{"id":1220,"date":"2018-02-17T22:35:00","date_gmt":"2018-02-18T06:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/harrymccracken.com\/blog\/?page_id=1220"},"modified":"2018-02-17T22:35:00","modified_gmt":"2018-02-18T06:35:00","slug":"bix-animation-conference-comics","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/harrymccracken.com\/blog\/bix-animation-conference-comics\/","title":{"rendered":"BIX Animation Conference: comics"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nanimation\/comics #201, from davemackey, 192 chars, Sat Mar 3 23:56:39 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 194.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 194.
\n————————–
\nAm I to presume the Bugs Bunny comic to be coming from DC Comics, possibly
\ndrawn by John Costanza (as was the Bugs strips in the Looney Tunes magazine)?
\n Dave<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #202, from bcapps, 440 chars, Sat Mar 3 23:58:01 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 165.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nYou figure maybe Dolph (‘The Punisher’) Lundgren? Or how about Arnold
\nSchwarz.? Or maybe even, (gasp) Christopher Reeves?!? We could speculate
\nat length, y’know…<\/p>\n

I’m looking to get the collections as they come out. I figure they’ll
\nreprint all of the Malibu run eventually.<\/p>\n

How’dja like the “Clark Kent” disguise premise in the latest issue (#12)?
\nI was almost believing that Maxi Scoops was Lois Lane there for a moment.<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #203, from bcapps, 1245 chars, Sun Mar 4 00:43:39 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 187.
\n————————–
\nAs far as the current quality of Peanuts goes, I read it more for
\nsentimental reasons than expecting to be as entertained by it as I once
\nwas. We won’t have to worry about someone else trying to revamp\/revise
\nPeanuts once Schultz pens his last strip; apparently Schultz has a clause
\nin his contract that prohibits the syndicate from letting anyone else do
\nthe strip.<\/p>\n

On my shopping list, I plan to pick up:
\n Cerebus (anything)
\n Flaming Carrot, Concrete, Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing, Hellblazer,
\n Sandman, Animal Man, Nexus, Badger, Classics Illus., Trouble with Girls,
\n Hulk (as long as Peter David’s on it), Star Trek (both of them), Time
\n Masters, Adam Strange, Hawkworld, Green Lantern, Gladstone’s EC titles,
\n Luther Arkwright reprints from Dark Horse, Groo, Plastic Forks, Retief,
\n Wonder Woman.<\/p>\n

I wish I could see: Crossfire, Dalgoda, Veitch’s conclusion of his story-
\nline in Swamp Thing, 1 or 2 “other” new titles from Disney’s new line that
\nwould be more “classic” oriented – ala Barks and Gottfredson (sp?).
\nThere are probably more (_lots_ more!) that I probably could hope for and
\nthere are a few more off of my shopping list that are left off in kind
\nconsideration of disk space and attention spans.<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #204, from hmccracken, 760 chars, Sun Mar 4 00:51:19 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 201.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThe Bugs Bunny comic is pencilled by Chuck Fiala (whom some will remember
\nfrom Bullet Crow in the old Comic Reader); Costanza is inking. It’s
\na three-issue mini series which involved Bugs going on a globe-spanning
\nquest. Which doesn’t sound too promising, but then one might say the same
\nthing about a comic involving Donald Duck and his nephews going on
\nglobe-spanning quests, and Carl Barks did nicely with that.<\/p>\n

On a related subject, The Comic Buyer’s Guide has been running some previews
\nof the new line of Disney comics, and they look fairly promising. I do
\nnote with some dismay, though, that DuckTales will be running an eight-issue
\nstory written by Marv Wolfman — sounds a bit too much like a typical DC
\nor Marvel superhero comic to me.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #205, from jenn, 379 chars, Sun Mar 4 02:23:59 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 145.
\n————————–
\n(Gads, I get a sprained wrist and I’m off for two days, and I
\nfind that someone is saying mean things about one of my
\nfavorite comic strips….;-)
\nCalvin is a BRAT. I don’t think he’s cutsey. I’m just glad
\nI’m not HIS parents. Frankly, I think Calvin has a lot
\nof things to say to folks through his humor, and he
\ncan get away with it because he’s not threatening. He’s
\na KID.<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #206, from jenn, 255 chars, Sun Mar 4 02:29:19 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 155.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nJean Shepherd is hilarious.
\nBut, on to comics.
\nI don’t like Charlie Brown and I never have. I think Calvin
\nis better than Charlie Brown. I can identify with the humor
\nin Calvin, than I can in Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown is,
\nwell, uncreative. IMHO. <\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #207, from jenn, 333 chars, Sun Mar 4 02:31:16 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 157.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 157.
\n————————–
\nWhat about Life In Hell? What about The Neighborhood? What
\nabout Mother Goose and Grimm? Shoe is still going strong.
\nBloom County was good when it existed .
\nWhat about Single Slices?
\nThose are ‘new generation’ comics, and I think they are
\npretty good. Outstanding? I don’t like to use that
\ndescription for much, really….<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #208, from jenn, 58 chars, Sun Mar 4 02:31:36 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 157.
\n————————–
\nOr Zippy The Pinhead. WEIRD stuff. And I like it!!! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #209, from jenn, 143 chars, Sun Mar 4 02:34:16 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 163.
\n————————–
\nThat’s what I do with Doonesbury lately. Just
\nkinda skim it once every couple of weeks.
\nI can’t stomach it for a constant diet, though. Yuck.<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #210, from jenn, 501 chars, Sun Mar 4 02:38:00 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 168.
\nThere are additional comments to message 168.
\n————————–
\nYou’d be surprised at how many people despise Outland, Harry.<\/p>\n

The first time I read Bloom County was the sequence of
\ncomics when Steve Dallas went to the Dentist and then
\nhad to go to his school reunion with a mouth full of novicane.
\nI was hooked. (What’s scary is thinking ‘hey, he reminds me
\nof Steve Dallas’ when meeting some guy for the first time….heh.
\nOr, ‘hey, this woman reminds me of Quiche Lorraine…’ Scary,
\nbut hilarious.) Bloom County was twisted in just the right way.
\nI miss it.<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #211, from jenn, 310 chars, Sun Mar 4 02:43:42 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 180.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 180.
\n————————–
\nHeh, I loved his travelogue about his boat trip with the
\nenvironmentalists to Russia….
\nGee, maybe we should open an ‘other’ topic here for digressions?
\nI’ve discovered Jean Shepard in the past 5 years (Hey, I’m not as old
\nas some of you think I am!), and I’m hooked.
\nBut, uh, Calvin and Hobbes you say….<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #212, from jenn, 175 chars, Sun Mar 4 02:46:17 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 188.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI don’t think I’ve ever seen Dilbert. But, my curiousity
\nis definitely up. What IS it about? One liners?
\n(Also, are we all forgetting about the Far Side??? GREAT
\nstuff!!!)<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #213, from tom.white, 1677 chars, Sun Mar 4 04:19:00 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 212.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 212.
\n————————–
\nDilbert (barf) is about the title character, apparently some
\nsort of computer nerd (always has pens in shirt pocket, and his
\ntie is inexplicably bent in the middle, it looks like an erection)
\nand his smartass dog Dogbert, who appears to be a mobile egg with
\nglasses. They occasionally change positions, but never expressions.
\nWith no mouth or eyes (only glasses), they might as well be
\nrubber-stamped as drawn. The writing, when I last saw it,
\nwas a variation on dog-comments-on-owners-inferiority. Geez,
\nFerd’nand (under new creators, and believe it or not, worse for
\nthat) is better than this slop.<\/p>\n

Any comments on _When_I_Was_Young_ ? It originally struck me as
\na C&H derivative, but I like it well enough when it jumps around in
\ntime. Narrator looks back at himself and his foibles at various stages
\nof life. <\/p>\n

Outland doesn’t do much for me. It feels like Breathed has raised a standard,
\nand now it’s too high to be seen. The Disney sequence was good, and I’ll
\nprobably buy the inevitable paperback collection, but it doesn’t have
\nthe warmth of Bloom County.<\/p>\n

Peanuts (and to a lesser extent, Dennis the Menace) has reached the
\npoint of being venerable beyond criticism. It’s on the page for traditional
\nand sentimental value, both immeasurable. I dare any editor to try
\nand drop it. Circulation would drop by 50%. And yes, Schultz either
\nhas full rights to the strip, or an unbreakable contract over creation of
\nit. When he passes on, so does the Peanuts gang.<\/p>\n

I’m slightly annoyed that The Far Side still runs the occasioal reprint.
\nBut, it’s good to have Larson back.<\/p>\n

