Clone back in the
70’s and the Spider-Clone fell off of a building and got itself killed? And
Peter just left it in a dumpster and swung on home after shrugging off the
possibility that he might be the clone? Well, it turns out he was. The real
Peter, meanwhile, wasn’t quite dead, but believed himself to be the clone
and took the name Ben Riley (Ben for Uncle Ben, but I’ve forgotten how he
came up with Riley–perhaps it was his mother’s maiden name?). So now, of
course, there’s a Spider-title called “Spider-Man the Lost Years” that is
recounting the events in “Ben Riley’s” life after he high-tailed it out of
town. One of the characters that he came across was Doc Seward. Now they
spring this “new Doc Ock” on us out of the blue, claim that the real Doc Ock
was her “mentor” and that she improved upon his technology. We don’t know
much more than that, but her extra four arms appear to be simply built into
her armor, rather than fused to her body (they’re attached to the back).
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1363, from switch, 158 chars, Sat Sep 16 12:11:15 1995
This is a comment to message 1361.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Oh, man! Someone told me that, and I thought he was kidding!
Whatever happened to Mary Jane’s baby? For that matter, whatever happened
to Mary Jane?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1364, from switch, 81 chars, Sat Sep 16 12:12:22 1995
This is a comment to message 1362.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Aaarrrrgghhh!!! Make it stop!
I used to like Spider-Man. Really, I did.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1365, from dgh, 102 chars, Sun Sep 17 03:29:06 1995
This is a comment to message 1363.
————————–
Mary Jane is still married to the clone and the baby just started kicking.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1366, from dgh, 602 chars, Sun Sep 17 03:29:15 1995
This is a comment to message 1364.
————————–
Wait, it gets better (sorta)…
After his most recent fight (Doc Ock vs. Scarlet Spider and Spider-Man),
Spider-Man (the clone) starts having second thoughts about being Spider-Man
(he almost got killed in the fight and is concerned about what would happen
to MJ and the baby). I suspect that the clone is going to decide to quit
being Spider-Man in order to be Peter Parker full time and that “Ben Riley”,
currently known as the Scarlet Spider, will take over as Spider-Man (despite
the fact that Marvel has already renamed one of the Spider-books to “The
Scarlet Spider”).
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1367, from switch, 96 chars, Tue Sep 19 07:56:37 1995
————————–
TITLE: ‘nother Usenet newsgroup
rec.arts.comics.dc.lsh – Legion of Super-Heroes, I think.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1368, from hmccracken, 1806 chars, Tue Oct 17 23:12:18 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: What’s Up With Blondie and Dagwood?
I feel like I’ve lost touch with some old friends, then heard
bad news about them through the grapevine. The old friends in
question are Blondie and Dagwood Bumstead, and I haven’t really
lost touch — I’m just not as regular a reader of the _Herald_,
their Boston home, as I used to be.
Reading the rec.arts.comic.strips newsgroup, I discovered that
Blondie is contemplating moving her catering business from
the Bumstead home to a real storefront, and that Dagwood is not
taking the possibility well. Then in today’s _Herald_, I found
that the Bumsteads are apparently seeing a marriage councilor
about their troubles.
Will this lead to a trial separation, or — gasp! — a divorce?
(It’s not many couples who call it quits after six decades of
mostly-happy married life.) Will Dagwood move out of the house and into
his own comic strip? Who will get custody of Daisy, not to mention
Alexander, Cookie, and Mr. Dithers?
Somehow, I think that Dag and Blondie will resolve their differences, but
I kind of like the soap opera-like interludes that _Blondie_ has
experimented with in recent years. (The first was Blondie’s decision to
open her catering business; the second was Dagwood’s short-lived decision
to resign his job at J.C. Dithers & Co. to work with Blondie — both were
the subject of media reports.) As one Internet poster pointed out, these
mini-melodramas are nothing new: in the early 1930s, Dagwood staged a
hunger strike when his parents refused to give their blessings to his
marriage with Blondie.
A few years ago, their was rumor of a development that would have been a
BIG change to _Blondie_: the Bumsteads were going to have one or more
additional kids, the rumor said. It didn’t happen, but I think it would be
a great idea.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1369, from hkenner, 150 chars, Tue Oct 17 23:16:11 1995
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————————–
Compare the Dick Tracy / Mrs. DT threats of separation. They are In
Trouble. He is driven by his cop genes; she feels neglected & suspicious.
–HK
==========================
animation/comics #1370, from peabo, 107 chars, Wed Oct 18 02:06:27 1995
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————————–
The world won’t end unless some significant change is made to the recipe
for a Dagwood Sandwich 🙂
peter
==========================
animation/comics #1371, from switch, 100 chars, Thu Oct 19 22:23:06 1995
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————————–
Whatever happened with that? I stopped reading Strips shortly after their
troubles started.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1372, from switch, 151 chars, Thu Oct 19 22:24:37 1995
This is a comment to message 1370.
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————————–
There is a *great* sandwich restaurant in Montreal named Dagwood’s. Aside
from the sandwiches’ lack of, er, altitude, Dag would love the place.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1373, from nicolas, 228 chars, Fri Oct 20 09:12:00 1995
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————————–
Re: What’s Up With Blondie and Dagwood?
For more information check this URL out:
http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/misc/9510/blondie/index.html
—
Nico Veenkamp Cybrarian at large
http://www.xs4all.nl/~nicolas/index.html
==========================
animation/comics #1374, from hmccracken, 26 chars, Fri Oct 20 09:51:14 1995
This is a comment to message 1373.
————————–
Thank you, Nico!
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1375, from hmccracken, 164 chars, Fri Oct 20 09:52:22 1995
This is a comment to message 1371.
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————————–
I can’t remember how Dick and Tess patched up their differences, but they
did. A recent article in _Cartoonist Profiles_ covered the matter —
I’ll check.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1376, from switch, 14 chars, Fri Oct 20 22:11:00 1995
This is a comment to message 1375.
————————–
Thanks!
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1377, from hmccracken, 143 chars, Mon Oct 23 10:10:33 1995
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————————–
As of yesterday’s _Blondie_, the Bumsteads appear to have reconciled —
and Blondie will move her catering business out of the house.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1378, from hmccracken, 210 chars, Mon Oct 23 10:11:50 1995
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————————–
There is, or at least was, a Dagwood’s Deli near me in Lexington,
Mass, complete with large mural of a smiling Dagwood wolfing down
a sandwich. I don’t know if King Features knows of the place or
not.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1379, from peabo, 345 chars, Mon Oct 23 18:33:39 1995
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————————–
>I don’t know if King Features knows of the place …
I wonder if Ted Turner knows about the “Casablanca” in Harvard Square … it’s
colorized, no less 😉
peter
(Hmmm, did the old Casablanca have pictures of the characters on the
walls? It’s been so long I don’t remember … if it did, it certainly
predated Turner’s colorizing efforts.)
==========================
animation/comics #1380, from hmccracken, 300 chars, Mon Oct 23 20:40:05 1995
This is a comment to message 1379.
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————————–
I’ve never stepped inside Casablanca in Harvard Square, but I know
that its sign was designed (or used to be, anyway) by my old
art teacher David Omar White, who did the fine and funny _White
Rabbit_ comic strip for several Boston papers for many years.
So what’s this about colorization?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1381, from switch, 22 chars, Mon Oct 23 21:05:14 1995
This is a comment to message 1377.
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————————–
That was quick.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1382, from hkenner, 266 chars, Mon Oct 23 22:17:42 1995
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————————–
Funny how the comics go thru these copycat cycles. Dick Tracy isn’t
really settled back yet–I suspect they’re going to keep Tess’s
restlessness as a plot destabilizer–but Dagwood & Blondie are surely
restored because the strip *depends* on their stability.
–HK
==========================
animation/comics #1383, from hmccracken, 646 chars, Mon Oct 23 23:11:55 1995
This is a comment to message 1382.
————————–
That’s right. Without the Bumstead marriage, there is no _Blondie_.
But _Dick Tracy_ could go on even if Dick and Tess divorced.
Still, the comics page is not a place that adapts well to change
of any sort. I’ve often thought that _Gasoline Alley_ lost most
of what made it special when it refused to do the logical thing
and let its senior characters grow old and die. Walt Wallet would
be at least 96 by now, which isn’t impossible — I have a pretty
spry 97 year-old cousin — but he’s still hanging out with the
same group of buddies he’s had since 1920. And until fairly recently,
the strip showed Walt’s *parents* every so often!
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1384, from hmccracken, 1624 chars, Mon Oct 23 23:20:39 1995
————————–
TITLE: Review: _The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book_
Bill Watterson’s latest collection is chock full of classic
_Calvin and Hobbes_ strips, which would be reason enough to pick
it up. But this book also contains a generous dose of commentary
from the artist himself — and Watterson is a notoriously close-
mouthed guy who has been very rarely interviewed.
His comments about _Calvin_ are remarkably honest; he discusses the
disagreements he’s had with his syndicate over his contract and
Calvin merchandising (or more precisely the lack of it, since
Watterson won’t permit it). He also runs a fair number of strips
and then adds a line of text explaining why he doesn’t think
they’re that funny, or aren’t successful in one way or another.
Watterson also explains how he feels about each of the C&H
characters, and gives some insight into why the strip has so
few cast members (and in general hasn’t changed much in its
decade of existence). The strip actually has *fewer* characters
than it once did: Watterson introduced Calvin’s uncle, then
decided that he wasn’t really needed and dropped him.
As brilliantly funny as _Calvin and Hobbes_ has often been,
Watterson’s prose here is remarkably serious, dwelling as it
does on what’s wrong with comic strips in general, _Calvin and
Hobbes_ in specific, and Watterson’s career. If you want to
come away feeling like Watterson is a warm and wonderful guy,
you’ll be disappointed. But this book is must reading if
you want an examination of the _Calvin and Hobbes_ world from
the single person in the world with the authority to speak out
on the matter.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1385, from peabo, 164 chars, Tue Oct 24 16:43:50 1995
This is a comment to message 1380.
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————————–
I heard that Turner bought the rights to the movie “Casablanca” and released
a colorized version. I could be wrong though (might be snide rumor mongering).
peter
==========================
animation/comics #1386, from switch, 34 chars, Tue Oct 24 22:21:17 1995
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————————–
Yup. That was a while ago.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1387, from hmccracken, 315 chars, Wed Oct 25 00:24:56 1995
This is a comment to message 1386.
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————————–
Actually, it was the colorization of the *restaurant* I was asking about.
Colorizing _Casablanca_ is a travesty, of course, but not a worse one
than the awful hand recoloring jobs Turner did to Max Fleischer’s
black-and-white Popeye cartoons. Fortunately, colorization seems to
have fallen out of favor.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1388, from peabo, 127 chars, Wed Oct 25 18:41:54 1995
This is a comment to message 1387.
————————–
Yes, the restaurant is in color. The prices are a bit high, but the food is
first rate — you should try it some time.
peter
==========================
animation/comics #1389, from hmccracken, 795 chars, Mon Nov 6 01:00:27 1995
————————–
TITLE: What do _The Family Circus_ and _Feiffer_ have in common?
Usually, not much, but today they both deal with comics/animation
topics that should be of interest to members of this conference.
Z_The Family Circus_ reveals that “Daddy” is a collector of
old comic strips, and shows pictures of a bunch of classic
characters who DIDN’T appear on the recent stamps: Happy
Hooligan, Caspar Milquetoast, Smitty, Felix, Smokey Stover,
and others.
_Feiffer_, meanwhile, is an amusing commentary on Disney’s co-opting
of Alice in Wonderland, Mary Poppins, and other classic literary
works. The punchline involves “Walt Disney’s the Bible” — I
wonder if Feiffer knows that Steven Spielberg’s new Dreamworks
animation studio is planning a Disney-style animated feature
based upon the Bible?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1390, from switch, 120 chars, Fri Nov 10 22:53:35 1995
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————————–
TITLE: Calvin & Hobbes
Bill Watterson is retiring from Calvin & Hobbes at the end of the year.
What can one say?
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1391, from hmccracken, 147 chars, Fri Nov 10 23:18:19 1995
This is a comment to message 1390.
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————————–
HE IS?
Let me guess: He’s not passing the strip on to anyone else.
Has he announced what he’s planning to do with the rest of his life?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1392, from switch, 77 chars, Fri Nov 10 23:40:22 1995
This is a comment to message 1391.
————————–
You know all I know. They only said two sentences on the radio today.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1393, from hkenner, 1038 chars, Sun Nov 12 18:46:39 1995
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————————–
TITLE: About Watterson
Yesterday the Atlanta Constitution ran an interesting analysis, making
a couple of major points.
(1) Schulz, who has drawn Peanuts religiously all by himself for decades,
belonged to the Depression Generation. It was suggested that such people
were conditioned to stay with a job, whereas folk a generation younger
tend to see life as a sequence of “career opportunities.” That fits
Watterson, Breathed, Larson. …
(2) Men like Breathed and Watterson, who draw *very* carefully and in
much detail, do all their own work. Jim Davis, on the other hand, draws
the visually undemanding Garfield in one week per month, aided by *two*
artists and one “writer”. He has a good thing going and may be expected
to coast on it indefinitely. Whereas once a Breathed or a Watterson has
gotten enough $$ together he’s apt to look for a way to let up.
I notice that today’s (Sunday) Calvin & Hobbes is (save for one small
panel) supposedly drawn by Hobbes, in simple scribbles. Watterson’s
declaration of Overwork?
–HK
==========================
animation/comics #1394, from switch, 433 chars, Sun Nov 12 22:24:43 1995
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————————–
I can’t say anything about the latter, having not read it yet (and we get
the color Sundays on Saturday in Montreal.)
As for the first point, someone online — either here or on the Usenet
comic strips newsgroup, mentioned hearing Schulz speak at his university.
Schulz mentioned that he wondered why Larson, Trudeau, and Watterson fely
the need to take these vacations, when he never did — and he’d been at it
a lot longer.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1395, from hmccracken, 524 chars, Sun Nov 12 23:30:54 1995
This is a comment to message 1394.
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————————–
With all due respect to Charles Schulz, whose work of the 1950s and
1960s remains some of the finest cartooning ever done, there may
be something to be said for retiring a comic strip before the
artist runs out of ideas. _Peanuts_ still has its moments, but
Schulz’s imagination began to give out tenty-five years ago.
_Li’l Abner_ and _Pogo_ come to mind as a couple of other
great strips that went into lengthy declines.
Whatever else happens, we won’t see _Calvin and Hobbes_ grow]
old and stale bit by bit.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1396, from jjanney, 271 chars, Sun Nov 12 23:41:10 1995
This is a comment to message 1394.
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————————–
For a long time I thought that _Peanuts_ was exactly the sort of strip
that Larson and Watterson said they want to avoid — one that had
outlived its glory days and was simply coasting. I may have to change
my mind on that — lately it seems to be getting a bit better.
==========================
animation/comics #1397, from hmccracken, 213 chars, Mon Nov 13 00:02:12 1995
This is a comment to message 1396.
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————————–
I think Schulz is still enjoying himself, which has to count
for something. And it’s still the vision of a single artist,
unlike such other long-running strips as _Beetle Bailey_ and
_Dennis the Menace_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1398, from switch, 52 chars, Tue Nov 14 22:17:10 1995
This is a comment to message 1396.
————————–
It varies. Sometimes, on a day by day basis.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1399, from jgoddin, 1037 chars, Wed Nov 15 08:14:40 1995
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————————–
According to a friend of mine who is involved with Comic Con,
Mr Watterson almost quit a year ago. He got upset and downright
angry when he would draw one large panel and two little ones
and some of the bigger newspapers ignored his format and printed
them all the same size, presumedly for their convenience. There
were probably other irriitations too. The newspaper article here
in Phoenix (front page no less) said his letter of resignation
was two short paragraphs and Mr Watterson stated that he felt he
had explored all of the limitations of the small box format and
wanted to branch out to other things. He didn’t say he would no
longer be drawing Calvin an Hobbs, just was no longer doing the
daily or Sunday strip. I’m hoping Calvin and Hobbs won’t disappear
forever.
I just found a new Calvin and Hobbs 10th Anniversary book this
last Monday. And a friend of mine told me there is a calendar for
’96 that is now available at a bookstore on the other side of
town (looks like I’ll have to make an excursion this weekend.)
==========================
animation/comics #1400, from pliesenberg, 906 chars, Wed Nov 15 11:19:36 1995
This is a comment to message 1390.
————————–
Oh boy – just read this when joining into BIX… what a blow! Such
a brilliant comic – Waterson has surely left a masterpiece there. As
a hobby comic drawer, I can only look in awe at Calvin & Hobbes. And
laugh my b*tt off every time I open one of them. I got them all.
I’ve read them at least 10 times each. And I still fall into
convulsions with some of them. Gawd, the one with the hair-cut
sequence… or Calvin’s abuses on doctors… the journey to the
future to pick up his finish homework from “8pm Calvin”…
Brilliant.
I guess that, like all comic artists, waterson has become a bit
tired of sticking to the same characters. It’s like a relationship
that’s gone a bit flat. But with all the love that he’s obviously
put into these characters, I’ve got no doubt that we can look
forward to a some new ones, somewhere in the future. I betcha
Waterson can’t let Calvin & Hobbes go forever.
…paul
==========================
animation/comics #1401, from peabo, 323 chars, Wed Nov 15 12:54:06 1995
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————————–
> I just found a new Calvin and Hobbs 10th Anniversary book this
>last Monday.
That is one excellent book. If you read the prefatory text, you’ll get a
very calm explanation of the kinds of frustrations Bill Watterson has had
with syndicated comic distribution. I’m not surprised he wants to do
something else.
peter
==========================
animation/comics #1402, from hmccracken, 190 chars, Thu Nov 16 00:41:34 1995
This is a comment to message 1401.
————————–
Right — having read the book, I’m even less surprised than I
would have been by Watterson’s decision to call it quits. It’s
clear that he wasn’t having all that much fun anymore.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1403, from hmccracken, 1554 chars, Sun Nov 26 22:07:26 1995
————————–
TITLE: _Betty Boop’s Sunday Best_…
is the name of a handsome new paperback collection that
reprints all the Betty Boop Sunday comics of 1934-1936
in glorious color. (The book is billed, like the strip, as
being by Max Fleischer, but Bud Counihan was actually responsible
for the artwork.)
The Betty strip didn’t bear that much in common with the
cartoons (Betty was the only character that appeared in
both), but it was nicely drawn and quite funny. (It treated
Betty as an established movie star, so most of the gags
involved Hollywood-type matters — odd considering that
the Boop cartoons were produced in an office building in Times Square.)
Bill Blackbeard’s introduction, despite at least a couple of small errors,
is very interesting, and reveals two facts that were new to me. One was
that King Features briefly distributed an _Out of the Inkwell_ strip,
based on Fleischer’s Koko the Clown character, in the early 1930s. Much
more remarkably, when King was negotiating with Fleischer for the rights
to do a Betty strip, it signed up Helen Kane (the real-life Hollywood
singer of whom Betty was an unauthorized caricature) for a short-term
strip. The Kane strip, in which she was prominently dubbed “The Original
Boop-Oop-a-Doop Girl,” ran only until King secured the rights to do the
Betty strip. The new book (published by Kitchen Sink Press, with an
excellent cover by Fleischer artist/historian Leslie Carbaga) includes
samples of both the Koko and Kane strips. A must for Fleischer fans and
others interested in 1930s comics.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1404, from mikebryant, 246 chars, Tue Dec 5 20:41:50 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: SuperBoy’s Dog
What is the name of Superboy’s dog? I remember an ancient comic or perhaps even
animated series that had a white dog with a pointy nose that flew with superboy.
I think I know what it was but I’m looking for confirmation.
==========================
animation/comics #1405, from heglowstein, 20 chars, Tue Dec 5 20:49:28 1995
This is a comment to message 1404.
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————————–
Krypton, I believe.
==========================
animation/comics #1406, from switch, 32 chars, Tue Dec 5 22:08:03 1995
This is a comment to message 1405.
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————————–
Almost. That was Krypto.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1407, from dgh, 69 chars, Wed Dec 6 02:37:50 1995
This is a comment to message 1405.
————————–
The dog was Krypto. Krypton was the home planet.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1408, from heglowstein, 76 chars, Wed Dec 6 10:05:54 1995
This is a comment to message 1406.
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————————–
Sorry. You are right. I had to envision the little beast in my
head first.
==========================
animation/comics #1409, from mikebryant, 242 chars, Fri Dec 8 21:09:50 1995
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————————–
Anyway, I’m working on a software project that the marketing people have decided
to call “Kryptor”. I was wondering, does anyone know where I could dig up
an image of superman’s dog? I’d like to stick it in an in-house version for
a gag.
==========================
animation/comics #1410, from hmccracken, 190 chars, Sun Dec 10 22:27:45 1995
This is a comment to message 1409.
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————————–
I’m trying to find a Krypto illo in my archives, Mike. There’s a
great big book out on the history of DC Comics that probably
includes his likeness (and if it doesn’t, it should).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1411, from mikebryant, 20 chars, Mon Dec 11 00:13:45 1995
This is a comment to message 1410.
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————————–
Thanks for looking!
==========================
animation/comics #1412, from mholcomb, 235 chars, Thu Dec 14 02:06:57 1995
This is a comment to message 1410.
————————–
>I’m trying to find a Krypto illo in my archives, Mike. There’s a
>
The book you mention is at home (in archives) for me as well…but if you
go to any decent comic book store they should have a few books with the pup
in them..
MAR.
==========================
animation/comics #1413, from hmccracken, 584 chars, Mon Dec 25 20:11:10 1995
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————————–
TITLE: A Sort of a Spoiler Warning
_Calvin and Hobbes_ will cease publication as of next Sunday’s strip, and
naturally enough, folks are wondering what will happen in Bill Watterson’s
final strip.
In fact, columnist Herb Caen of the San Francisco Chronicle has apparently
spilled the beans — he described the final strip in a recent column which
has been quoted in a posting on the rec.arts.comic.strips Internet
newsgroup. I won’t, of course, repost that message here — and if you want
to be surprised when next Sunday rolls around, be careful what you read on
the net.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1414, from hkenner, 138 chars, Mon Dec 25 20:51:22 1995
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————————–
And, IMHO, the daily strips in December have been substandard. Having
decided he was through, Watterson pretty well stopped trying.
–HK
==========================
animation/comics #1415, from hmccracken, 305 chars, Thu Dec 28 22:28:40 1995
This is a comment to message 1414.
————————–
I must admit to not being a regular follower of _Calvin and Hobbes_
in the newspaper, and have only seen a few examples in recent weeks.
But if Watterson is no longer able to come up with strips to
equal his best work, maybe it’s just as well that he’s sending
Calvin and Hobbes into retirement.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1416, from hmccracken, 641 chars, Mon Jan 1 16:00:51 1996
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————————–
TITLE: You Lose Some, You Lose Some
One thing I forgot about the demise of _Calvin and Hobbes_: It opens up a space
for another comic strip in every newspaper it appeared in. The _Boston Globe_
chose something called _Ick_ — yet another _Far Side_ clone — and judging
from the first installment, _Ick_ seems like a singularly appropriate name.
Yesterday’s _Calvin_ strip, the final one, was rather disappointing, too.
No gag, no spectacular artwork — not much to remember the characters by.
Here’s hoping that Watterson brings them back in a format that appeals to
him more — perhaps in an all-new, full-color book appearance.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1417, from lkaplan, 315 chars, Tue Jan 2 10:47:45 1996
This is a comment to message 1416.
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————————–
Re: You Lose Some, You Lose Some
>Here’s hoping that Watterson brings them back in a format that appeals to
>him more — perhaps in an all-new, full-color book appearance.
I’d certainly be first in line at the bookstore! (though I’d be even
happier if he were to come out with an all-Spaceman Spiff book 😉
-Len
==========================
animation/comics #1418, from hkenner, 298 chars, Tue Jan 2 11:16:03 1996
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————————–
Me, I *liked* that Sunday final. The “spectacular artwork” was subtly
there in the guise of all that snow (represented by much white paper)
into which C & H were trekking toward their future; a future it’s
implied they’ll have, albeit unwatched, now that Watterson is no
longer drawing them.
–HK
==========================
animation/comics #1419, from pliesenberg, 529 chars, Tue Jan 2 20:04:09 1996
This is a comment to message 1418.
————————–
It’s open, and no final line drawn. “A new year, full of
possibilities” or such, Calvin says, which seems to indicate
it might not be a hard end, but rather one of “we’ll see
how things go, and maybe…”.
I liked the tone of the last strip. It wasn’t dramatic, but
something roaringly funny would just have been out of place.
It hit the mood well.
I sort of expect to see them again in some unexpected,
surprising, matured form. Waterson is brilliant, and I
am sure he just needs to break the format of the series
now.
…paul
==========================
animation/comics #1420, from switch, 241 chars, Wed Jan 3 11:44:42 1996
This is a comment to message 1416.
————————–
The Gazette didn’t replace Calvin in the dailies with anything; a few weeks
ago, they reduced the sizes of all the comics to make room for the
horoscope. With the demise of Calvin & Hobbes, they just expanded the
strips a tiny bit.
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1421, from hmccracken, 1067 chars, Thu Feb 1 22:49:14 1996
————————–
TITLE: Rush to your local post office…
…and pick up a copy of _American Comic Classics_, a book published
in conjunction with the recent series of comic-strip postage stamps.
The book is $24.95, which sounds like a lot for an 87-page paperback;
however, it’s crammed with color illustrations, comes in an elaborate
illustrated folder, and is accompanied by two sheets of the stamps
themselves.
The book, written by comics expert Rick Marschall, is a pleasing
overview of the twenty strips which were honored with stamps.
If you’re looking for lots of examples of the strips themselves,
you might be disappointed — each creation is represented by
only one daily and one Sunday example. However, there are lots
of interesting illustrations of classic comic merchandise, cartoonists’
Christmas cards, and other comic-related oddities.