Oh yeah, Dilbert NEVER has backgrounds. The artist must use a pint of ink a year.<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #214, from tom.white, 269 chars, Sun Mar 4 04:35:40 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI respect Breathed’s decision to end Bloom County, and that last strip
\nwas memorably bittersweet. But I do hope he brings it back just
\nfor the 1992 election. It just wouldn’t be a campaign trail without
\nBill and Opus out kissing hands and shaking babies. Ack pthpt!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #216, from hmccracken, 148 chars, Sun Mar 4 04:56:49 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 207.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWhat’s Single Slices?
\n(It’s not often that there’s a currently-running comic strip I haven’t
\nheard of, and I’m unhappy when it happens!)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #217, from hmccracken, 316 chars, Sun Mar 4 05:00:13 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 213.
\nThere are additional comments to message 213.
\n————————–
\n“When I Was Short” strikes me as 1) A Wonder Years knock-off of sorts and
\n2) an attempt to do something Calvin and Hobbesesque without actually
\nimitating C&H very closely. The art, by somebody at Disney, is very
\ngood. I haven’t seen the strip regularly or recently enough to have a
\nfeel for the writing.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #218, from jsloman, 350 chars, Sun Mar 4 09:15:05 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 180.
\n————————–
\nWhen I lived in NJ I had the chance to listen to Jean for
\n1 Hour live every night on WOR radio. I miss that. I have
\nspoken to him on the air (we are both hams, and he is sometimes in Boston)
\nI would say he influenced me quite a bit.
\nI would also say that if “Wonder Years” isn’t a Shepard clone it
\nis an amazing case of parallel evolution.<\/p>\n

[Jeff]<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #219, from jsloman, 33 chars, Sun Mar 4 09:18:07 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 175.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nMaybe you don’t get it…
\n[Jeff]<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #220, from switch, 281 chars, Sun Mar 4 10:42:32 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 202.
\n————————–
\nLikewise. I found the Superman\/Clark parallel pretty funny enough, before
\nthe Lois Lane (sensitive and yet hard-nosed reporter) one got thrown in.<\/p>\n

The whole problem is that Les is, y’know… _wide_. I think I’ve only seen
\none person as wide as he is, and this guy was animated.<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #221, from switch, 195 chars, Sun Mar 4 10:44:42 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 206.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nCharlie Brown _used_ to be creative, IMHO, and I still take out my old books
\nfrom the late ’60s to early ’70s and read them. I agree with the Dave, Harry,
\nand the rest that Schulz has declined.<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #222, from switch, 172 chars, Sun Mar 4 10:49:17 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 211.
\n————————–
\nOh, there is an ‘other’ topic. It’s called the ‘inkwell’, where you can
\ndrink all you want for free because it’s all virtual (or non-live-action,
\nif you prefer) anyway…<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #223, from jenn, 220 chars, Sun Mar 4 14:20:12 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 216.
\n————————–
\nWell, Single Slices is just a one box comic (like the Far Side,
\nNeighborhood, etc.) that has one liners, or two liners about
\nrelationships, dating, men, women, etc. It’s not ‘outstanding’,
\nbut, I find it pretty funny.<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #224, from tom.white, 106 chars, Sun Mar 4 16:06:48 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 219.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI get it, all right. I just consider it trash. It’s not funny.
\nLuckily the local paper doesn’t have it.<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #225, from jsloman, 42 chars, Sun Mar 4 16:40:58 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 224.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nMaybe you don’t _really_ get it…
\n[Jeff]<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #226, from hmccracken, 652 chars, Sun Mar 4 17:19:58 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 194.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWith the exceptions of Groo, the new Disney Comics line, and Bugs Bunny, my
\nreading list will probably be made up of the big-ticket items — Pogo and
\nLi’l Abner, especially. While I was once a fairly active reader of superhero
\nstuff, I’ve lost almost all interest in it in the last five years or so.
\nThe first superhero comic I’ve picked up in many, many months was a recent
\n_She-Hulk_, because it was written by Steve Gerber and featured Howard the
\nDuck (two of my favorites from the old days). I also usually manage to
\npick up things by Gil Kane, and used to do the same for Gene Colan, although
\nI’m unaware of what he’s up to nowadays.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #227, from tom.white, 225 chars, Sun Mar 4 19:37:43 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 225.
\nThere are additional comments to message 225.
\n————————–
\nI don’t give the creator credit for being that subtle, nor such credit
\nto the editors who bought it. It’s mindless pap to please the masses,
\nand I enjoy not having it around. Maybe _you_ don’t get it.
\n…end of this topic.<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #228, from richard.pini, 264 chars, Sun Mar 4 20:43:18 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 226.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 226.
\n————————–
\n*snif!* Not a mention of Elfquest in the lot. Geez, you go away for a couple
\nof years and they all forget…I guess I’ll just cancel the new series…on
\nmy way out to the back yard to eat worms…<\/p>\n

(can we say “shameless notification hype”? I knew we could…) \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #229, from hmccracken, 194 chars, Sun Mar 4 21:03:00 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 228.
\nThere are additional comments to message 228.
\n————————–
\nSince we’re all planning our comics shopping for the next six months anyway,
\nRichard, why don’t you tell us a bit about the new Elfquest series so that
\nwe can be informed consumers?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #230, from rfranzen, 304 chars, Sun Mar 4 21:04:31 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 228.
\nThere are additional comments to message 228.
\n————————–
\n Hey, Richard, take heart! Some of us still remember the original Elf
\nQuest in a Marvel Special from years ago. I’ve been “out of” comics for
\nabout a decade (I discovered … computers!), so I don’t know how the
\nquests have been going. It might well be worth my while to play “catch-up”.
\n\t\ud83d\ude42\tRich<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #231, from tom.white, 62 chars, Sun Mar 4 21:42:07 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIf there really is more ElfQuest coming, I’ll snatch it up. <\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #232, from bsoron, 536 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:05:35 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 197.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

The Justice League line was a generic posting. If DC suddenly changed
\nthe title Batman to “Justice League Gotham City,” I’d start buying it.
\nIf LSH became “Justice League 2995,” I’d like it a lot more :-)…<\/p>\n

The new Shade the Changing Man is written by Pete Milligan (late of
\nSkreemer) and drawn by the very good Chris Bachalo (I thought he did a
\nfine job in his recent Sandman story), edited by Karen Berger — which
\nis a fair amount of the reason I’m taking a look. Almost anything edited
\nby Berger is worth looking at.<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #233, from bsoron, 346 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:09:52 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 204.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

The first issue of “Crisis on Earth-Mickey” is actually going to be
\npretty spectacular, from what I hear. One report I saw — SPOILER
\nWARNING! — about the conclusion sounds pretty spectacular, where Pluto
\nmistakes the Anti-Gearloose for a fire hydrant, electrocuting them
\nboth — could be a tear-jerker as fine as Marv’s past efforts.<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #234, from bsoron, 131 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:12:34 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 226.
\nThere are additional comments to message 226.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

I haven’t seen anything from Gene Colan in quite a while, too; can’t
\nimagine why — that sort of talent shouldn’t lie dormant.<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #235, from bsoron, 516 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:21:10 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 213.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

I guess I’m enjoying Outland more than most folks here, but yes, I do
\nmiss Bloom County and wish Outland were as good. My brother works in
\nLittle, Brown’s shipping department and told me today that the last Bloom
\nCounty book is on its way to stores, so y’all should probably start
\nlooking for it soon. I forget its title, but it’s something appropriate
\nto the strip’s ending. My brother is a very casual comics reader, but he
\nsaid that he was never really impressed with Bloom County until he read
\nthis book.<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #236, from bsoron, 213 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:22:19 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 214.
\nThere are additional comments to message 214.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

O’ course, Bill and Opus are both characters in Outland. But I’d
\nrather see that strip get even more surreal, personally; Breathed may
\nnot be a Kelly or a Herriman, but he’s as close as we’ve got these days.<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #237, from bsoron, 150 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:23:39 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 225.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

Apparently, a lot of us are missing something in Dilbert, Jeff! Can
\nyou clue us in? I can’t see anywhere for Adams to hide a subtext,
\nmyself…<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #238, from jenn, 78 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:40:46 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 228.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nRichard, I don’t read Elfquest anymore.
\nBut when I did, it was great! \ud83d\ude42 \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #239, from tom.white, 140 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:54:49 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 235.
\n————————–
\nOh goody! Another (final \ud83d\ude41 ) BC book.
\nThe next C&H book, due within two months, is titled something like
\n“Weirdos from Another Planet.” <\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #240, from jimomura, 1250 chars, Sun Mar 4 23:37:51 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 226.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 226.
\n————————–
\n Gene Colan is a “reliable” artist. Not brilliant enough to knock
\nmy socks off, but good for making things look real. Thinking about it,
\nI’d compare him to Ryoichi Ikegami (“Mai the Psychic Girl”, “Crying Freeman”)
\nin Japan. Ikegami’s products are better, but then again, I think he
\nhas more time to work on them because his stuff doesn’t have to got
\nout to a colorist before it gets printed. I don’t know if he actually
\ndoes his “inking” or not. It may even be that he has help. But then
\nagain, there’s no telling if Colan really does every pencil stroke in
\nhis panels either so . . .<\/p>\n

Gil Kane, I can’t say I ever really liked. He’s as limited in
\nhis imagination as Colan and doesn’t have the breadth of camera angles
\nand command over rendering the human body and emotions that Colan has.
\nI remember when he took over Spiderman, was it around issue #100?
\nI remember getting more and more depressed about the art as the issues
\ncame out. Then he gave Spidey 2 more pair of arms and I got really
\ndisgusted. Shortly after that issue I stopped buying Spiderman on
\na regular basis, and I never really started again.<\/p>\n

What I was thinking was “geez, if that’s all he can do to create
\nsome excitement, then there’s no hope for this.”<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #241, from richard.pini, 1122 chars, Mon Mar 5 00:23:25 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 231.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAh! Who says creative whining doesn’t work? (I’m smiling, honest!)
\n The new series is subtitled “Kings of the Broken Wheel” – and yes, someone
\nalready commented on how that could be taken for an old Gene Autry serial, sigh
\n– but it really has to do with clues planted in the original series and “Siege
\nat Blue Mountain.” It is open ended, because the storyline we’ve concocted can
\ngo as long as we want (or as short, I suppose). It is the adventure of 100
\nlifetimes, the love story to end all ove stories… gee, I can go on like this
\nand never say a concrete thing about it, can’t I? The major plot catalysts are
\n(1) Rayek is energized with all the spirits of the dead Gliders, and he’s gone
\na wee bit round the bend, (2) A cry for help comes in telepathically that the
\nelves just can’t ignore, except when they get to the place it’s coming from,
\nthere’s no one there, and (3) Someone screws up so big-time that the characters
\ndon’
\ndon’t *know* yet what it means to be on a quest. All in all, great good fun.
\nAnd, bi-monthly. We’re publishing it ourselves, so no more scheduling fubars
\nlike before. First issue in June.<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #242, from richard.pini, 165 chars, Mon Mar 5 00:25:06 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 238.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n::clutching chest, sticken:: You…don’t? Howcum? (Seriously, I am always
\ninterested in the reactions of those who either have stopped, or who don’t
\nlike the book.)<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #243, from jenn, 150 chars, Mon Mar 5 00:53:29 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 242.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nSeriously. I lost interest.
\nI’m not sure I can be more specific than that, Richard.
\nI’m not even sure what caused me to lose interest.
\nYikes! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #244, from tom.white, 380 chars, Mon Mar 5 02:21:58 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 241.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nRamble all you want, Richard, we understand how PR works.
\nREALLY bimonthly? I recall that was the plan with SABM, but what
\nshould’ve been 14 months stretched out over two years. I didn’t mind
\nthe wait, but the ambitious schedule made me anticipate in vain.
\nEclipse is the grandmaster at “no shipping us now!” and I’d hate to
\nsee WaRP (WaRP, and not Apple?) get to be THAT bad.<\/p>\n

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\nanimation\/comics #245, from jsloman, 173 chars, Mon Mar 5 07:57:22 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 237.
\nThere are additional comments to message 237.
\n————————–
\nI assign no brilliance to the author of Dilbert. Sometimes
\nthings are more than they seem. Alot of prominent physicists
\nhaved belonged to the flat earth society.<\/p>\n

[Jeff]<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #246, from richard.pini, 33 chars, Mon Mar 5 08:44:01 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 243.
\n————————–
\nCalling the Interest Police!! \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #247, from richard.pini, 1014 chars, Mon Mar 5 08:50:22 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 244.
\n————————–
\nFor everyone’s benefit (since I’ve already emailed you, Tom), Apple and Warp
\nare no longer joined at the hip. Apple was created by us to be a sister
\ncompany to handle the publishing end of things while Warp stuck to the
\neditorial\/creative chores. There is plenty of circumstance to go around, but
\nin the end the process did not go as smoothly as we would have wished, and
\nbooks fell badly off schedule. It is the main reason we (Warp) accelerated
\nthe separation of the two companies – which was always the goal, eventually –
\nand made the decision to get back into publishing Elfquest. Since it is one of
\nonly two titles we are handling now (the other is the adaptations of the
\nXanth books by Piers Anthony) and since everything is under one roof now, we
\nhave a much better handle on scheduling. Wendy will be done with issue #1
\nof the new EQ series by the end of March but I will not release it until June;
\nthis allows us to stockpile at least 3 issues as a cushion against schedule
\nwoes later on, if any crop up.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #248, from dave.f, 913 chars, Mon Mar 5 17:13:49 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 184.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nre: Actually, Bob, it was ‘GBH who ran Shep. I
\nremember commenting to him at a book signing for WANDA HICKEY’S… on the
\nslick job of commercial zapping they did. He told me ‘GBH did the edits
\nthemselves.<\/p>\n

I have a reel to reel, here at work, but I think Keith taped all the shows at
\n1 7\/8 IPS. That would do me no good. My old Lafayette RtoR will do 1 7\/8.
\nIt still works, sort of, but has problems with ultra thin tapes. I think he
\nwas using the cheapest and longest reels he could find.<\/p>\n

He also has quite a few GOON SHOW tapes. Both ‘GBH and ‘BUR ran them at
\ndifferent points in time.<\/p>\n

BTW – Anybody who wants to drop by television\/program.rwars to discuss
\nShepherd’s TV forays (including OLLIE HOPNOODLE’S HAVEN OF BLISS, the one
\nbacked by the Disney channel, with James Sikking as the old man) is more than
\nwelcome. The WONDER YEARS discussion can continue there, also.<\/p>\n

D=<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #249, from davemackey, 160 chars, Mon Mar 5 18:05:02 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 226.
\n————————–
\nGene Colan has been doing some pencilling for Archie Comics of late; I think
\nhe had a story in the latest issue of HOT DOG.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #250, from hmccracken, 866 chars, Mon Mar 5 18:18:48 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 240.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWell, to each his own, Jim! Colan’s ability to make things look “real”
\nis what I like so much about him; he rarely falls into the standard shorthand
\ntricks that other superhero artists get into… I also love the richness
\nof his pencilling, which very few inkers seem able to justice to. I first
\nran into Colan when he was doing Howard the Duck, which he did some
\nspectcular work for.<\/p>\n

Gil Kane certainly doesn’t hit a home run every time, but I like his
\nsense of design, and his storytelling abilities are first-rate. He
\ncertainly *isn’t* a particularly imaginative artist, but there’s a certain
\ntension to his work that I find very appealing. In many ways, I think
\nthe praise heaped upon Tarzan’s Burne Hogarth — certainly one of the
\nmost overrated of cartoonists — by certain Europeans and Americans might
\nbe better applied to Kane’s best work.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #251, from hmccracken, 397 chars, Mon Mar 5 18:30:50 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 237.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWouldn’t have thought that somthing as bland as Dilbert would stir up so much
\nemotion…Maybe I’m alone in finding it neither particularly interesting nor
\noutstandingly bad. The art is lousy, but no worse than the art in a lot
\nof strips; the writing is much better. I enjoyed the recent sequence in which
\nDilbert dated a librarian, as did several of my casual comics-reading
\nfriends.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #252, from morganfox, 148 chars, Mon Mar 5 19:16:01 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 251.
\nThere are additional comments to message 251.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

True…I just loved the Brainella thread..one is taped to my desk here. Other
\ntimes..it is just blah. But it is one of the strips I read each day.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #253, from tom.white, 255 chars, Mon Mar 5 19:53:56 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 251.
\n————————–
\nIn fairness, I haven’t seen Dilbert in many moons, since around
\nlast September. Perhaps it has improved since then (it could NOT
\nhave gotten worse). But, I’m not gonna worry about it. I’d rather
\ndiscuss things that I enjoy rather than those I do not.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #254, from jimomura, 1119 chars, Mon Mar 5 23:20:09 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 250.
\n————————–
\n Oh, I *like* Colan! I expect we disagree on Kane though.
\nI never saw anything Kane did that made me feel I was glad to
\nhave it. I think I’ve sold every Gil Kane work I’ve bought.
\nThat’s a fairly heavy indictment. I usually don’t buy things
\nunless I wanted them in the first place. That is to say, having
\nread it, I felt even worse about it than I expected. But then
\nagain, I’m now planning to sell almost all my collections, so
\nI guess it won’t seem like such a bad thing.<\/p>\n

Off the top of my head, my favorite artists of my “old days”
\nwere Sterenko, Starlin, Brunner and Barry Windsor Smith. Sterenko
\nwas the first of that group with Shield and X-Men. Starlin in his
\nvarious Thanos related work was later. Brunner did well with
\nDr. Strange, and his issue of Howard the Duck. Barry Windsor Smith
\nre-defined Conan for the world. Also John Romita and Steve Ditko
\ndid great work with Spiderman. I’m fairly out of touch with most
\nof today’s work. The Japanese stuff brought me back into the comics
\nworld. I would never have bothered to return otherwise. I’ve
\npretty much had enough of DC and Marvel.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #255, from bsoron, 118 chars, Mon Mar 5 23:24:25 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 248.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