Note that the back of the stamp sheet says that you can order
the book by calling 1-800-STAMP24. However, it describes the
book as being a hardcover (it’s not) and says that
it’s $29.95 plus $4.20 in shipping charges.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1422, from hmccracken, 576 chars, Tue Apr 9 22:28:22 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Religious Cavemen in the News
Is it a no-no to discuss relgion in a newspaper comic strip? The _Los Angeles
Times_ apparently thinks so. It declined to run some of Johnny Hart’s
_BC_ strips last week, which had an Easter/resurrection theme, on the
grounds that they were too religious. (That may be unfair; I’ve only
seen the criticisms of the paper’s action, not its own explanation.)
_BC_ readers will have noticed that Hart has often featured Christian themes
in his strip in recent years — sometimes funny, sometimes inspiring, and
sometimes strident.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1423, from switch, 449 chars, Wed Apr 10 23:01:48 1996
This is a comment to message 1422.
————————–
This one was particularly religious. I used the word “particularly” because
while Hart has done religion many times in the past (especially with Wiley),
there was often some humour or wit still present. There was none in evidence
this time around.
Not that this bothers me, but I can see how some would decide not to run it;
after all, it wouldn’t be the first time a newspaper decided to run a comic
strip that had to much of a “message.”
Emru
==========================
animation/comics #1424, from hmccracken, 461 chars, Thu Apr 18 00:12:20 1996
————————–
TITLE: The Oscars are over, but…
…the National Cartoonists’ Society’s Reubens are still to come. The nominees
for 1995’s Cartoonist of the Year are Lynn Johnston (_For Better or For Worse_),
Garry Trudeau (_Doonesbury_), and Bill Watterson (for _Calvin and Hobbes_’ last
year). I’d guess that the smart money is on Watterson.
For more information on the society and the Reubens, take a look at the NCS
web site at http://www.unitedmedia.com/ncs.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1425, from jgoddin, 265 chars, Thu Apr 18 02:10:37 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Comic Con in San Diego
I decided I’d ask early this year if anyone is planning on attending
San Diego’s Comic Con over the July 4 weekend?? If so, lets plan a
BIX Bash! Let me know. I am scheduled to work in Artist’s Alley again
for the charity auction.
==========================
animation/comics #1426, from hmccracken, 106 chars, Thu Apr 18 09:17:39 1996
This is a comment to message 1425.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’d LIKE to go, and may do so…I had a great time last year. A BIX bash would be a great
idea!
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1427, from jgoddin, 121 chars, Wed May 1 21:33:35 1996
This is a comment to message 1426.
————————–
Well, if you do go please drop me a note! I know mwillmoth and I will be
there and wct says he probably will be as well.
==========================
animation/comics #1428, from hmccracken, 2027 chars, Sun May 5 23:19:14 1996
————————–
TITLE: Two Books About Comics
Several books have been published recently to celebrate the 100th anniversary
of the comic strip. I pciked up teo of them — Maurice Horn’s _100 Years of
American Newspaper Comics_ and Ron Goulart’s _The Funnies_ — this weekend.
I had high hopes for Horn’s book, since his _World Encyclopedia of Comics_
and _World Encyclopedia of Cartoons_, published in the 1970s, remain among
the most important comics reference books. But this new volume, which
resembles Horn’s other books in many ways, is a disappointment. It’s an
encyclopedia of comic strips, and while it has entries on all the well-known
strips and many obscure ones, it’s far from complete. Several of the first
strips I tried to look up, including _Dotty Dripple_, _The Smith Family_,
_Betsy and Me_, and _Ponytail_, were nowhere to be found. There are also
too many errors — mostly incorrect dates — and some entries are vague,
especially concerniong the later years of long-running strips. Many entries
devote a lot of space to rather bland criticism — it seems like Horn and’
the other contributors chalk up the death of any long-running strip to
its inability to accurately mirror the deeply troubled, unhappy America that
we all know we live in. (This theory would be more convincing if it wasn’t
for the fact that only a handful of “relevant” strips have been successful,
and that such strips as _Blondie_, _The Family Circus_, and _Hi and Lois_
remain among the most popular there are.)
Goulart’s paperback book is unassuming in comparison to Horn’s oversized
hardcover, but I enjoyed it more. It’s a history of the comics, and
although it’s not particularly ambitious, it covers more ground than
Horn’s book, and Goulart’s genial prose is much more fun to read.
(For the record, he discusses _Betsy and Me_ and _Dotty Dripple_, but
not _The Smith Family_ or _Ponytail_.) The Goulart book’s illustrations
are tiny and poorly-reproduced; Horn’s book has larger black-and-white
pcitures and 64 pages of color.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1429, from hmccracken, 922 chars, Mon May 20 21:55:50 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Trudeau Wins a Reuben
Garry Trudeau has won the National Cartoonists’ Society’s Reuben award
as the outstanding cartoonist of the year. Trudeau has apparently been
nominated for the award several times, dating back to the 1970s, but this
marks the first time he’s actually won it.
Besides the Reuben, the NCS presents awards in several cartooning categories,
such as animation, advertising, and humorous illustration. The only one I
know about so far is the one for best humor strip, which went to Rick
Kirkman, the artist of the Baby Blues strip. Kirkman’s nomination for the
award was the subject of some controversy, since he draws but does not
write the strip; Jerry Kirk is responsible for the gags. Both Kirkman and
Scott thought that they should have gotten a joint nomination, but the NCS
doesn’t nominate writers (even though Scott is a cartoonist himself, being
the former artist on _Nancy_).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1430, from hkenner, 42 chars, Mon May 20 23:39:22 1996
This is a comment to message 1429.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Trudeau is a creep.
And who’s “Scott” ?
==========================
animation/comics #1431, from hmccracken, 270 chars, Tue May 21 09:35:41 1996
This is a comment to message 1430.
————————–
Whoops, I said “Jerry Kirk” when I meant “Jerry Scott.”
What’s wrong with Trudeau, aside from the fact that his comic strip
isn’t as funny as it used to be, and that he pummels the same
topics endlessly while ignoring many subjects that seem ripe
for satire?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1432, from hmccracken, 1063 chars, Tue May 21 09:48:32 1996
————————–
TITLE: Complete list of National Cartoonist Society award winners
SILVER T-SQUARE: David Folkman (I’m not sure who he is, or what this award signifies)
MILTON CANIFF LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Al Hirschfeld (The 93 year-old master caricaturist has somtimes
denied that he is a cartoonist, but he showed up to accept this much-deserved award)
NEWSPAPER PANELS: Wiley Miller (for Non Seqiteur, one of the least funny strips around)
ADVERTISING AND ILLUSTRATION: Jack Pittman (Not sure who he is)
COMIC BOOK: Jeff Smith (for Bone)
NEWSPAPER ILLUSTRATION: Richard Thompson (Not sure who he is)
MAGAZINE AND BOOK ILLUSTRATION: Richard Thompson (Still not sure who he is)
TELEVISION ANIMATION: Bruce Timm (for Batman)
FEATURE ANIMATION: Joe Grant (Disney storyman and artist for several decades))
GREETING CARDS: Rick Stromoski
GAG CARTOONs: Lee Lorenz (The cartoon editor of The New Yorker, and a fine cartoonist himself)
EDITORIAL CARTOONS: Chip Bok
NEWSPAPER COMICS STRIPS: Rick Kirkman (for Baby Blues)
REUBEN AWARD FOR CARTOONIST OF THE YEAR: Garry Trudeau
==========================
animation/comics #1433, from hmccracken, 742 chars, Thu May 23 10:02:15 1996
————————–
TITLE: Mommy’s new ‘do
Changes don’t happen much in the world of Bil Keane’s _Family Circus_.
Thirty years or so ago, the family added an additional kid, P.J., to
the original cast: Billy, Dolly, and Jeffy. They’ve also added a pet or
two along the way; the usually-mute P.J. also spoke for awhile before
mysteriously reverting to speechless infancy.
All of this is to explain why it’s notable that the panel’s Mommy has
adopted a new hairstyle, her first change in more than three decades.
(No Hillary Clinton she.) The change, which has been the subject
of one of the panel’s few ongoing stories over the past few days, is
minor: she’s gone from a sort of a pageboy look to a similar short
style, except with her ears uncovered.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1434, from jgoddin, 208 chars, Mon Jun 24 22:17:10 1996
————————–
TITLE: Comic Con
Anyone planning on going to San Diego for the Comic Con over the
July 4 weekend? If so, let’s plan a BIX Bash. Once again I will
be working in Artist’s Alley at one end of the Dealer’s Room.
==========================
animation/comics #1435, from hmccracken, 1460 chars, Thu Jul 25 22:41:10 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Changes in the Comics
Few comics have been around as long as _Winnie Winkle_, _Snuffy Smith_,
and _Blondie_, and none of these strips have changed much in the past few
decades. But all three are in the midst of change right now.
For _Winnie Winkle_, the news is bad: the strip is being cancelled.
Launched in 1920, it’s one of the oldest story strips still around, and
Winnie was ahead of her time, holding down a job of her own right from the
start. The strip started out being fairly humorous, but evolved into a
soap opera with time. The creator was Martin Branner, and the current
creative team consists of writer Leonard Starr (who’s also responsible for
the exploits of Little Orphan Annie these days) and artist Frank Bolle.
_Blondie_, on the other hand, is still thriving — it’s just gone through
a format change. For decades, every daily _Blondie_ episode consisted of
four equally-sized panels, but the most recent examples I’ve seen use a
three-panel format. A small change, perhaps, but one which can have a
profound effect on a strip’s flavor — it certainly did when Charles
Schulz decided to make a similar move with _Peanuts_ a few years ago.
As for _Snuffy Smith_, I have no idea *what’s* happening. While in Seattle
last week, I saw some current strips, which seem to have adopted a
dramatic storyline and which show Snuffy wearing a ridculous wig, with
pricetag still attached. Can anyone fill us in on what’s going on?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1436, from jgoddin, 256 chars, Fri Jul 26 04:03:38 1996
This is a comment to message 1435.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Another ‘older’ comic, Lulu, had quite a spokesgroup at Comic Con
in San Diego. The Friends of Lulu had a meeting (open to all),
a small booth, were on a panel discussion, and one of their members
donated an original Lulu panel to the Charity Art Auction.
==========================
animation/comics #1437, from jgoddin, 7937 chars, Fri Jul 26 04:07:42 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: In case there is interest, this is a report I submitted
for the BIX website. (Permission was given to Post as well)
1996 The Inkpots and the Will Eisner Awards
San Diego’s Comic Con International is the largest and the oldest
comics convention in the United States. One of the highlights of
the convention is the gala ceremony to present the convention’s
Inkpot Awards and the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. The
Will Eisner Awards are considered to be the “Oscars” of the
comic book industry.
The Inkpot Awards are San Diego Comic Con International’s own awards
and are given to people the convention feels have made significant
contributions to the industry.
This year’s Inkpot award winners were Donna Barr, Mort Drucker,
Joe Giella, Jim Mooney, Kurt Schaffenberger, Francois Schuiten,
and David Siegel. All of the names except, for David Siegel,
should be familiar to comics fans.
Those who have met Donna Barr can testify to her outspoken energy,
unique style, and humor. Perhaps her best known work so far
history of “The Desert Peach”, the Desert Fox’s fictional gay
brother. Three years spent in the U. S. Army (where she married
Sargeant Dan Barr) and a BA in German language and literature
which adds to the factual background of her fictional characters.
Mort Drucker is a very successful commercial illustrator. A
collectionof his covers for TIME magazine are in the National
Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington,
D. C. He is probably best known for doing dead-on caricatures
of celebrities in film and TV parodies for MAD Magazines for
over 40 years.
Joe Giella illustrated DC Comics for 30 years. He has worked
on every major DC character. Some of the comic strips he has
worked on include “Mary Worth” (in the last five years), “Batman”,
“The Phantom” (for 17 years), “Flash Gordon”, “Sherlock Holmes”,
and “Johnny Reb”.
In the early 1940s, Jim Mooney worked with Stan Lee doing funny
animal material for Terry-Toons. He also drew for Fiction House
and Ace Magazines. His first Batman strip was completed in 1946
which led to additional work with DC Comics. In 1959 he drew the
second issue of Supergirl and continued with that project for
another nine years. Even though he says he retired in 1985, he
continues to freelance and pencils and inks an occasional “Elvira”
and “Soul Searchers” for Claypool Comics.
Kurt Schaffenberger drew almost every issue of “Lois Lane” in the
1960s. His style was so perfectly suited for Superman’s girlfriend
that soon he was assigned the job of drawing Lois’s face whenever
she appeared in stories drawn by other artists. He worked on the
Captain Marvel Family of comic books through the 1940s and 1950s.
Francois Schuiten is best known in European countries. In addition
to working on the first Euro0animation HD serial “Quarx” his
work is on exhibition in Paris (Arts et Metiera) and Brussels
(Porte de Hai).
David Segal is not known by many people, but he is a Fan! His
special area of interest is in the authors and artists who
helped create the Golden and Silver Ages of comics. These cover
the time period from the 1940s through the early 1970s. David
has attended Comic Con “forever” and was disappointed that his
favorite authors and artists rarely if ever came. Sadly, he
discovered that some had died and couldn’t attend. However,
many of them were still alive and well and just were unaware
of Comic Con and the group of Fans who still discussed their
works. David research and located many of these talented people
and began introducing them to the convention. He would even
make arrangements for the comforts of these artists and authors
if they would attend the convention and help keep the memories
of their works alive. David received his well-deserved Inkpot
for all of the time and effort he has given over the years to
keep these eras of comics history alive. The additional benefit
for David is that he has become friends of many of the creators
of his comics heroes.
The Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award Winner was Andre Vachss.
The Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award went to
Alexander Maleev.
The Eisner Awards are named for renowned cartoonist Will Eisner
(creator of “The Spirit” and several award-winning graphic novels),
who always attends the ceremony to personally hand the trophies
to the winners.
The Eisner Awards were established in 1987 and came under the
auspices of the Can Diego Comic Convention, Inc., a nonprofit
corporation, in 1990. The Awards Administrator is Jackie Estrada
and the awards program has been funded by contributions from
distributors, retailer organizations, and such industry
suppliers as major printers of comics.
The Eisner Awards are given out in two dozen categories covering
the best publications and creators of the previous year. They are
voted on by all parts of the comic book industry: writers, artists,
other creators, publishers, editors, retailers, and distributors
throughout the U.S. and Canada. The finalists who appear on the
ballot are selected by a blue-ribbon committee that considers the
thougsands of entries submitted by publishers. “The primary
purpose of these awards,” says Estrada, “is to call attention
to the best that the comics artform has to offer.”
The 1996 Eisner Awards ceremony was held at the Hyatt Regency
Hotel in Downtown San Diego on the evening of Friday, July 5.
The 1996 Eisner Awards Winners were:
Best Single Issue: Kurt Busiek’s Astro City #4: “Safeguards,”
by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson (Jukebox productions/Image).
Best Short Story: “The Eltingville Comic-Book, Science-Fiction,
Fantasy, Horror, and Role-Playing Club in Bring Me the Head of
Boba Fett” by Evan Dorkin, in “Instant Piano #3” (Dark Horse).
Best Serialized Story: “Strangers in Paradise #1-8” by Terry
Moore (Abstract Studieos)
Best Continuing Series: “Acme Novelty Library” by Chris Ware
(Fantagraphics)
Best Title for Younger Readers: “Batman & Robin Adventures,”
by Paul Dini, Ty Templeton, and Rick Burchett (DC)
Best Limited Series: “Sin City: The Big Fat Kill” by Frank
Miller (Dark Horse/Legend)
Best New Series: “Kurt Busiek’s Astro City” by Kurt Busiek
and Brent Anderson (Jukebox Productions/Image)
Best Anthology: “The Big Book of Conspiracies” edited by
Bronwyn Taggart (Paradox Press)
Best Graphic Album–New: “Stuck Rubber Baby” by Howard Cruse
(Paradox Press)
Best Graphic Album–Reprint: “The tale of One Bad Rat” by
Bryan Talbot (Dark Horse)
Best Archival Collection: “The Complete Crumb Comics, vol. 11”
by R. Crumb (Fantagraphics)
Best Humor Publication: “Milk & Cheese #666” by Evan Dorkin
(Slave Labor)
Brst Writer: Alan Moore “from Hell” (Kitchen Sink)
Best Writer/Artist, Drama: David Lapham :Stray Bullets”
(El Capitan)
Best Writer/Artist, Humor: Sergio Aragones, “Groo” (Image)
Best Painter: John Bolton, “Batman: Manbat” (DC)
Best Penciller/Inker: Geof Darrow, “The Big Guy and Rusty
the Boy Robot” (Dark Horse/Legend)
Best Cover Artist: Alex Ross, “Kurt Busiek’s Astro City
(Jukebox Productions/Image)
Best Coloring: Chris Ware, “The Acre Novelty Library”
(Fantagraphics)
Best Lettering: Stan Sakai, Groo” (Image); “Usagi Yojimbo” (Mirage)
Talent Deserving of Wider recognition: Stan Sakai “Usagi Yojimbo”
(Mirage)
Best Editor (tie): Stuart Moore, “Swamp Thing”, “The Invisibles”,
“Preacher” (DC/Vertigo); Bronwyn Taggart, “The Big Book of Weirdos”,
“The Big Book of Conspiracies”, “Brooklyn Dreams”, “Stuck Rubber
Baby” (Paradox Press)
Best Comics Related Publication, Periodical: “The Comics Journal”
(Fantagraphics)
Best Comics Related Publication, Book: Alex Toth, edited by Manuel Auad
(Kitchen Sink)
Best Comics Related Item: Comic strip Stamps (U.S. Postal Service)
Best Publication Design: “The Acme Novelty Library” designed by
Chris Ware (Fantagraphics)
Those admitted to the Hall of Fame:
Hal Foster
Bob Kane
Winsor McCay
Alex Raymond
==========================
animation/comics #1438, from nicolas, 668 chars, Fri Jul 26 08:39:45 1996
This is a comment to message 1437.
There are additional comments to message 1437.
————————–
Re: In case there is interest, this is a report I submitted
>Francois Schuiten is best known in European countries. In addition
>to working on the first Euro0animation HD serial “Quarx” his
>work is on exhibition in Paris (Arts et Metiera) and Brussels
>(Porte de Hai).
>
I am glad he won an award in the US. His work, especialy together with
Peeters, is excellent. I own a signed and numbered hardcover of his
Archivist. It’s one of my most priced possesions. Schuiten draws a very
clear line and has interesting ideas about using perspective and
architecture in his comics.
—
Nico Veenkamp Cybrarian at large
http://www.xs4all.nl/~nicolas/index.html
==========================
animation/comics #1440, from hmccracken, 192 chars, Fri Jul 26 10:34:16 1996
This is a comment to message 1436.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Jean, I believe the Friends of Lulu is principally a group of men and women devoted to supporting the
cause of women in the comics industry — Little Lulu is their mascot/namesake.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1441, from hmccracken, 38 chars, Fri Jul 26 10:34:28 1996
This is a comment to message 1437.
————————–
Thanks for the report, Jean!
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1442, from jgoddin, 510 chars, Fri Jul 26 22:42:18 1996
This is a comment to message 1440.
————————–
Could be. I was so busy at the convention I didn’t have time to visit
with them. However, the picture they donated to the charity auction
was quite good and well received by the audience.
I did meet a young man from Maryland that probably will become a name
in the business to remember. Frank Cho. He won all sorts of awards
on a book he put out as a college project and it looks like he will
be doing a daily strip next year in syndication. He is an excellent
artist and a very nice young man as well.
==========================
animation/comics #1443, from hmccracken, 372 chars, Sun Aug 11 22:47:45 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Guest Cartoonist
_Non Sequitur_, a _Far Side_-style comic strip by a cartoonist who
dubs himself Wiley, has a guest cartoonist at the moment. Wiley
is taking a vacation, and the current strips are drawn and signed
by J.D. Crowe.
This is the first time I can think of that a vacationing cartoonist
has openly left his strip in the hands of another artist.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1444, from peabo, 117 chars, Tue Aug 13 00:46:57 1996
This is a comment to message 1443.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
How does Crowe compare to Wiley? Even though the strip is in the Globe, I
don’t see it often enough to know.
peter
==========================
animation/comics #1445, from hmccracken, 151 chars, Tue Aug 13 09:46:22 1996
This is a comment to message 1444.
————————–
I haven’t seen it myself — I learned about it in the comic-strip newsgroup.
Wiley says he loves Crowes’s work and chose him for that reason.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1446, from hmccracken, 941 chars, Sun Sep 15 17:05:00 1996
————————–
TITLE: You’re a Wealthy Man, Charles Schulz
_Forbes_ magazine has released its annual list of the forty
wealthiest entertainers, and as usual, it’s made up mostly
of movie and TV stars and venerable rock musicians — except
for the presence of _Peanuts_’s Charles M. Schulz.
This year, Schulz is #30 on the list, having made an estimated
$33 million over the last two years. Of course, he’s practically
poverty-stricken compared to America’s #1 entertainer, Oprah
Winfrey, who pocketed an incredible $171 million over the past
two years, says _Forbes_. But just think: Schulz has been one
of America’s top cartoonists for forty years (_Peanuts_ started
in October, 1950, but really started to gather steam in the
mid-1950s.) Many of the other top 40 weren’t even alive when
_Peanuts_ first attracted the country’s attention, and one
suspects that after some of them have been largely forgotten,
Schulz will still be going strong.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1447, from hmccracken, 456 chars, Wed Sep 18 06:55:59 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Supermarriedman
According to the BBC — which is an odd source, but it’s where I
heard it — Superman and Lois Lane will be getting married next
month, after a courtship of nearly sixty years. I’m not sure
if the BBC broadcaster who reported this news is a Superman
fan — he sneered at the Man of Steel for wearing his underwear
on the outside of his tights, and repeatedly referred to the
way he changes his lothes in a “telephone box.”
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1448, from dgh, 593 chars, Thu Sep 19 01:05:11 1996
This is a comment to message 1447.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I found that out two weeks ago by reading Diamond’s _Previews_ for comics
shipping in November. It was the first I’d heard of it. It was also the
first mention I had heard that Lois and Clark would be returning to TV! The
way last season ended, I had my doubts…
There’s a special _Wedding Album_ available in standard and collectors
editions for the same price ($4.95), despite the collectors edition
having “an embossed cardstock cover showing the Superman S-shield, metallic
silver ink printing, and both matte and gloss varnishes.” I’ve got my copy
on order!
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1449, from hmccracken, 291 chars, Mon Sep 23 22:05:06 1996
This is a comment to message 1448.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
This question shows how out of touch I am with Superman, but
does Lois know that the Man of Steel and Clark Kent are one
and the same othese days? I hope not — for me, most of the appeal
of the whole concept is based on the weird romantic triangle between
Lois and Clark/Superman.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1450, from dgh, 126 chars, Tue Sep 24 22:28:45 1996
This is a comment to message 1449.
————————–
Yes. Both in the comic books and on the live-action TV show (don’t know
about the new animated TV show).
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1451, from kipw, 1139 chars, Wed Oct 2 19:41:46 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I saw MAD #350 on the stand today and bought a copy. It comes
bagged with “MAD Bytes It,” a CD-rom. This disk is well
worth the $2.50 cover price of the issue. There’s a file of
about 50 images, including some great Kelly Freas covers.
There are audio tracks of two classic songs from “Sing Along
With MAD” — namely, “It’s A Gas” and “Blind Date.” A new
song by Green Jelly, “SBarely Alive” is also included.
Perhaps best of all, there’s an index to the comic and magazine.
You can search by name, subject, department, title or issue.
It’s not perfect, but you can also edit it. It says you can.
(Note: if you ask it to print $20 bills, it tells you “Illegal
Command”)
I saved the best for last. There’s also an AOL offer!
Well, what the heck… it seems to have paid the bills on an item
they probably would have had to charge more for.
It works on a PC. Maybe sort of buggy. I had a hard time
quitting and getting back to my system. Had to reboot.
then again, I’m not working at 100% lately, so mebbe it’s me…
Anyway, I give it my endorsement. It’s easily worth $2.35, and
the magazine probably has a chuckle or two in it.
–Kip
==========================
animation/comics #1452, from hmccracken, 339 chars, Wed Oct 2 22:01:31 1996
This is a comment to message 1451.
————————–
Sounds like a good deal for $2.50. I haven’t bought a copy of
_Mad_ in probably fifteen years or more, but I’ll pick up this
one.
I’d love to see a CD-ROM that collected all the early issues.
Or perhaps _The Complete Dave Berg’s The Lighter Side Of…_
(is that still a _Mad_ feature? Guess I’ll find out when I buy
this issue).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1453, from hmccracken, 666 chars, Mon Oct 28 21:00:42 1996
————————–
TITLE: The state of the comic-strip art
Today’s _New York Times_, despite not having a comics section of its
own, has an interesting article on the comic-strip biz. Its central
point is that it’s very tough to get a new strip launched — there
are fewer papers, and it’s harder and harder to dislodge an
established strip.
Three new strips are mentioned in the article: _Tommy_ (a sort of
cross between _Little Nemo_ and _Calvin and Hobbes_, by the
son of the guy who does _Mr Boffo_), _The Dinette Set_ (apparently
about rednecks), and _Bliss_ (about a young married couple, and
very poorly drawn, judging from the example that accompanies the
article).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1454, from hmccracken, 1274 chars, Sat Nov 30 18:58:52 1996
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TITLE: Cartoonists Online
Generally speaking, it’s tough for fans to reach celebrities. You
can’t just call up Madonna, for instance. There is, however, a
good chance that you can drop an e-mail note to your favorite
newspaper cartoonists. (We’re talking living, working cartoonists
here — short of a seance, there’s no way to contact Winsor McCay
or George Herriman.)