‘Strue — what’s needed is something as cheap and junky as what Keith
\nused to tape ’em. I’ll keep nagging him…<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #256, from rgswartz, 224 chars, Wed Mar 7 00:48:36 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 212.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n>Dilbert
\nis a *very* crudely drawn nerd and his dog Dogbert. The humor is usually
\ncrude also (not in the sexual sense) though I would guess by some previous
\ncomment that some people don’t see the humor in it. So it goes.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #257, from rgswartz, 61 chars, Wed Mar 7 00:50:30 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 256.
\n————————–
\n>Dilbert…
\nI see *some* resemblance to Sherman and Peabody.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #258, from rgswartz, 80 chars, Wed Mar 7 00:51:20 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 214.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n>the last Bloom County strip
\nIt’s been tacked to my door since the strip ended.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #259, from switch, 283 chars, Wed Mar 7 11:54:18 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Unintentional Akira In-Joke
\nI was re-reading volume 1 of the Akira maki last night (yes, I suppose I
\n_should_ have been paying attention in my film history class), and on page
\n175 I saw something I’d never noticed before. The man guarding Tetsuo is
\nreading “Quark” magazine!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #260, from jimomura, 62 chars, Wed Mar 7 21:56:39 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 259.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 259.
\n————————–
\n So what’s happening with Quark? You still got it going?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #261, from switch, 1045 chars, Wed Mar 7 22:29:52 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 260.
\n————————–
\nOh, yes, very much so. I’ve had it ready to go since late December, but a
\nfriend of mine (who is MUCH more experienced when it come to layouts), offered
\nme his services. Since then we’ve been giving Quark’s look a major overhaul.
\nWe’re pretty much finished now — just have to put it another interview to
\ncover an error we made in the page count, then lay out the three interviews,
\nand the final bits (Congregations, Bits ‘n’ Pieces, and the Hit List).
\nThere’s no reason for that to take more than a week. Other than that,
\nI have to finish the cel for the cover. It shouldn’t take more than about an
\nhour or two, but given my current schedule and the increasing pressure to
\nfinish my film, that hour might be hard to find.<\/p>\n

I’ll also be running off some more copies of #3 to handle people who haven’t
\nreceived their copies in the mail yet. I’m really annoyed over the delays in
\nsending out copies of #2 and #3, but I’ve been in a really precarious
\nfinancial situation over the last few months, and Canada Post hasn’t been
\nhelping things…<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #262, from tom.white, 596 chars, Thu Mar 8 23:22:16 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThey’re here!<\/p>\n

The latest Calvin and Hobbes book, _Weirdos_From_Another_Planet!_
\na collection of the usual C&H frantic frolickings. Includes the
\nsequence where Calvin dresses up like a tiger (as opposed to the time
\nhe was transmogrified into one).<\/p>\n

…and…
\nBloom County:Happy Trails! hit the stores today. The last of the
\nseries, it includes too many good stories to list them all, but
\nthere’s Rosebud’s pregnancy and of course the wrap party. The final
\nstrip gets its own page, and if you think that was bittersweet, wait’ll
\nyou see the back cover.<\/p>\n

7.95 and 8.95, and worth every cent.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #263, from hmccracken, 205 chars, Fri Mar 9 00:23:24 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 262.
\n————————–
\nYes, the back cover of the new Bloom County book is just about worth buying
\nthe book for in itself…and for me at least, it’s a much more satisfying
\nend to the strip than the last episode was.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #264, from switch, 107 chars, Fri Mar 9 09:53:52 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 259.
\n————————–
\nIncidentally, that same panel is in issue 3 of the Epic Akira; however, the
\n“Quark” is nowhere to be seen.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #265, from bsoron, 406 chars, Sat Mar 10 00:54:22 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Was it just my imagination, or…<\/p>\n

… well, Grant Morrison’s one of my favorite writers — the
\nBrotherhood of Dada series in Doom Patrol was brilliant — but after
\nreading the interview with him in the new Amazing Heroes, I got the
\nfeeling that he’s an intelligent, literate, thoroughly unlikeable
\nperson. Anyone else get that reaction? Maybe something got lost in
\nthe translation to print…<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #266, from jenn, 116 chars, Sun Mar 11 15:49:53 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 258.
\n————————–
\nJust picked up the last Bloom County book…._Happy Trails_…
\nToo short, too funny, and too heartbreaking. <\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #267, from davemackey, 160 chars, Wed Mar 14 06:23:38 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The Smith Family
\nDoes anyone know if this strip, which featured the rather large family of its
\ncreators, George and Virginia Smith, is still being done?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #268, from hmccracken, 437 chars, Wed Mar 14 07:36:00 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 267.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 267.
\n————————–
\nWell, I believe it still is, Dave — if it’s been discontinued it was in the
\nlast half-year or so.<\/p>\n

Are you a Smith Family fan? It ran for many years in the Boston Globe, and
\nI used to like it very much. Very strange art and gags…but quite funny.
\nI’ve often thought I was the *only* reader who liked it; enough people
\nused to look at me funny when I mentioned that I liked it that I eventually
\nkept quiet on the subject.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #269, from sstaton, 362 chars, Wed Mar 14 09:53:46 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Shultz in the Lourve
\nNPR had a story this morning about _Peanuts_ being put into the Lourve,
\nand Charles Schultz received the highest honor France offers to artists.
\n“Comics are treated much more seriously in France than in the US,” accord-
\ning to the NPR reporter. So what else is new?<\/p>\n

Does this mean that Garfield is due for the Smithsonian? Ackpth!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #270, from hkenner, 104 chars, Wed Mar 14 13:41:08 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 267.
\n————————–
\nIt runs daily in the Baltimore Sun. I seem to remember reading that
\nGeorge died & Virginia carries on.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #271, from hmccracken, 1238 chars, Wed Mar 14 19:42:04 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The other morning, I was reading the comics at work (which is a
\nritutual with me and several of my colleagues), when I noticed that one
\ncolumns of strips had an unusually-large amount of white space between
\nthe strips. Obviously, a strip had been dropped. It took me and another
\nperson ten minutes before we could figure out who was missing — Tiger,
\nby Bud Blake.<\/p>\n

My curiosity about this led me to call the Boston Globe (the paper in
\nquestion) to see what had happened. I told the operator who answered
\nthe call that I had a question about the comics page, and was instantly
\nput through to a pleasant woman who immediately explaind that Tiger
\nhad been yanked for the week, in order to see if anybody cared. Clearly,
\nI was the umpteenth person to have made the call that morning. I thanked
\nher, put in a vote for Tiger’s return (she told me he would be back on
\nMonday), and ended the call.<\/p>\n

Moral: if your favorite strip disappears from the paper one day, give them
\na call and complain; it might do some good. Not to suggest that Tiger is
\nmy favorite strip — in fact I almost wish I had suggested they leave him
\nout and replace him with Tumbleweeds, a strip whose absence from the Boston
\npapers I sorely feel.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #272, from morganfox, 92 chars, Wed Mar 14 19:56:13 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 271.
\nThere are additional comments to message 271.
\n————————–
\nI just *knew* something was missing! Great! I am glad you called. And glad
\nit will be back!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #273, from tom.white, 913 chars, Wed Mar 14 20:26:18 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThe comics available greatly depends on which syndicate the paper deals with.
\nIn Boston, the two papers buy from different syndicates, hence there is
\nno comic strip in common. I forget exactly what happened in Dallas, but
\nI recall that the media giant who owned the syndicate the Times-Herald
\nbought comics from purchased the rival paper, the Morning News, and soon
\nafterwards, the T-H’s comics pages were ravaged. Their contract was broken
\nand they had to buy from someone else. The M-N’s comics pages doubled.
\n Slimy, sleazy move. This isn’t
\nspot-on accurate, but something like that. <\/p>\n

Through the good auspices of another Bixen, I got my hands on a copy
\nof The National, the new (since January) daily sports paper. It’s
\npresently distributed only in NYC, LA, and Chicago. Tucked way in the
\nback is a reprint strip of Joe Palooka, from who knows when. Makes a
\ngood sports alternative to Tank McNamara.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #274, from hmccracken, 1166 chars, Wed Mar 14 21:45:28 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 273.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 273.
\n————————–
\nWell, not *quite* right, Tom: the big syndicates will generally sell strips
\nto all the papers in town, but (in general) they do it on an exclusive
\nbasis. If the Boston Herald has Peanuts, the Globe won’t be able to get
\nit. And so forth. (There are exceptions — at one time there were two
\nSt. Louis papers that carried Archie. Don’t know why.)<\/p>\n