Here, for instance, are the e-mail or Web addresses of a bunch
of cartoonists, drawn from their _Boston Globe_ strips:
Jeff MacNelly (_Shoe_)” http://macnelly.com
Jeff Shesol (_Thatch_): Th********@ao*.com
Scott Adams (_Dilbert_): SC********@ao*.com
Wiley (_Non Sequitur_): SE*******@ao*.com
Joe Martin (_Mr. Boffo_): mr*****@mr*****.com
Garry Trudeau (_Doonesbury_): http://www.doonesbury.com
Pat Brady (_Rose is Rose_): pb********@ao*.com
Rich Moyer (_Ick_): ic*******@ao*.com
Michael Fry (_Over the Hedge_): MF********@ao*.com
Jimmy Johnson (_Arlo and Janis_): ar*****@ao*.com
Curiously, Jeff MacNelly’s _Pluggers_, which was one of the first strips I
saw with an e-mail address, no longer lists one. And of course, not every
cartoonist who’s online promotes that fact in his strip. I’ve seen
newsgroup messages from Jim (_Robotman_) Meddick, but he doesn’t list an
address in the strip.
– Harry
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animation/comics #1455, from hmccracken, 860 chars, Sat Nov 30 19:03:32 1996
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TITLE: Praise Revoked
Some months ago, I reported that Guy and Brad Gilchrist had taken
over the _Nancy_ newspaper strip and were doing quite a nice job
of capturing Ernie Bushmiller’s humor and art style.
Turns out that they’re not only capturing it…they’re duplicating it.
Literally. In the current issue of _The Comics Journal_, there are
a half-dozen examples of Gilchrist _Nancy_ gags that are lifted
from original Bushmiller strips verbatim, with nothing more than
minor changes to the art.
As usual, cartoonists just don’t get no respect. It’s an insult to
Ernie Bushmiller that latter-day _Nancy_ artists are signing their
name to his work. (Bushmiller doesn’t get any sort of credit on
the new _Nancy_ strips, not even a “created by” tagline.) It’s a
pretty safe bet that Bushmiller’s family gets no royalty on the
reused gags, either.
— Harry
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animation/comics #1456, from jgoddin, 98 chars, Sun Dec 29 02:04:27 1996
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TITLE: Marvel
According to CNN, Marvel comics has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
reorganization.
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animation/comics #1457, from hmccracken, 833 chars, Sun Dec 29 10:35:54 1996
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Amazing. Apparently, the company made some ill-advised acquisitions —
it bought some baseball card companies right before the bottom
fell out of that market, for one thing. There’s also some sort
of complicated financial wrangling going on involving Ron
Perelman (the wheeler-dealer who controls Marvel) and Carl
Icahn (the wheeler-dealer who ruined TWA).
The bankruptcy returns Marvel to its roots — from its founding
in the 1930s until sometime in the 1960s, it was a largely
unsuccessful company that was often on the edge of failure.
I presume that there’s no chance that the company will disappear
completely — somehow, the adventures of the X-Men, Spider-Man,
Hulk, etc. will continue.
For a detailed explanation of what’s going on, read yesterday’s
New York Times (it’s the lead story in the business section).
— Harry
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animation/comics #1458, from jgoddin, 378 chars, Sun Dec 29 21:51:21 1996
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I don’t have access to the NYT at the moment. I’ll have to check
it out. The blurb in our paper here made it sound like Perleman
(isn’t he the same one who starred in Beauty and the Beast?) really
had Marvel’s better interest at heart and that Icahn was the one
who was trying to ruin the reorg plans. But with our skewed news
reporting (MHO) I never know what to believe. 🙂
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animation/comics #1459, from dgh, 820 chars, Mon Dec 30 00:08:56 1996
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I think that Marvel’s mistakes, in order of increasing stupidity, were:
1) Attempting to dominate the collector’s card industry by buing Fleer and
Skybox, who used to license Marvel characters for their own profit.
2) Attempting to dominate the comic book marketplace by flooding the market
with cheap comics with a complete disregard for quality.
3) Attempting to dominate comic book distribution by buying the #3 comic
book distributor, converting them into a Marvel-only distributor, and
refusing to distribute their comic books to the direct market via any
other means (at least they weren’t stupid enough to try to screw their
news-stand distributors). (Then they closed all but one distribution
warehouse when they discovered that were losing more money than ever.)
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
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animation/comics #1460, from mholcomb, 89 chars, Mon Dec 30 00:14:02 1996
This is a comment to message 1458.
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Where is Stan Lee? I haven’t followed the inner workings of Marvel for a
while…
MAR.
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animation/comics #1461, from hmccracken, 229 chars, Mon Dec 30 09:32:54 1996
This is a comment to message 1460.
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Stan’s still there, but he’s on the west coast and may be something of a
figurehead. I think he’s mostly involved with turning Marvel characters
into movies and TV shows (most of which have been famously unsuccessful).
— Harry
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animation/comics #1462, from hmccracken, 648 chars, Mon Dec 30 09:47:39 1996
This is a comment to message 1459.
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Yup, I forgot about the awful things that Marvel did to the comic-book
distribution business.
In a way, I kind of take it personally, since I used to publish a magazine (_Animato_) that was sold
through these channels. We had three major distributors competing for our business — Diamond, Capitol
city, and Heroes World. By the time Marvel was done tampering with the market, there was only one
distributor left who’d be a customer for _Animato_ — Diamond. I’m no longer publishing _Animato_, so it
doesn’t affect me, but I feel for all the other little guys who are suffering.
Looks like it wasn’t a smart move for Marvel, either.
— Harry
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animation/comics #1463, from hmccracken, 599 chars, Thu Jan 2 20:12:48 1997
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TITLE: He’s Everywhere
You can debate the quality of Scott Adams’ _Dilbert_ comic strip,
but you can’t deny that it’s popular. Dilbert himself is currently
on the cover of at least THREE major magazines: _Fortune_ (for an
article on business management), _Newsweek_ (for a “the year in
cartoons” feature), and _People_ (he’s one of their most fascinating
people of 1996).
Other comics characters have appeared often on magazine covers –the
Peanuts, Pogo, Doonesbury, and Li’l Abner gangs come to mind —
but I don’t know if anyone’s ever scored a hat trick in one week like
this before.
— Harry
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animation/comics #1464, from jgoddin, 186 chars, Fri Jan 3 00:18:18 1997
This is a comment to message 1463.
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I also saw Dilbert and Dogbert of the cover of a magazine called
Funny Things. At least I think that is what it was. I’ll look
tomorrow when I go by my favorite magazine monger’s store.
==========================
animation/comics #1465, from nicolas, 337 chars, Sun Jan 5 14:22:02 1997
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TITLE: Franquin
Andre Franquin died today at the age of 73. He was a belgian comic book
artist. In europe he was famous for his books about Gaston Lagaffe, a lazy
boy that worked in a mailroom. He is also known as the creator of the
Marsupilami.
—
Nico Veenkamp Cybrarian at large
http://www.xs4all.nl/~nicolas/index.html
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animation/comics #1466, from hmccracken, 243 chars, Sun Jan 5 19:41:06 1997
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Gee, that’s too bad. Thanks for the obit, Nico.
Despite Franquin’s fame in much of the world, in the U.S., he is
only known for Marupilami — and only because Disney produced
a cartoon series that used the character a few years ago.
— Harry
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animation/comics #1467, from nicolas, 248 chars, Mon Jan 6 00:59:37 1997
This is a comment to message 1466.
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Not many people know that he also did two or three albums with very dark,
sometimes even sick humour. he didn’t produced much lately in either of his
series.
—
Nico Veenkamp Cybrarian at large
http://www.xs4all.nl/~nicolas/index.html
==========================
animation/comics #1468, from hmccracken, 447 chars, Sun Jan 12 18:04:54 1997
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TITLE: He’s at it again…
Dilbert is on the cover of the current _TV Guide_, promoting a
rather unfunny feature within about his favorite TV shows.
This little guy has to be the most overexposed cartoon character
since Garfield’s initial burst of popularity in the late 1970s.
Dilbert, incidentally, may become a TV character himself soon:
The Fox network is planning a TV version of strip, which may be
either live-action or animated.
— Harry
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animation/comics #1469, from jgoddin, 519 chars, Sun Jan 12 19:54:12 1997
This is a comment to message 1468.
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I read somewhere that Scott Adams said the best show on TV now is
Babylon 5.
I think one reason why Dilbert and crew are everywhere is because
so many of us identify with his workplace. For a while there it was
like he worked where I do. He would have to just to be able to put
the idiocy down on paper. The really scary thing is that so many
people feel that way!
He puts the thought to paper that “So-called Management is killing
the work environment and is clueless about people and what might really
work.”
==========================
animation/comics #1470, from jgoddin, 119 chars, Tue Jan 14 21:30:02 1997
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According to the radio this a.m., the TV Dilbert will be
Live-Action. Personally, I’d have preferred it animated. 🙂
==========================
animation/comics #1471, from hmccracken, 114 chars, Wed Jan 15 09:32:18 1997
This is a comment to message 1470.
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Gee, I wonder how they’ll portray such characters as Dogbert
and Catbert? Not wth guys in suits, I hope.
— Harry
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animation/comics #1472, from jgoddin, 108 chars, Wed Jan 15 23:03:00 1997
This is a comment to message 1471.
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or Ratbert even. 🙂 And what special effect are they going to do
with Dilbert’s tie…. the mind boggles.
==========================
animation/comics #1473, from hmccracken, 320 chars, Thu Jan 16 09:29:57 1997
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TITLE: What’s up with Superman
I have belatedly heard that Superman, the Man of Steel, has
given up his caped costume for a new supersuit, and has
some new superpowers. These developments were apparently the
subject of a stinging editorial in the New York Times a couple
of days ago. Anyone know the details?
— Harry
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animation/comics #1474, from dgh, 1763 chars, Thu Jan 16 21:03:29 1997
This is a comment to message 1473.
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Here’s what I posted when the subject came up over in sf/media:
He lost his powers when the sun went out, you see, but they didn’t come back
when Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) sacrificed himself to reignite the sun, they
didn’t come back. Eventually, he got them back by flying into the heart of
the sun. He doesn’t know it yet, but they’re not the same powers that he had
originally. “Instead of the living solar battery he’s always been, Superman
is now an energy being. Instead of bullets bouncing off him, they now either
pass through Superman or get caught in his energy matrix. Superman doesn’t
exactly fly anymore; he zaps from place to place like a bolt of lightning,
though he has problems with the landings at first.” “The other big change is
that when Superman changes from his energy form into his human form, Clark
Kent has all the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of a normal human being.”
(Previews, January 1997, Vol. VII, No. 1, pp. 62-63).
Let’s see here. The fans hated it when John Byrne revamped Superman some
years ago and DC gradually made him back the way he was before, except that
they kept the part about him not getting his powers until his Senior year in
High School. Byrne’s changes were mostly subtle, affecting *how* his powers
worked more than *what* his powers were (they were mental, instead of solar,
but even Superman didn’t understand exactly how they worked-they just did).
Now DC goes and turns Superman into a glorified Ray/Flash/Captain Atom? And
they think the fans are going to sit still for this? Well, I’m not going to!
I’m cancelling *my* subscriptions to *all* of the Superman titles. (Hey, I
*liked* what Byrne tried to do. It was pretty obvious that *he* had read
Niven’s short story…)
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
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animation/comics #1475, from jgoddin, 241 chars, Thu Jan 16 21:06:15 1997
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New suit is blue and white striped. New logo is jaggedy and
supposedly represents his energized state. Bullets no longer
bounce off of him. His energy field will capture them. Lois
knows he is Clark Kent. I think that is the highlights.
==========================
animation/comics #1476, from hmccracken, 804 chars, Fri Jan 17 09:31:23 1997
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Geez, in other words, they’ve changed everything that made
Superman appealing, at least to me. Presumably, it’s all
for the sake of publicity, and he’ll return to his old
self eventually.
For me, the following rules must apply for the Man of Steel
to be himself:
1) Clark Kent must be mild-mannered fellow.
2) Lois Lane must love Superman and be unaware that Clark and
Superman are the same fellow.
3) Superman must be the last survivor of the planet Krypton.
4) The primary supporting cast should consist of Lois, Perry
White, and possibly Jimmy Olsen.
5) Superman must stand for Truth, Justice, and the American Way.
Except for the early comics, the Fleischer cartoons of the 1940s,
and the first couple of Christopher Reeve movies, they always
seem to be tampering with these laws.
— Harry
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animation/comics #1477, from jgoddin, 181 chars, Fri Jan 17 23:34:52 1997
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Someone on the
W
Someone on the Web said DC could come up with no original thoughts
anymore so they were ripping off the concept from someone elses’
female character ‘of light.’
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animation/comics #1478, from dgh, 173 chars, Sat Jan 18 00:30:55 1997
This is a comment to message 1475.
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Lois knowing that Clark Kent is Superman is old news (it happened a few
years ago) and has nothing to do with the upcoming changes to his powers.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
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animation/comics #1479, from hmccracken, 280 chars, Sat Jan 18 19:39:04 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: From now on…
I shall list magazines that DON’T have Dilbert on the cover —
it should be a lot easier. Scott Adams’ nerdy engineer is on
the cover of _Life_ and a business magazine called _Opportunities_.
How long before we see him on the _National Enquirer_?
— Harry
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animation/comics #1480, from dgh, 444 chars, Sun Jan 19 00:21:51 1997
This is a comment to message 1477.
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Well, I think that someone is wrong, because Superman is [going to be] an
energy being, not a light being. The Ray (male) is a light being. Dr. Light
(female) is a light being. Superman’s new mode of travel is more like the
old Johnny Thunderbolt character. In fact, Superman’s new [as of yet,
unpublished] powers seem to have been cribbed from a variety of other
characters, and not from any one specific character.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
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animation/comics #1481, from lkaplan, 777 chars, Sun Jan 19 14:01:02 1997
This is a comment to message 1479.
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Re: From now on…
>How long before we see him on the _National Enquirer_?
“Dilbert Fathers Brenda Starr’s Love Child”
“Catbert and Garfield — “Yes, we want the whole world to
know we’re in love””
“Exclusive Photos – Wally The Programmer Has Hair Weave”
“Pointy-Haired Boss Has Secret Brain Transplant In Sweden”
Actually, Harry, you’re absolutely right!
Hopefully, though, all of the publicity will not damage the “essence of
Dilbert” — after all, Calvin and Hobbes was just as wonderful even after
it (they?) became popular … and if we’re lucky, all of this publicity
will yield some really nasty new ideas for the strip.
My sister went to a talk given by Scott Adams last year and had a terrific
time, apparently he’s a wonderful public speaker.
-Len
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animation/comics #1482, from hmccracken, 334 chars, Sun Jan 19 16:05:47 1997
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Speaking of Calvin and Hobbes, the overexposure of Dilbert makes me
gladder than ever that Bill Watterson was so extreme in his
desire to keep C&H a *comic strip*, not a merchandising bonanza.
I’m not sure if C&H *ever* appeared on the cover of a major magazine,
and I’m sure it’s because Watterson didn’t want it to happen.
— Harry
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animation/comics #1483, from jgoddin, 270 chars, Mon Jan 20 01:28:55 1997
This is a comment to message 1482.
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For Christmas I got a copy of the newest C&H book with the last
year’s strip. I found it when I was Christmas shopping and it
became a gift to me. 🙂 I made a copy of the last one and
posted it over my desk at work. It help remind me to make
every day an adventure.
==========================
animation/comics #1484, from mholcomb, 167 chars, Mon Jan 20 21:05:49 1997
This is a comment to message 1476.
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>3) Superman must be the last survivor of the planet Krypton.
>
Technically, this is not true…but that is the way the comic book
generally plays him out as…
MAR.
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animation/comics #1485, from hmccracken, 225 chars, Mon Jan 20 22:51:36 1997
This is a comment to message 1484.
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I know it’s not true — there’s Supergirl, Krypto, and who knows
who else. But the concept had a lot more appeal before we knew
that seemingly have the inhabitants of Krypton survived the
explosion. To me, at least.
— Harry
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animation/comics #1486, from tmorris, 261 chars, Sun Jan 26 23:13:29 1997
This is a comment to message 1481.
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Re: From now on…
>My sister went to a talk given by Scott Adams last year and had a terrific
>time, apparently he’s a wonderful public speaker.
And he has a very amusing web site, too.
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert/
Tim
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animation/comics #1487, from switch, 5668 chars, Mon Jan 27 07:43:35 1997
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TITLE: DC Comics
Over the past two years, I’ve fallen way behind in my comics. Sort
of. I have the comics, I just haven’t had the time to read them.
Lately I’ve been sorting through the pile, and I’ve noticed
something: DC Comics are actually getting better.
For the longest while, the only title I could stomach was Batman (and
related titles), and even some of those were a little frustrating.
The whole episode (a better word might be “spectacle”) with Azrael
and Bane was frustrating and obnoxious. The endless tinkering with
Superman, from his longer locks (which seem to be getting longer with
each new artist) to his new, electrifying outfit and powers, seems
inappropriate for a comic-book icon. And this is just the tip of the
iceberg.
WONDER WOMAN
In catching up with the stuff I’ve missed, I read through all the new
Wonder Woman comics since John Byrne took over. In some ways, it’s
typical Byrne: one of the first things he does is bring Darkseid
into the game, as he (again) trashes Themiscyra (aka Paradise Island)
in his quest for the Greek gods’ power. He also reaches into DC’s
past to bring back some characters we haven’t heard from in a while,
such as the Phantom Stranger, Vandal Savage, and Arion.
Also typical Byrne is the resurrecting of things that had been left
behind during Wonder Woman’s makeover in 1987 (engineered by George
Perez, and still probably the best interpretation of Wonder Woman
yet). This is good and bad: on the one hand, he brings back the
invisible plane, with a twist; it’s an alien device which she can
carry in the palm of her hand, but it can morph into any vehicle she
can imagine. Tres cool.
On the other hand, there is the introduction of a new Wonder Girl, an
irrepressible 14 year-old named Cassandra, daughter of Diana’s
(Wonder Woman’s) boss at Gateway City’s museum. (Cassandra is also
the one who comes up with the idea of giving Diana the last name
Prince.) During one adventure, Cassandra dons the sandaled wings of
Hermes, some safety goggles, and a Wonder Woman t-shirt and speeds to
Diana’s rescue, calling herself Wonder Girl. It’s cute, and it would
be nice if it ended there with that one outing. Unfortunately, all
signs point to Cassandra, a young adolescent with no training and no
super-powers, taking the title of Wonder Girl and proceeding on more
adventures. Oy.
Artwise, Wonder Woman is good enough, though Byrne seems to have
bitten off more than he can chew, what with writing, pencilling, and
inking the title. Often, the inking looks a little too rushed, and
the panels are way too large. I’m normally a fast reader, but I used
to go through an issue of George Perez’s Teen Titans in twice the
time I spend flipping through Byrne’s oversized panels. Of course,
this seems to be a trend with many comics these days, which is a
shame.
The stories aren’t quite captivating as yet, but I expect that’ll
come soon, as Bryne develops his own feel for the character.
JLA (JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA)
I’ve been reading Justice League of America for as long as I could
read. As time goes on and creative teams change, I find myself
abandoning the title for long stretches of time. Somehow, though, I
always manage to get back into it just as one team is on the way out
and another one is about to move in. I picked up the last few issues
of Justice League of America, where Crimson Fox is killed, the Yazz
takes his (her? its?) alien charges elsewhere, and we find out Ice
is a lesbian (don’t get me started on the trendiness of lesbianism
these days in popular culture).
But now, under the moniker of JLA (and starting over at #1 yet again),
we have the new Justice League. Sort of. The title characters are
pretty much the same as when I was young: Superman, Batman, Wonder
Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Aquaman.
The only hitch is that all of these characters, save Batman and the
Martian Manhunter, have been reworked in the last ten years. In two
cases (Green Lantern and Flash), we have two different people filling
previous JLAer boots. Writer Grant Morrisson hit the ground running
with JLA #1, starting us off with a crisis of world-shattering
proportions and handling the characterizations and inter-character
chemistry with aplomb. And he certainly knows how to write a story: the
end of JLA #3 has me breathlessly awaiting the next installment–
something I haven’t felt in a mainstream comic for a long time.
NIGHT FORCE
Also resurrected (a fitting description) is DC’s Night Force, my
favourite horror comic of the 1980s. The big question that everyone
asked when this was announced was: we know Marv Wolfman can still write,
but is it really Night Force without Gene Colan’s dynamic and very
creepy work?
The answer is a resounding yes. Brent Anderson does a very good job–
more so, it seemed, than Wolfman. The elements are all there, and
they’re quite fresh, but it feels as if the first story should have
played out to five or six issues instead of hurrying through only
three. The fourth issue was different: a one-issue tale that could easily
have been an episode of the classic Twilight Zone, if they’d had the
effects budget. Also, they went with a different artist, another fave:
Eduardo Barreto’s clean and dynamic lines are nowhere near as scary as
Colan’s more textured work, but this story didn’t need it; in fact, given
the rapid-fire pacing of this issue, more dynamism was required. I’d like
to see Barreto doing more superhero comics, to teach these young guns that
supposed “detail” lines can’t disguise bad drawing.
Okay, that’s enough for now. Time to read more comics.
Emru
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animation/comics #1488, from jgoddin, 99 chars, Wed Jan 29 01:38:13 1997
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TITLE: Comic-Con International 1997: San Diego
I posted convention info over in sf/calendar #1830.
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animation/comics #1489, from dgh, 233 chars, Sun Feb 9 17:37:37 1997
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TITLE: A B5 reference in a non-B5 comic…
_Troublemakers_ from Acclaim Comics (Valiant Heroes), written by Fabian
Nicieza, p. 7: “Who are you?” “I’m who I’ve _always_ been– and who I always
_will_ be–”
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
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animation/comics #1490, from hmccracken, 365 chars, Sun Mar 9 01:04:00 1997
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TITLE: Marvel Update
According to Saturday’s _New York Times_, the latest update in
the saga of Marvel Comics’ business woes is that financier
Ronald Perelman has lost control of the company to Carl Icahn.
Given the awful things that Icahn did to once-proud TWA, it’ll
be interesting to see what he does in the comics biz — but
probably not very pretty.
— Harry
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animation/comics #1491, from jgoddin, 32 chars, Sun Mar 9 17:10:14 1997
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The term Grim leaps to mind….
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animation/comics #1492, from hkenner, 104 chars, Sun Mar 9 17:17:28 1997
This is a comment to message 1491.
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))The term Grim leaps to mind….
True. So long as it is kept dissociated from the term Natwick.
–HK
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animation/comics #1493, from hmccracken, 958 chars, Tue Mar 11 16:38:06 1997
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TITLE: Obituary: Stan Drake
Stan Drake has died in Connecticut, at the age of 75. In the
1950s, Drake created and illustrated _The Heart of Juliet
Jones_, a beautifully-drawn soap opera comic strip that
was very influential. (It was written by Eliott Caplin, Al Capp’s brother.)
_Juliet Jones_ was one of the most realistic-looking of all strips, but in
the 1980s, Drake’s career took an interesting turn when he became the
artist on _Blondie_. He did a nice job of emulating Chic Young’s drawing
style (two other artists drew the strip in between Young’s passing
and Drake’s arrival), and eventually gave up _Juliet Jones_ to
focus on drawing the adventures of Dagwood and Blondie.
There’s no doubt, of course, that _Blondie_ will go on; Drake
had already begun handing off much of the work on it to an
assistant, and I assume the assistant will take over the
art chores and get a byline along with the strip’s author,
Dean Young (Chic’s son).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1494, from jgoddin, 98 chars, Thu Mar 13 20:59:39 1997
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————————–
TITLE: 18 years ago today
Dennis the Menace first appeared as a regular comic strip in newspapers
==========================
animation/comics #1495, from jjanney, 302 chars, Thu Mar 13 22:58:17 1997
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re: 18 years ago today
That can’t possibly be right. I remember seeing it in the paper when
I was something like nine or ten, and I’m thirty-seven now. It wasn’t
new then, either.
Ketcham had another strip going at about the same time, about some
sailors in the Navy. I forget the name of it now.
==========================
animation/comics #1496, from jgoddin, 186 chars, Fri Mar 14 00:20:20 1997
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————————–
You could be right about the syndication. I’ll check and see if
I can find out more info from the thing I was reading today at
lunch. I wondered at the time if they had meant a TV show.
==========================
animation/comics #1497, from hmccracken, 234 chars, Fri Mar 14 04:44:09 1997
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_Dennis the Menace_ first appeared in, I think, 1951. The Ketcham
sailor strip was _Half Hitch_, a _Beetle Bailey_-like strip that
ran for a few years in the 1970s (and was later retitled _Poopsie_,
after a talking seagull).
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1498, from jdow, 80 chars, Fri Mar 14 05:53:53 1997
This is a comment to message 1494.
————————–
Only *18!!!* Ghu – I thought I’d been seeing it FAR FAR longer than THAT!
{O.O}
==========================
animation/comics #1499, from jdow, 76 chars, Fri Mar 14 05:55:08 1997
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————————–
Yeah – *THAT* I believe. (Good info source that matches my memories.)
{^_-}
==========================
animation/comics #1500, from hmccracken, 367 chars, Fri Mar 14 20:18:01 1997
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————————–
Along with _Peanuts_ and _Beetle Bailey_, _Dennis_ is one of the
three big comic-strip hits of the early 1950s that are still
immensely popular. _Peanuts_ and _Beetle_ are still being done
by their creators, nearly 50 (!) years later; Hank Ketcham
only recently turned over the daily _Dennis_ panel to other
hands, and I believe he still keeps an eye on it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1501, from jjanney, 263 chars, Fri Mar 14 21:09:36 1997
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————————–
> _Half Hitch_
That’s the one. The seagull is about the only thing I remember, so it
was probably the most interesting part of the strip.
The few early strips of _Dennis the Menace_ I’ve seen make it look
like the original Dennis really was a mean little kid.