I hadn’t heard about the Dallas situation, but something similar happened
\nhere in Boston: Rupert Murdoch, owner of the Herald, purchased the Field
\nSyndicate, which distributed maybe half the strips carried in the Globe.
\nWhen the syndicate’s contracts with the Globe ran out, he pulled all the
\nstrips and put them in the Herald, causing a tremndous tempest-in-a-
\nteapot that provided fodder for the Herald’s news pages and promotional
\nactivities (which are sometimes indistiunguishable) for weeks. (Naturally,
\nthe Globe had to pick up tons of strips to make up for those they lost,
\ngiving Boston comics fans *a lot* of comic strips. The situation has
\nabated a bit; the Herald dropped some of its strips eventually, and announcements
\nboth papers made at the time of *even more* strips didn’t come to be.)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #275, from sstaton, 179 chars, Thu Mar 15 00:47:42 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 274.
\n————————–
\nThe move by the Dallas Morning News was just one more brick in the wall
\ntowards their goal of a one paper town; wait until the advertisers see
\nthe new rates when that happens. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #276, from davemackey, 378 chars, Thu Mar 15 20:23:01 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 268.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nNo, but my brother was. When he went to college, one night he found a
\nmicrofilm copier that had the coin box bypassed, and he must have made copies
\nof about two and a half years of “Smith Family” dailies from whatever
\nnewspaper up that way carried it. He brought up the subject the other night
\nand he said he thought it had been discontinued.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #277, from jenn, 168 chars, Thu Mar 15 22:59:49 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 273.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nSomething that I thought was hilarious about the L.A. Times,
\nwas that they did a huge story in their View section
\npraising Bloom County. But they never carried it….<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #278, from dave.f, 911 chars, Fri Mar 16 12:31:45 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 271.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nre: As lame as it is, I always read TIGER. I
\nhadn’t noticed it was missing from the Globe ’til you mentioned it, Harry. I
\nthink it’s Blake’s art that gets me. It’s a rather muddled looking mishmash
\nthat somehow is very legible when you look closer. It appears that he uses a
\nSharpie or other sort of marker. The ends of his lines have that distinctive
\ndot that indicates a type of ink that spreads into the surface of the board
\nif you stop before lifting the tip.<\/p>\n

I miss TUMBLEWEEDS, too. The Middlesex News carries it, but I don’t get that
\npaper on a regular basis. I don’t even get the Worcester Telegram and
\nGazette, and I live just across the line from Worcester. It’s just too
\npainful to read articles by people who don’t have a very good command of the
\nlanguage. The one thing in the T&G that I miss is THE FAR SIDE, but I’m not
\ngoing to buy it just for that.<\/p>\n

D=<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #279, from richard.pini, 67 chars, Fri Mar 16 17:57:52 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 277.
\n————————–
\nHow glorious it is to be trendy, without expending any conscience!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #280, from hmccracken, 263 chars, Fri Mar 16 19:00:05 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 278.
\n————————–
\nAgreed: Bud Blake’s art is quite nice, despite the strip being kind of
\nordinary…Something it shares in common with Dennis the Menace, which
\nat its best is a beautifully-drawn strip. (The daily panel, that is;
\nthe Sunday has been ghosted for years.)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #281, from hmccracken, 608 chars, Sun Mar 18 21:11:39 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 276.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nGee whiz. When I was in college, I did much the same thing with some of
\nmy spare hours at the library: I’d sit at a microfilm reader and read
\nold comics. One of the interesting things you learn from doing that
\nis that there are a lot of comics so obscure they never get mentioned
\nin books or articles. Two animation-related ones I discovered that way
\nwere “Terr’ble Thompson,” a strip which was definitely a precursor of
\nCalvin and Hobbes, which was done by the animator Gene Deitch; and
\nBarker Bill, a strip featuring an obscure Terrytoons character which
\nwas credited to Paul Terry himself.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #282, from jimomura, 1376 chars, Sun Mar 18 22:27:54 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Recent Acquisitions
\n I dropped into the Comic Den these week after a long delay and
\nfound a few titles waiting for me.<\/p>\n

Both versions of the 1st issue of the new “Lensman” comicbook
\nwere set aside for me. Both are actually going to be collectors
\nitems, but I bought the one that’s a “Collector’s Edition”. It has
\na semi-hard cover and mine is serial numbered #6051. They put
\na completely different picture on this cover and used gold embossed
\nlettering. Ironically, when I looked inside, I felt that the regular
\nedition was printed on a slightly better quality paper. Both were
\nprinted on fairly inferior quality paper overall though. One thing
\nnice is that the writer explains the situation wherein this comicbook
\ncomes from a license of the Japanese anime movie and TV show and
\nthat it is not going to follow Doc Smith’s work. Fair warning for
\nDoc Smith fans.<\/p>\n

“Outlanders” #14 was interesting because it makes clear that
\nKahm and Tetsuya didn’t wait to get married to start, uh, procreating.
\nWell, it was interesting for more than just that, but, well, that
\nwas interesting too. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

“Dominion” #3 has the Puma sisters on the cover. The story
\nis essentially a “bad day” for Leona and Al, though at the end of
\nthe day they have it brightened by the appreciation of people they
\nhelped.<\/p>\n

“Captain Harlock” #4 and #5 introduce Emeraldas.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #283, from switch, 159 chars, Sun Mar 18 23:12:55 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Charlie Brown fans…
\n…will want to check out poetry.prose\/long.messages #48. Make sure there’s
\nplenty of space on your floor so you can roll on it.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #284, from hmccracken, 896 chars, Mon Mar 19 06:55:57 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The seventh volume of Kitchen Sink Press’s ambitious plan to reprint
\nthe complete _Li’l Abner_ is out, and should be a must-be for folks who
\nwant to see how good and how funny a comic strip can be. Capp’s greatest
\nperiod was probably a few years after the 1941 strips reprinted in this
\nbook, but by ’41 he was already awfully fluent as a humorist and storyteller —
\nprobably the greatest humorous storyteller there ever was in comics. (There
\nwere greater humorists, and greater storytellers, but I can’t think of
\nanyone who did both on as high level as Capp.)<\/p>\n

The Kitchen Sink volumes are also worth examining as excellent examples of
\nhow good a reprint series can be; the strips are large and crisply reproduced,
\nand the introductory material is informative (although I somehow wish there
\nwas more of it). Anyway, the series does a great comic strip justice.
\nCheck it out.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #285, from hmccracken, 1039 chars, Mon Mar 19 07:02:08 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Kitchen Sink also has a series of Ernie Bushmiller’s _Nancy_
\nbooks out, which is also worth a look. Apparently, people interested
\nin comics either love _Nancy_ or despise it — and neither group really
\nunderstands it. I fall into the former category, I guess. At least
\nonce I pick up a book of Bushmiller stuff, I find it hard to put down.
\nIt’s not funny, the characters aren’t memorable — and yet there’s
\nsomething compelling about Nancy’s odd world and its internal logic
\nthat’s fascinating. I’d be worried about my like for the strip if hip
\nfolks like Roy Blount, Jr., Bill Griffith, and Art Spiegelman didn’t
\nfeel the same way.<\/p>\n

Kitchen Sink’s Nancy books (_Nancy Eats Food_, _How Sluggo Survives_,
\n_Nancy’s Dreams and Schemes_) are attractive, but their format of
\nreprinting only strips relating to a particular theme is perhaps a
\nmistake. I’d rather read a variety of strips — which one can do with
\n_The Best of Ernie Bushmiller’s Nancy_, another _Nancy_ book by another
\npublisher which is also available.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #286, from davemackey, 175 chars, Mon Mar 19 23:02:46 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 281.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI had heard that “Terr’ble Thompson” acted as the direct inspiration for
\nDeitch’s series for Terrytoons in the late 1950’s, Tom Terrific.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #287, from hmccracken, 520 chars, Tue Mar 20 06:22:34 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 286.
\n————————–
\nFrom what I’ve seen, it was similar in flavor but not a direct inspiration.
\nTerr’ble was a kid who daydreamed himself into history and adventures —
\nas I say, it was a lot like Calvin and Hobbes. <\/p>\n

One of the few things lacking in conversing by telecommunications is
\nthat you can’y really upload an image of a printed thing in any
\nstraightforward, easy, usable-by-all fashion. I’d love to put a
\nTerrble’Thompson strip online as an example.
\n — Harry
\n(Ah well, it might violate the copyright laws to do that anyway.)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #288, from mingrassia, 57 chars, Tue Mar 20 06:44:26 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 269.
\n————————–
\nSchulz in the Louvre? Hope they spelled his name right!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #289, from hmccracken, 983 chars, Tue Mar 20 19:02:31 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Even though it’s based an a comic strip, there may be better places
\non BIX than here to discuss the upcoming _Dick Tracy_ movie, which
\nseems to be shaping up as this Summer’s equivalent of last year’s
\n_Batman_. But there’s one aspect of the film which sounds fascinating
\nand relevant to its origins in the funny papers: if the rumors are right,
\nthe production designers for the film have restricted their color choices
\nto *one* shade of red, *one* shade of yellow, and so forth, in an attempt
\nto make the thing look very much like a comic strip come to life.
\nCombined with everything else they’re doing, it does sound like the movie —
\nstarring Warren Beatty, Madonna, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Mandy Patinkin,
\net al — should be worth checking out for its novel approach to adapting
\na comic strip to film. Of course I thought that ten years ago about _Popeye_,
\nwhich turned out to do a very poor job of capturing Segar’s work once past
\nthe bang-up makeup jobs.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #290, from bsoron, 360 chars, Tue Mar 20 22:54:36 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 289.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