==========================
animation/comics #1502, from jjanney, 114 chars, Fri Mar 14 21:50:45 1997
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_B.C._ is still going strong. I don’t think it’s quite as old as
those others, but it’s been around for a while.
==========================
animation/comics #1503, from jdow, 75 chars, Sat Mar 15 00:27:17 1997
This is a comment to message 1501.
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He surely was more
{O.O}
==========================
animation/comics #1504, from hmccracken, 114 chars, Sat Mar 15 07:32:32 1997
This is a comment to message 1502.
————————–
Yup, BC started in the late 1950s, along with Miss Peach. In
both cases, the Peanuts influence is clear.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1505, from lkaplan, 948 chars, Tue Apr 1 18:04:43 1997
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————————–
TITLE: April 1 cartoonist swap
Has anybody checked out the comics in their local newspapers today? A group
of cartoonists swapped strips for April 1 – the results are pretty funny!
What I’ve got here:
Blondie by Garfield’s Jim Davis
Garfield by Blondie’s Young&Drake
9 Chickweed Lane, Hagar’s Chris Browne
Rose is Rose, 9 Chickweed Lane’s Brookes
Hagar the Horrible, NonSequiter’s Wiley
Mother Goose and Grimm, For Better or For Worse’s Lynn Johnson
For Better or For Worse, Goose and Grimm’s Mike Peters
Dilbert, Family Circus’ Bil Keane
Family Circus, Dilbert’s Scott Adams
Dennis the Menace, by whomever is drawing Snuffy Smith these days (no name
given)
Jump Start, w/Mort Walker
Shoe, Mort Walker
Beetle Bailey has a guest visit by one of MacNelly’s characters.
Baby Blues, by Bentley (Herb & Jamal)
Luann, by Bizarro’s Pirara
Non Sequitur, by Armstrong (I don’t recognize the name)
Gasoline Alley has some visitors, also.
-Len
==========================
animation/comics #1506, from hmccracken, 111 chars, Tue Apr 1 20:34:36 1997
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————————–
Thanks for the lineup! _Non Sequitur_ was done by Robb Armstrong,
whose usual strip is _Jump Start_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1507, from grekel, 54 chars, Wed Apr 2 07:58:38 1997
This is a comment to message 1505.
————————–
here we got a great Bizarro by Bill (Zippy) Griffith!
==========================
animation/comics #1508, from hkenner, 1008 chars, Sat Apr 19 12:22:15 1997
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————————–
TITLE: Al Capp on his art
As other Bixen may know but I didn’t till recently, an outfit called
Kitchen Sink Press (2 Swamp Road, Princeton, WI 54968) has been engaged
in reprinting the L’il Abner episodes, complete, in year-by-year
volumes. A friend has just sent me Vol. 15 (1949 episodes). Ron
Goulart’s introduction informs us that in the mid-1950’s the Famous
Artists School added a 24-lesson Cartoon Course to its mail-order
curriculum. Al Capp’s major contribution was Lesson 21, 10,000 words
in a profusely illustrated 32-page section to give a day-by-day
commentary on a specific L’il Abner sequence. The typical comment on
one panel goes, “The well-groomed lawyer makes a good visual contrast
to the wild and wooly Scraggs. His coat sleeve is drawn lighter
to relieve the solid black of thje coat, which was drawing interest
away from the center of action.”
That second sentence is typical of Capp’s attention to visual detail.
All interested Bixen are hereby urged to get this book.
–HK
==========================
animation/comics #1509, from hmccracken, 535 chars, Sat Apr 19 17:02:27 1997
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————————–
I haven’t kept up with Kitchen Sink’s _Li’l Abner_ collections, but
the company is doing an admirable job — it’s now about half
way through reprinting the strip’s 40-year run. And the books
are models of what comic strip reprints should be, in terms
of reproduction size and quality and introductory materials.
Although Capp always worked with assistants who did much of
the drawing, _Li’l Abner_ was a remarkably well-staged and
designed strip, which tended to jump off the page in
comparison with the comics around it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1510, from mholcomb, 1060 chars, Fri Apr 25 00:01:23 1997
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————————–
TITLE: Restoration of comic book and value?
What is the typical relationship of these two items?
I am in negotiation for an Amazing Fantasy #15 that has been restored.
This is the first copy of the book I have ever found in my searchs of comic
book stores so I am excited. I normally don’t consider restored books at
all, but since this one is tough to find (and getting more and more
expensive every day) I am looking at picking it up.
I have seen a fax’ed copy of the work done on the book and it was called
‘extensive’.
I plan on asking for the condition of the book before restoration and after
as the restoration expert views the book. The lady is out of Boston…so
if anyone knows of her work I would like to hear about her…Susan
Ciccino(sp?) was the name on the fax.
The dealer that has the book normally does not deal in restored books
either, and I have been dealing with him for almost 20 years so I feel he
is shooting me pretty straight on the deal.
I would be interested in hearing any and all comments on this pending
purchase…
MAR.
==========================
animation/comics #1511, from hmccracken, 355 chars, Fri Apr 25 11:51:18 1997
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————————–
I’m not an expert on comic-book restoration, but I do know that
Susan Ciccino (sp?), is very well-known and highoy-regarded —
she’s probably the leading expert in the field. So I’d imagine that
she’s done a good job.
I guess the most important test is for you tok examine the book
and see for yourself whether it looks like it’s in nice shape.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1512, from dgh, 92 chars, Fri Apr 25 23:16:04 1997
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————————–
>Amazing Fantasy #15
Is that the first appearance of Spider-Man?
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1513, from hmccracken, 82 chars, Fri Apr 25 23:49:39 1997
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————————–
Yup! Spidey’s first appearance, and the last issue of
_Amazing Fantasy_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1514, from mholcomb, 80 chars, Sat Apr 26 09:37:04 1997
This is a comment to message 1512.
————————–
>>Amazing Fantasy #15
>Is that the first appearance of Spider-Man?
>
Yes.
MAR.
==========================
animation/comics #1515, from mholcomb, 959 chars, Sat Apr 26 09:37:06 1997
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————————–
>I guess the most important test is for you tok examine the book
>and see for yourself whether it looks like it’s in nice shape.
>
I asked for two things from the restoration expert via the current owner:
Condition prior to restoration.
Condition after restoration.
It seems obvious that both the owner and the restoration expert should know
these to pieces of information. If I was going to have a book restored I
would want to know where I was coming from and where I went to…
For example: If I have a book that is G and decided to have it restored, if
the restoration process can only get me to G+ then why do it? But if
restoring the book gets me to VF or higher, I think it would be worth it.
Same thing goes for a book that is P but somehow the restoration process
gets it to NM, I would be concerned about how much of the book was
‘real’….
For the money I am planning on spending, I am still unsure if I should buy
a restored book….
MAR.
==========================
animation/comics #1516, from jdow, 162 chars, Sat Apr 26 16:22:53 1997
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————————–
Precisely what is involved in a typical restoration? Are new pages made to
replace the damaged pages? Are they somehow “mended”? Are they merely recolored?
{^_^}
==========================
animation/comics #1517, from mholcomb, 446 chars, Mon Apr 28 08:13:41 1997
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————————–
>Precisely what is involved in a typical restoration? Are new pages made to
>replace the damaged pages? Are they somehow “mended”? Are they merely
>recolored?
>
Mending, removing (?) chips on the cover, enhancing the color and gloss of
the cover, erasures of marking on cover and/or pages…according to the
spec sheet I saw on the book I am looking at…
I do not believe new pages are made…that would sort of invalidate the
book IMHO.
MAR.
==========================
animation/comics #1518, from hmccracken, 107 chars, Mon Apr 28 17:06:35 1997
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————————–
Don’t they sometimes replace damaged pages with ones from another
copy of the same book, though?
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1519, from mholcomb, 142 chars, Tue Apr 29 08:31:39 1997
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————————–
>Don’t they sometimes replace damaged pages with ones from another
>copy of the same book, though?
>
I really don’t know about that….
MAR.
==========================
animation/comics #1520, from hmccracken, 208 chars, Tue Apr 29 17:54:29 1997
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————————–
It makes sense that that would sometimes be an effective way
of restoring a comic, and one that most collectors would be
reasonably comfortable with. An original page is an original
page, after all.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1521, from mholcomb, 66 chars, Wed Apr 30 10:51:38 1997
This is a comment to message 1520.
————————–
> An original page is an original
>page, after all.
Agreed.
MAR.
==========================
animation/comics #1522, from hmccracken, 473 chars, Fri May 30 00:13:36 1997
————————–
TITLE: Feiffer Loses His Voice
Jules Feiffer, who has been the flagship cartoonist of _The
Village Voice_ since 1956, has left the paper in a dispute over
money. Feiffer didn’t want more dough; the paper wanted to stop
paying him his $75,000 salary, and to simply pick up his
work from the syndicate instead.
It’s a big loss for _Voice_ readers, but Feiffer’s work will
still be syndicated, so he’s not leaving cartooning altogether.
But it is the end of an era.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1523, from hmccracken, 338 chars, Fri May 30 00:19:45 1997
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————————–
I regret to report that I’ve heard that Kitchen Sink, the publisher
of those fine _Li’l Abner_ reprint volumes, is going out of business.
I hope the reports of its demise are false; it
sis most of the way through reprinting _Abner_’s great days, but
still has about 20 more volumes to go to complete the entire run of
the strip.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1524, from dgh, 325 chars, Mon Jun 2 03:27:47 1997
This is a comment to message 1523.
————————–
They also reprint all of Will Eisner’s stuff, so I hope not. They have three
pages of listings in June 1997 Previews (for comics and related items that
are scheduled to ship in August 1997) and two full-page ads. I’ll try to
remember to check again in the July issue (about 3 to 4 weeks from now).
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1525, from jgoddin, 87 chars, Tue Jun 3 22:30:33 1997
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————————–
TITLE: San Diego Comic Con
Is anyone from here going to attend this year???
July 17-20
==========================
animation/comics #1526, from dgh, 114 chars, Mon Jun 9 10:33:38 1997
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————————–
I was thinking quite seriously of going, but I won’t be able to after all.
Perhaps next year.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1527, from jgoddin, 39 chars, Tue Jun 10 02:35:29 1997
This is a comment to message 1526.
————————–
Too bad David. It would have been fun!
==========================
animation/comics #1529, from bhowden, 256 chars, Mon Jun 23 12:08:20 1997
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————————–
TITLE: Donald Duck Jr Woodchuck comics
My cousin has issue’s 1 – 6 except 5 of the Junior woodchuck comics that
were part of the Donald Duck series. Does anybody have any idea if it
is possible to get issue #5, and ballpark what it would be worth?
Brian.
==========================
animation/comics #1530, from hmccracken, 413 chars, Mon Jun 23 20:42:20 1997
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————————–
I don’t know offhand how much issue #5 would go for, but you can
find out by checking the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, which
ought to be readily available at any book store with a large
collectibles section. In good shape (I’m guessing here) it might
go for somewhere between $10-$25.
If you can’t find it for sale at a local comic-book store, try
advertising for it in _The Comic Buyer’s Guide_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1531, from jgoddin, 53 chars, Mon Jun 23 21:17:19 1997
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————————–
Or check at a convention like San Diego’s Comic Con.
==========================
animation/comics #1532, from bhowden, 80 chars, Tue Jun 24 11:59:19 1997
This is a comment to message 1530.
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>>>Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide
I don’t supose they have a web site?
Brian
==========================
animation/comics #1533, from jgoddin, 233 chars, Thu Jul 10 22:23:36 1997
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————————–
TITLE: San Diego Comic Con
July 17-20, 1997
If anyone is going to attend, drop by Artist
Alley and say Hi! I am working as part of staff
for the Charity Auction so I will be there most
of the time. We could even manage a Bix Bash…
==========================
animation/comics #1534, from jgoddin, 221 chars, Sat Jul 12 02:24:29 1997
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————————–
TITLE: Tintin
Is this available in the U.S.?? And what is it like??
I know it is Belgian and has won international awards.
And one of the artists is Phillipe Goddin. 🙂
Distant kin most likely. That is why I’m curious.
==========================
animation/comics #1535, from jjanney, 801 chars, Sun Jul 13 23:18:10 1997
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————————–
re: Tintin
I have some fond childhood memories of that. It’s an adventure strip.
Tintin and his dog Snowy travel around the world, solving mysteries,
fighting bad guys, meeting interesting people, and generally having an
interesting time. There’s some science fiction in it, too: in one
book they join an expedition to the Moon (with some sinister
stowaways, naturally).
The books are be available in the U.S. I bought one for my nephew a
few years ago at a local bookstore. I don’t have the publisher handy.
I think a lot of it was written or is set before WW2. Some of the
characterisations of foreigners are probably politically incorrect
today. Interestingly enough, I don’t think the U.S. is ever mentioned
at all, although Tintin travels to various imaginary countries in
South America.