I thought the adaptation of the Dick Tracy movie was great, but I’m
\na sucker for Kyle Baker’s art. He was a bit understated here — none
\nof the ears and noses you see in the classic Cowboy Wally, for instance
\n— but it still looked great. (Now that I think of it, I’m pretty sure
\nit was full process color, so apparently they did take some liberties…)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #291, from hmccracken, 352 chars, Wed Mar 21 18:14:16 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 290.
\n————————–
\nApparently a lot of Chester Gould fans are outraged that those Dick Tracy
\ncomics aren’t drawn in Chester Gould’s style. This presumably relates to
\nthe fact that Kyle Baker’s style is in its own way as stylized as Gould’s;
\nif somebody like Neal Adams had drawn the comic, rendering likenesses of
\nthe film actors, there wouldn’t be a problem.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #292, from jimomura, 315 chars, Thu Mar 22 10:08:56 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: “Five Star Stories” coming in English
\n I recently got word on the Net that there’s going to be a
\ntranslation of some of the “Five Star Stories” manga. This is a
\nbig hit in Japan right now. Unfortunately, they are going for the
\n“premium” audience with hard cover and sticker prices up around
\n$40.00 US.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #293, from jimomura, 1482 chars, Wed Mar 28 16:58:09 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: “Outlanders” 13 – 15, “Cobra”, “Sentinels”
\n I dropped into the Comic Den today while doing other things, and
\npicked up “Outlanders” #15. The series of issues from #13 – #15 make
\nup a trio of “must get” issues. There are so many twists and turns
\nto this story that you really can’t say that one is a turning point
\nanymore than another, but there are some really significant happenings
\nin each to make them special. In #13, Kahm and Tetsuyo and Battia
\nmake good their escapes. We find out a bit more about the Sourceress
\nJihler and Kahm and Tetsuyo prepare for their “evening”. #14, as I
\nmentioned above brings us to “the morning after” and brings Tetsuyo
\nand Kahm back to Battia and Geobaldi, and Geobaldi gets shot by the
\nusurping clergyman. In #15, we find out a bit about how strong
\nGeobaldi really is, and then Tetsuyo fights for the safety of Earth.
\nHis fighting spirit in the face of death moves Geobaldi. But even
\ndeath cannot hold Tetsuyo — not while Kahm lives!<\/p>\n

“Cobra” #1 is another “high priced spread” package with semi-
\nhard cover. Maybe I should call it a “stiff” cover? I dunno.
\nCobra is a futuristic tough guy with cigar. It was really popular
\nin Japan. I don’t expect to buy it though. The artwork is really
\ngood and somewhat atypical for manga. I guess it’s one of the most
\n“western” looking manga produced.<\/p>\n

Another issue of “Sentinels II” was also out, but I didn’t
\nget a chance to look at it. I might buy it, or I might not.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #294, from jimomura, 1943 chars, Mon Apr 2 01:25:06 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Dirty Pair II and Appleseed
\n I have 2 Adam Warren covers in front of me as I type this
\nand I really don’t like either of them.<\/p>\n

Dirty Pair II part 5 thankfully got the numbering right
\nthis time. It says Part 5 of 5. This winds up the story,
\nthough a return engagement with Shasti looks likely. The cover
\nis a bit brighter and cleaner than most of the previous efforts.
\nThe artwork overall is much the same inside though.<\/p>\n

Appleseed Book 3 volume 5 marks the end of that book
\nand the immediate storyline. It’s the most acceptable place
\nto break, and I don’t mind so much that we’ll have to wait till
\nthe “Black Magic” series runs its course before we pick up
\non the next volume. Most of the issue follows Fang’s stocking
\nand capture of “Artemis”, the Wolfgirl. Of the rest, the next
\nmore prominent story is Deunan’s training and unrest. But
\nwatch out for the 3rd plot snuck away in the corners so to speak.
\nThis is the overall plot of what Athena’s doing and the information
\nthat Poseiden’s been after. Artistically, Shirow is in top form
\nwith some of the best renderings of Deunan and Hitome done so
\nfar. But this issue abounds with the “little” bits that Shirow
\nrevels in that make the character and the world rich and full.
\nThe two pages of Artemis waking up in the park are almost reminicent
\noff Disney’s work or early movies.<\/p>\n

But back to the cover. Adams’ cover is really bad. It
\nmisses the sharp features of Fang completely making him look
\nfairly ordinary, and Artemis looks unbalanced and unco-ordinated.
\nOne thing you see in Shirow’s pages of Artemis is that she
\nis certainly not that. Her appendages flow naturally to where
\nthe should be for her to accomplish what she has in mind in
\na half cat\/half simian “artless” fluidity. I don’t know why they
\nused this cover.<\/p>\n

Oh, and another surprise for me was that it seems that we
\nsee the last of Doric. Somehow, I don’t expect its true though.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #295, from hmccracken, 473 chars, Wed Apr 4 18:35:52 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: If Berke Breathed’s _Outland_ is looking more and more like
\n_Bloom County_ to you, there’s a reason. According to an article in
\nthe _Hartford Courant_, newspaper editors were not very pleased with
\n_Outland_’s Krazy Kat-like surrealistic art and rather obscure story-
\nline. The return of Opus, Bill the Cat, and company was in response
\nto this, and last Sunday’s strip is so Bloom Countyesque that it might
\nas well have been an episode of the old strip.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #296, from davemackey, 573 chars, Wed Apr 4 20:54:39 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 295.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nMy brother and I have been knocking this around. We think the reasons that
\nOutland has so reverted to a weekly Bloom County are (1) the possibility
\nof legal ramifications stemming from the continued use of the Mickey Mouse-
\nlike character Mortimer Mouse (remember the Air Pirates?), and (2) the
\nfact that Bill The Cat, not originally slated to be in the strip, soon
\nbegan appearing to somewhat take Morty’s place. Opus was intended as a
\nfallback character and some sort of peg of familiarity~r to the
\nlikes of Ronald-Ann and the others.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #297, from sharonfisher, 150 chars, Wed Apr 4 21:19:02 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 296.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI haven’t bothered reading Outland after about the first three weeks. It
\nwas stupid. It reminded me of the Bloom County cartoons I liked the least.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #298, from hmccracken, 215 chars, Wed Apr 4 22:27:32 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 297.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nYou might check it out again; it definitely is moving more and
\nmore in a Bloomy Countyish direction. Breathed is breaking
\nno new ground, but he only has to draw one strip a week and
\nis presumably happy.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #299, from bsoron, 273 chars, Sat Apr 7 17:01:11 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 298.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

I’ve noticed the change in Outland and I’m sorry to see it happen; not
\nall of the early strips were gutbustingly funny, but at least he was
\ntrying to do something different from the rest of the Sunday fare…
\nmaybe no one wants to see anything like Krazy Kat any more?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #300, from jimomura, 413 chars, Thu Apr 12 20:30:14 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Around the Stores
\n I finally received my #1 of Captain Harlock! I’m very happy about
\nthat. Apparently it’s a first print since Eternity marks it’s reprints.
\nThe title is “An Exchange of Futures” and it picks up the history of the
\nCaptain immediately after “My Youth in Arcadia”.<\/p>\n

Also in the stores I saw “Cobra” #2 and “Crying Freeman” #6.
\npeople following those stories will rush to get them.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #301, from jimomura, 856 chars, Thu May 3 21:13:50 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Masamune Shirow’s “Dominion”, original Japanese Maki
\n Yup, I bought it! Copyright is 1986, ISBN4-592-13098-7 C0079 P880E.
\nThe publisher is Jet Comics and the price is 880 Yen. I paid $25.00 Cdn.
\nOn a cursory flip through, I’d say that the English translation by
\nEclipse is complete. There isn’t anything in this volume that I looks
\ndifferent from what I saw in the comicbooks. That’s in part due to
\nthe fact that this book doesn’t have any nudity and the violence is
\nrelatively clean by Japanese standards. As such, there wasn’t any
\nproblem showing everything. Oops! I forgot. There is *some* nudity
\nin this book, but it was all included in the English version. It’s
\nthe scenes with Crolis Greenpeace of course. She rarely wore clothes.
\nBut then *she* never noticed she didn’t have clothes on, so after
\na while, I stopped noticing it.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #302, from hmccracken, 930 chars, Sat May 12 01:12:49 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: I’m always pleased to pick up the newspaper and find a new comic
\nstrip, even when the strip itself isn’t a masterpiece. This week the Globe
\ndropped the unusual-but-tedious Norb in favor of Phoebe’s Place, by Bill
\nSchorr, and I’m not sure yet whether it was a change for the better.
\nSchorr’s art is quite nice in a Disney-inspired way, and the idea — the
\nstrip’s about a cat who runs a boarding house and has a professorish
\nowl as a boarder — is interesting. (And surprisingly experimental: ever
\nnotice how few strips with talking — as opposed to thinking — animals
\nthere are?) The strip hasn’t been especially funny yet, and judging from
\nSchorr’s other strips — Conrad (about a talking frog, from a few years
\nago) and The Grizwells (about a bear family) it may never be much more
\namsuing. I will be reading it, though — the concept has real potential,
\nand Schorr’s artwork is always worth seeking out.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #303, from davemackey, 246 chars, Sat May 12 01:54:02 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Bugs Bunny #1
\nAnyone else pick up this new DC title, in direct sales shops this past
\nFriday? Looked pretty good from here, enough new story ideas and rehashing
\nof past mythos to provide a good balance.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #304, from hmccracken, 439 chars, Sat May 12 16:14:48 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 303.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 303.
\n————————–
\nThat Bugs comic isn;’t bad, although I like the current Bugs comic *strip*
\nbetter. I think the writer of the comic book is skating on the edge of
\nin-joke excess, though some of the in-jokes aren’t bad. Chuck Fiala’s
\nart style is an acquired taste — which I acquired long ago, happily, enough
\nso that I’m willing to forgive the way the characters keep going off-model.
\nI’ll be picking up the other issues of the mini-series.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #305, from davemackey, 96 chars, Sat May 12 16:56:12 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 304.
\n————————–
\nThat too was running through my mind: why couldn’t the art in the book
\nbe as good as the strip?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #306, from bsoron, 333 chars, Sun May 13 16:54:43 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 303.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

Wasn’t that happy with it. A few too many in-jokes for me (a small\b
\nproblem but one that grates on me because, even if I get ’em, I know
\nsomeone somewhere doesn’t, and the work remains that much less accessible
\nto them), and in places it seemed like “Interesting Characters In Search
\nOf A Plot.” But I’ll read the rest of ’em.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #307, from jimomura, 566 chars, Sun May 13 19:27:20 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: “Captain Harlock” #6
\n Dunn’s artwork is passable. But the story in this issue is exceptional.
\nThe title is “The Truth Behind Miracles” and though it is a piece of the
\nwhole Harlock story, I think there’s enough in it that someone who has
\nnot followed the story will pick up on what’s going on and the significance
\nof the story standing alone.<\/p>\n

I hope I remember it when it comes time to vote for this years awards.
\nIt may well be the most beautiful story that’ll appear in any single
\nissue of any comicbook this year. It’ll be very hard to top it.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #308, from jimomura, 680 chars, Sun May 13 19:50:17 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Time for the 1989 Fan Awards
\n The “Comic Buyer’s Guide” awards voting is come up again and I’m
\ngiving thought to what I liked in 1989. Most of it won’t come as
\na surprise. I’ll probably vote heavily for Shirow’s Appleseed again.
\nI may included a vote for Takahashi’s “Lum” series, or “Fire Tripper”.
\nNausicaa will fit into ’89. So will “Outlanders”. “Captain Harlock”
\nprobably squeaks into ’89, but off the top of my head, I don’t know
\nthat I’d vote it in any category. It’s “historically important” to
\nme, but generally hasn’t really been one of my preferred titles.
\nThose are just thoughts off the top of my head. I’ll probably post
\nmy votes and reasons later.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #309, from rfranzen, 865 chars, Sun May 13 21:56:43 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Good time to sale-out?
\n Back in the 70’s I was pretty heavy into collecting current and “recent”
\nsuperhero comics. I have about 3000 total, covering all US lables in the
\ndecade (Marvel, DC, Atlas, some of the “ground-level” labels). I was serious;
\neach is individually bagged and graded (but the ones I have from the 60’s are
\ngenerally “good” to “fine” in quality (I was broke, what can I say?)). I
\nhaven’t looked at them in 5 years.
\n So, is this a good time to sell-off my collection? I’m more into computers
\nnowadays, and I’d love to make almost enough money from the comics to buy
\nan Amiga 3000. If it is a good time, how do I go about doing it without
\ngetting taken. I know I have to be reasonable, and that _Buyer’s_Guide_
\nprices reflect what dealers charge, not what they pay. But I don’t really
\nhave any interest in them any more.
\n\tRich<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #310, from switch, 776 chars, Sun May 13 22:29:23 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 309.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 309.
\n————————–
\nSpeaking as someone who is also selling some of his collection (partially
\nto help offset the cost of a new Amiga 2000\/2000HD), I’d say the best bet
\nis to go about asking comic collectors first. Hunt around at comic cons.
\nIf you’ve got a small con running at your area and the cost is minimal
\nenough, get a table (or share one) and put your comics on display. I’d
\ngenerally avoid dealers until you’ve exhausted any other possibilities.<\/p>\n

To backtrack to your first question: any time you’re not interested in
\nyour collection is a good time to sell. If there are any titles you feel
\nmay make a comeback in some way, shape, or form, though, you might
\nconsider holding on to them: I know I regret selling my Teenage Mutant Ninja
\nTurtles comics a few years back (ouch!)…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #311, from rfranzen, 236 chars, Sun May 13 23:29:16 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 310.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n Thanks for the advice, Emru. I’m down here in Florida, about 70 miles
\nfrom Orlando (Mickey’s home-away-from-home). Maybe they have some conventions
\nthere occasionally. I’ve been so out of the comic scene, I don’t even know!
\n\tRich<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #312, from switch, 117 chars, Mon May 14 00:06:10 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 311.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nCheck sf\/sources for SF con info. There’s usually something going on there.
\nThere are also the Creation cons.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #313, from tom.white, 946 chars, Mon May 14 03:08:54 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 309.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 309.
\n————————–
\nSelling has two basic ways: do it yourself or sell them to the local
\nstore and forget about it. You can make more doing it yourself, either
\nat the local con or with an ad in the CBG’s Comics Trader section, but
\nthen you have to think of the time involved stuffing envelopes with the
\nmerchandise (or possibly, packing up the whole bunch) and maybe even
\nrefunding $ for unsatisfied customers. The local store should pay 50%
\nof Guide, 60% if the owner is cool and you’re a good customer. Last year,
\nunemployment and perfect timing enabled me to offload many years worth
\nof Batmans to my then-local retailer, and I made several hundred, which
\nhelped a lot.
\nBatman is no longer nova-hot. Best item to sell right now is probably
\nTMNTurtles, and expect a lot of your comics to go cheap. Anything older
\nthan 1980 is good though, older than 1975 really good, anything drawn by
\nNeal Adams is, for whatever reasons, immortal at getting good prices.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #314, from jimomura, 1031 chars, Mon May 14 10:54:29 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 309.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n It’s a matter of opinion, but I’ll say yes.<\/p>\n

First, comicbooks are printed on cheap paper and we now know that
\nit’s probably acid paper. As such, it’s not going to last no matter
\nwhat precautions you took. I don’t know of anybody trying to neutralize
\nthe acid, but it would be necessary. As such, comicbooks have a limited
\nlife span. I’m personally not keeping the pulps very long for that
\nreason.<\/p>\n

Second, many of the better comics are coming out in “trade paperback”
\nform with much better quality paper. These dilute the market and
\nmean that the potential investment value is capped to an extent anyway.
\nDon’t expect to make much more on them than what you can get today.<\/p>\n

Third, because of the “trade paperback” reprints, if you ever
\nwant to read one again someday, it’s starting to look likely that you’ll
\nbe able to. No big deal keeping them around anymore.<\/p>\n

The exception is of course, that you might want to keep issues
\nthat might not be popular enough to get into “trade paperback” reprints.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #315, from rfranzen, 233 chars, Mon May 14 20:22:13 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 313.
\n————————–
\n Thanks for the tips, Tom. I “got out of” comics before the Turtles
\narrived, so I don’t have any of those to sell. On the other hand, I have
\nall the new X-Men up until 1980 or so (along with 3000 of their closest
\nfriends).
\n\tRich<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #316, from rfranzen, 114 chars, Mon May 14 20:25:10 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 314.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n Jim, thanks for the info and advice. Selling them now certainly would
\nfree up a lot of closet space…!
\n\tRich<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #317, from bcapps, 573 chars, Tue May 15 22:13:39 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 316.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nRich,
\n As a bit of public service for a fellow Amigoid, I looked up Florida
\nin the What, Where, and When column for local cons for you:<\/p>\n

(figuring you’re “near” Orlando, such that Ocala and Tampa wouldn’t
\n be too far.)
\n 5\/20 Orlando – Maitland Civic Center 10a-5p. Ph 407-260-0017
\n 5\/27 Daytona – Ocean Center 10a-5p. Ph 904-441-6395. Mark Gmuer
\n 6\/02 Ocala – Rodeway Inn 9a-5p. Ph 904-687-2318. Charlie Cook<\/p>\n

These are coming up fairly recently [the sooner to pay for a 3000 with!]
\nand are listed in the CBG 5\/25\/90 issue. Hope this helps.<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #318, from hmccracken, 1146 chars, Tue May 15 22:42:22 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Anybody else out there a fan of Doug Marlette’s comic strip
\n_Kudzu_? I’ve recently purchased and read a very large, nicely-done
\ncollection of the strip (_A Doublewide with a View_), and it’s
\nreally improved my regard for Marlette’s work. (A lot of strips
\nread better day-to-day in the paper than in collections — despite
\nthe popularity of the _Far Side_ books, I find it to be one —
\nbut Kudzu’s sometimes quite intricate storylines and complicated
\nrunning gags work better in book form.)<\/p>\n