==========================
animation/comics #1536, from dgh, 484 chars, Mon Jul 14 02:59:44 1997
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————————–
I believe there are one or two books with Tintin in the US. One is _Tintin
in America_, where he gets involved with gangsters. I think the other one
has a Wild West theme, but it could have been part of _Tintin in America_
(it’s been a while since I read all the books, mostly in Icelandic, some
in Danish and Norwegian, and a few in English). The author was Herge (with
an accent mark over the second e). The entire set was recently rereleased
in the US.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/comics #1537, from jgoddin, 85 chars, Tue Jul 15 02:54:00 1997
This is a comment to message 1536.
————————–
Thanks guys. Guess I will call my friendly bookmonger and see
if they can find some.
==========================
animation/comics #1538, from lkaplan, 309 chars, Tue Jul 22 21:02:53 1997
————————–
TITLE: Family Circus vs. Dilbert?
We may be seeing the beginnings of some foolishness between Bill Keane and
Scott Adams. The Family Circus today (Tuesday) was drawn by Billy, and
features Dad telling Billy how bad his drawings are, and how Scott Adams
could draw Dilbert better.
This could be fun …
-Len
==========================
animation/comics #1539, from hmccracken, 1862 chars, Sun Jul 27 20:48:08 1997
This is a comment to message 1534.
————————–
I apologize for the very belated response to your Tintin inquiry —
I should have replied right away, because I’m a Tintin fan.
The strip was created by Belgian cartoonist George Remi, who
worked under the pseudonym Herge, in the 1920s, and has been
tremendously popular ever since. Not so much so in the U.S.
as in much of the world, but you should be able to find Tintin
volumes in a bookstore with a good children’s section, or try
a literate comic-book store.
Tintin is a young man of indeterminate age (somewhere between 15
and 25, I guess) who travels around the world as a reporter
with his dog Snowy, his friend Captain Haddock, his friendly
antagonists the policemen Thompson and Thomson, and other
characters. The stories are beautififully drawn, often very
funny, and exciting and suspenseful — Herge’s art was extremely
cinematic, in a style that blended realism and comic distortion
in a very effective way.
I’m talking about Herge at his peak, from the 1940s until the
last Tintin story he did, in the 1970s — the early Tintin
adventures were crudely drawn, and as Bixen Emru Townsend
has pointed out, they were often racist and generally xenophobic.
Herge eventually redid the early stories, improving the art and
editing out some of the unfortunate moments.
The strip was always credited to Herge, and wasn’t continued after his
death in the 1980s (unless it’s been recently revived), so I
guess the Goddin you mention was one of Herge’s many assistants.
Numerous books have been written about Herge and his work —
I have two in French and one in English. And years after his
death, he continues to make the news — I’ve heard lately that
he’s been accused of having been a Nazi collaborator of sorts.
(That’s probably a harsh way of putting it, but he may have
dealt with the Nazis in order to keep Tintin in print during
WWII.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1540, from hmccracken, 286 chars, Sun Jul 27 20:55:15 1997
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————————–
So how was the San Diego Convention this year, Jean? I would have
liked to have gone, but I’ve been to California twice in the
past couple of month sand will be going again twice iin the
next few weeks. Too bad none of my journeys fell close enough
to the Con for a sidetrip.
— Harry
==========================
animation/comics #1541, from jgoddin, 97 chars, Tue Jul 29 21:33:45 1997
This is a comment to message 1540.
————————–
Comic Con was Huge as usual. approx 35,000 folks. I’ll post
more after I unpack everything. 🙂
==========================
animation/comics #1542, from switch, 3716 chars, Mon Mar 2 22:56:34 1998
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Archie Goodwin
**********
DC COMICS
DIRECT CONTACT
SPECIAL EDITION
**********
DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
DC Comics Hotline (212) 636-5461
March 2, 1998 #5
**********
ARCHIE GOODWIN DIES AT AGE 60
The comic book industry has lost one of its dearest members with the
death of Archie Goodwin, who passed away on Sunday, March 1 at the age of
60, following a long battle against cancer. A veteran of over thirty
years in comics, Goodwin spent the past nine years as a Group Editor for
DC Comics, overseeing a team of editors and personally editing titles
including STARMAN, AZRAEL, and BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT.
Looking back over his long and distinguished career, it seems that he
managed to work with almost every existing comics professional, either
directly or indirectly, and inspire all of them to reach new heights in
their chosen fields.
Goodwin was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1937 and grew up in Tulsa,
Oklahoma. After graduating from New York City’s School of Visual Arts in
1958, he began his comics career in 1965 as both a writer and Editor in
Chief for the Warren-published black-and-white magazines Creepy, Eerie,
and Blazing Combat. He would divide his time between writing and editing
comics for the rest of his life, excelling at both and continually
raising the standards for the medium as a whole. As an editor, in
addition to his time at Warren and DC, he served a term as Editor in
Chief of Marvel Comics, and went on to found and edit Marvel’s
groundbreaking anthology magazine, Epic Illustrated, and the Epic Comics
imprint that followed it. As a writer, he worked on nearly every major
super-hero character, including Batman, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and the
Incredible Hulk, and also wrote for the syndicated newspaper comics
strips Secret Agent X-9, Star Wars (with artist Al Williamson) and Tarzan
(with artist Gil Kane). His last major writing project was the
highly-praised graphic novel Batman: Night Cries with artist Scott
Hampton.
“Archie Goodwin was the consummate professional and as true a gentleman
as anyone I’ve ever met,” remembers DC’s Executive Vice President &
Publisher Paul Levitz. “His humor kept everyone around him from becoming
too full of themselves, their problems, or every forgetting how lucky we
all were to be here.
“If the ultimate test of an editor is the quality of work produced under
his auspices, Archie goes unchallenged as the ultimate editor. In almost
four decades behind an editor’s desk, the best talent in comics
consistently did their best work for him, and asked for the opportunity
to do more. And yeoman talent often rose to heights they would not equal
in their careers.
“As a writer, he stood atop his profession longer than anyone. He won the
earliest awards bestowed by his peers, the Academy of Comic Book Arts’
Shazam Awards, in 1975 for his work on MANHUNTER with artist Walter
Simonson. And he won in the most recent awards voted by industry
professionals, the Eisner Awards last summer, for his contribution to
BATMAN BLACK & WHITE.
“As both writer and editor, he taught and shared his gifts liberally with
collaborators and co-workers. But try as we might to dissect his success,
no amount of knowledge, craft, or ever talent could adequately explain
it. He was simply Archie.”
Goodwin is survived by his wife, Anne T. Murphy, and his two children,
Jennifer and Seth. Funeral and memorial service arrangements will be
announced shortly
Photos and a selection of self-caricatures by Goodwin are available upon
request. A full list of Goodwin’s awards, which was not yet compiled at
press time, will also be made available.
==========================
animation/comics #1543, from switch, 3577 chars, Thu Nov 5 22:29:41 1998
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————————–
TITLE: Bob Kane: RIP
From today’s Direct Contact:
BOB KANE DIES AT AGE 83
Bob Kane, the comic book artist and writer who created the mythic hero
Batman for DC Comics while still in his teens, died at his home in
California on Tuesday, November 3. He was 83 years old.
The writer, artist, and self-described “doodler” once said that he was
inspired by the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci to create the iconic comic
book hero. Unlike Superman, who debuted in DC Comics’ ACTION COMICS #1 in
1938, Batman (who premiered in DETECTIVE COMICS #27 in May 1939) is an
ordinary human being.
The now-legendary tale follows a young boy, traumatized by the murder of
his parents before his eyes, who vows to avenge their deaths by bringing
criminals to justice. A teenaged Bruce Wayne uses his vast fortune to
study criminology, train his body to athletic perfection, and assemble an
assortment of vehicles and weapons to fight crime in his home of Gotham.
When he is startled one night by a bat outside his window, he decides to
costume himself as a “bat” man in order to strike fear in the “cowardly
and superstitious” hearts of criminals.
Batman proved to be an immediate hit, not only in comic books but in
newspaper strips and movie serials. In the ensuing decades, the character
would star in DC comic books, animated television series, a hit
live-action television show in the 1960s, and four top-grossing Warner
Bros. feature films. The toys based on the character have been consistent
best-sellers for more than a decade. Batman’s image guarantees success in
licensed products ranging from t-shirts and Halloween costumes to a
NASCAR racecar. Along with Superman and Wonder Woman, Batman is the only
character to remain in continuous publication, with new stories every
month, since 1940. Batman currently stars in four monthly comic books
(BATMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS, BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT AND BATMAN: LEGENDS
OF THE DARK KNIGHT) as well as appearing in a host of graphic novels and
crossovers. He also stars in the current series The New Batman/Superman
Adventures on the Kids’ WB! and is poised to leap into the 21st Century
in the upcoming new animated series Batman Beyond on Kids’ WB!
Besides creating the Dark Knight, Kane was also the cartoonist on the
comic series when Robin, the Boy Wonder, made his first appearance, as
well as the Joker, the Catwoman and the Riddler, among others. Kane also
created the television cartoon characters Courageous Cat, Minute Mouse,
and Cool McCool. In recent years, he served as a consultant on the Batman
films.
Jenette Kahn, President and Editor-in-Chief of DC Comics, said, “Bob Kane
is a giant in the field of popular culture, one of a handful of people
who launched the comic book industry and who gave the world a group of
characters so colorful and inventive that they continue to captivate
every new generation. Bob will be greatly missed, but he has left a
legacy that will keep his memory alive.”
Kane is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Sanders Kane, an actress, his
daughter Ms. Deborah Majeski of New Jersey, his grandson Matthew Alderman
and his sister Ms. Doris Atlas of New York.
Private services will be held at Mt. Sinai Mortuary in Burbank,
California on November 6, 1998. In lieu of flowers, the family requests
donations be made to “Feed the Children,” “Make a Wish Foundation,” the
Westside Children’s Center (Santa Monica, CA), the Bay Area Youth Center
(Hayward, CA) or any other agency providing services to hungry, homeless,
abused or abandoned children.
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animation/comics #1544, from jdow, 46 chars, Fri Nov 6 01:25:45 1998
This is a comment to message 1543.
There are additional comments to message 1543.
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And may he rest in well diserved peace.
{‘_`}
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animation/comics #1545, from hmccracken, 408 chars, Fri Nov 6 20:02:36 1998
This is a comment to message 1543.
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Thanks for the obit, Emru.
When I was a kid, the rumor in my family was that my Aunt Goldie
knew Bob Kane. (They both lived in Vermont.) I never confirmed it,
but was impressed nonetheless. Even earlier, I was a fanatical
follower of the 1960s TV show, when it was first on (I was about 2).
Say the word “Batman” to me and the first thing I think of is
still paunchy old Adam West in his Batsuit.
— Harry
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animation/comics #1546, from jjanney, 147 chars, Tue Jan 5 23:42:40 1999
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: New year, new artists?
It looks like somebody different is drawing Sally Forth and maybe also
Rex Morgan, M.D. Anybody notice any others?
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animation/comics #1547, from hmccracken, 757 chars, Wed Jan 6 11:43:37 1999
This is a comment to message 1546.
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Hmmm, I don’t follow either strip regularly, but SF is still signed
“Mac.” That’s the guy who’s been drawing it for years, but he’s
always done it in an imitation of the amateurish style of Greg
Howard, the strip’s creator. When Mac started, he briefly drew
SF in a slightly slicker style, but readers complained. The strip
does look a bit more elaborate than I recall; maybe Mac is just easing
away frog Howard’s look.
Rex Morgan MD I’m not sure about; it’s signed by Tony Di Preta, a veteran
cartoonist (he used to draw Joe Palooka). But I’m not sure how long he’s
been drawing Rex or, for that matter, if he really IS drawing the strip —
it
‘s common for the credits on story strips to bear little relation to who’s
actually doing the work.
— Harry
,
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animation/comics #1548, from lkaplan, 80 chars, Fri Jan 7 12:36:23 2000
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TITLE: Don Martin has died
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGIHLYP063C.html
-Len
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animation/comics #1549, from jdow, 135 chars, Sat Jun 3 00:27:38 2000
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TITLE: Charles Shultz tribute
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/peanuts/tribute/index.html
We miss you, Charlie.
May God bless.
{^_^}
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animation/comics #1550, from lkaplan, 198 chars, Thu Jun 8 13:56:54 2000
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TITLE: Jeff MacNelly has died
Arggh … cartoonist Jeff MacNelly (“Shoe”) has died at age 52, he’s been
battling lymphoma since late last year:
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGITF09M89C.html
-Len
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animation/comics #1551, from jjanney, 261 chars, Tue Jun 27 01:23:25 2000
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Rex Morgan, M.D. has a new look
… and it’s astonishingly like the soap opera parodies Bill Watterson
used to draw in Calvin and Hobbes 🙂 I still find it disconcerting
to see a bunch of strangers running around pretending to be familiar
characters.
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animation/comics #1552, from lkaplan, 337 chars, Tue Jun 27 13:05:51 2000
This is a comment to message 1551.
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Re: Rex Morgan, M.D. has a new look
>… and it’s astonishingly like the soap opera parodies Bill Watterson
>used to draw in Calvin and Hobbes 🙂
ROFLMAO!
But you’re absolutely right … I wonder if Waterson is back, incognito?
And if so, what’s going to happen to what used to be a very distinguished
comic strip?
Heheheh …
-Len