Marlette doesn’t get mentioned in the same brearth as a Trudeau
\nor Breathed, but his stuff tackles similar topics in its own
\nsometimes-hilarious way, and is better drawn to boot. The
\nongoing chronicle of Nasal T. Lardbottom’s attempt to get a
\nrace change operation really skirts on the edges of bad taste —
\nand prompted a letter or few to the Boston Globe by offended
\nreaders. But Nasal’s struggle seems to me at least a healthy
\nand honest examination of stereotypes that’s also very amusing
\nsatire. <\/p>\n

Anyhow, Kudzu fans should pick up the book, and those who
\narent fans may well turn into ones by the time they finish
\nreading it.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #319, from rfranzen, 118 chars, Wed May 16 00:27:16 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 317.
\n————————–
\n Wow! This is what I call service. Thanks, Bob, for the comic con.
\ninfo. Now I just gotta get organized…
\n\tRich<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #320, from davemackey, 378 chars, Wed May 16 06:46:10 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 318.
\nThere are additional comments to message 318.
\n————————–
\nI used to keep up with it when it was in the New York Daily News in the early
\npart of the last decade. After the News had dropped it, it started to
\nspotlight the Rev. Will B. Dunn more at the time of the Bakker-Swaggart
\nreligious scandals. Marlette is a potent cartoonist and his work deserves
\na wider showcase (and space in the Daily News).
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #321, from switch, 78 chars, Wed May 16 11:31:13 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 318.
\nThere are additional comments to message 318.
\n————————–
\nOh, _good_! I never get to read Kudzu ‘less I go down to the States…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #322, from jenn, 32 chars, Wed May 16 20:49:32 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 312.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nOr sf\/calendar, eh, switch?
\n\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #323, from switch, 97 chars, Thu May 17 01:31:01 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 322.
\n————————–
\nOops. I meant ‘calendar’. (Boy, I seem to have made a _lot_ of mistakes
\nMonday night…)<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #324, from switch, 131 chars, Thu May 17 09:50:17 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Hagar
\nI’ve been meaning to ask this for a looooong time — how long ago did Chris
\nBrowne start doing Hagar? And why?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #325, from davemackey, 258 chars, Thu May 17 18:48:32 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 324.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nChris Browne had been helping his father, Dik Browne, on the “Hagar” strip
\nfor a number of years. Last summer or fall, I forget which, Dik Browne passed
\naway. Only recently has Browne begun signing the strip in his own name.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #326, from switch, 198 chars, Fri May 18 09:11:54 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 325.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nHey, that’s interesting! Around November, I pointed to a Hagar strip and said,
\n“Is it just me, or is something kind of _wrong)g_ with this?” <\/p>\n

Is the younger Browne also doing Hi and Lois?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #327, from davemackey, 155 chars, Fri May 18 18:21:56 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 326.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nNo, Hi and Lois is being done by Chris Browne’s brother, Chance, and I believe
\nMort Walker is still doing the strip too.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #328, from hmccracken, 244 chars, Fri May 18 18:44:35 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 327.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nOddly enough, as of the last time I looked, Dik Browne was still signing
\n_Hi and Lois_, even though _Hagar_ was being credited to Chris.
\nOf course Carl Anderson signed _Henry_ for thirty years after he died,
\nso anything is possible.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #329, from bcapps, 937 chars, Sat May 19 00:55:43 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 318.
\n————————–
\nKudzu is great! Marlette currently works for the Charlotte News & Observer
\nin NC and also does the editorials there. Pick up Bull’s Eye or a Comic
\nReview (or was it express?). Need to find it… Anyhoo, he also does some
\nvery pointed politico bashing. And is highly amusing.
\n I have recently found several of his books in WaldenBooks $$$ bins for
\nas low as 99 cents. His work is often farcial, many times even satirical,
\nwhich many people _JUST_ don’t get! It takes intelligence, along with a
\nbit of some emotional control (Now wait, let’s think about what this comic
\nsays before we go flyin’ off the handle. Wouldn’t be prudent! Not very
\nfriendly-like.), to even recognize satire. Harlan Ellison gets misunderstood
\nmore times that he would probably care to realize. But, the fact is, today’s
\nsociety, bred by a saccharine teat, full of mindless pap, just has a very
\ndifficult time with the stuff. Satire, that is.<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #330, from davemackey, 330 chars, Sat May 19 06:58:22 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 328.
\n————————–
\nI checked yesterday’s, and Hi and Lois is now being signed simply “Browne.”
\n(Though my local paper, which prints the creators’ names above the strips,
\ngets about half of them wrong, spelling some names wrong and leaving out
\n“insignificant” people like Stan Drake. They still list Dik Browne.)
\n –D.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #331, from jimomura, 275 chars, Sat May 26 10:55:17 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Dominion #4, “Chapter 3: Intervention”
\n In this issue of Dominion the Puma sisters go on a little romp
\nthat almost kills Al and Leona. It’s a fast paced issue that’s
\nsort of “just for fun.” It provides some insight into the world
\nin which Al and Leona operate.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #332, from jimomura, 271 chars, Thu May 31 10:26:22 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: “What’s Michael?” by Eclipse
\n This is advertised on the back of “Dominion”. It’s a 120 page
\ngraphic album which features a cat. I’ve seen pieces of it in the
\nmagazines before
\nand wondered whether it would sell in North America.
\nIt’s sort of strange humour.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #333, from sharonfisher, 50 chars, Thu May 31 12:32:49 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 332.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIt’s *hysterical*. The author really knows cats.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #334, from jimomura, 126 chars, Thu May 31 14:50:01 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 333.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n You know, I don’t have a cat. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t really
\nmake sense to me. I look at it and sort of say “huh?”<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #335, from switch, 117 chars, Fri Jun 1 01:24:19 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 334.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI blew up one _What’s Michael?_ cartoon where the “Bad” video is spoofed and
\nput it up on my wall. Hilarious.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #336, from bcapps, 265 chars, Sat Jun 2 00:23:04 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 335.
\n————————–
\nI saw it in the shop, glanced at the price, balked!, put it back down, got
\nmy other stuff, picked it back up while waiting in line, keep reading,
\nfinally decided: “Damn, but this is funny!” and bought it. And it was the
\nlast copy in the store. What a find!<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #337, from jimomura, 1430 chars, Sun Jun 3 14:37:29 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Vol. 1” (Trade Paperback)
\nISBN 0-929279-58-1, Miyazaki, Hayao, Trans. by Lewis and Smith, Viz Comics
\n I’ve called these “English Makis” before and effectively that’s
\nwhat they are. This series presents a problem. The first set of
\nindividual issues is on relatively high quality paper with approx.
\n50 pages per issue and with very good quality inks and semi-hard
\ncovers. My first issue is priced at $3.50 Canadian. These Makis
\ncost $13.95 US \/ $18.95 Canadian and this first volume has only
\n135 pages of main material and a couple of pages of essay material
\nby Miazaki and a single colour plate of one of the watercolor
\n“poster” pictures (small). The ink isn’t really the best either
\n(not a particularly good black density).<\/p>\n

So, why buy it? I guess the only reasons I can point to
\nis if you missed it the first time around, or if you like having
\n“everything produced” as a collector, or alternatively, if you
\nreally prefer saving a bit of space. Only you won’t save much
\nspace even. The first volume is about as thick as 2 individual
\nvolumes, but it only holds about 2 1\/5 volumes worth of material,
\nand it’s not much smaller in page size either. So you don’t save
\nmuch space, and you lose the beautiful covers and pay almost twice
\nas much.<\/p>\n

So I guess it mainly boils down to people who missed it the
\nfirst time around? I don’t know which I’m going to keep now.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #338, from jimomura, 1236 chars, Thu Jun 7 16:47:54 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Masamune Shirow’s “Black Magic”, Book 1, April 1990
\n Eclipse International says April, I say June. The local
\nstore just got this in, so what’s the point of calling it an April
\nissue? $3.50 US, $4.20 Can is the sticker price for roughly 60 pages.
\nEach store has its own page numbering, and I just added them up.
\nThere are 2 stories. The first is “Prologue” and then the first
\n*chapter* is “Bowman”. The “Prologue” is longer than the earlier
\none that published. The translators are Toren Smith and Alan
\nGleason, L. Lois Buhalis did lettering and retouching and Greg S.
\nBaisden is down as editor.<\/p>\n

I think I like this better than “Dominion”. It’s not as
\nfast paced as “Appleseed”, but it’s definitely closer in feeling
\nto “Appleseed” than “Dominion”. You can see Shirow’s writing style
\nand art style, not just developing, but already in a very high
\nstate of development. That’s the big surprise. If you look at
\nTyphon’s portrayal in the prologue and look at all the expressions
\nand emotions Shirow used, and the shading techniques, it leaves
\nyou with a sense of “well, that’s about all that most of the
\nbetter artists are capable of doing, now what’s he going to do
\nnext?” But we already know what he did “next”.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #339, from switch, 407 chars, Sat Jun 23 16:07:54 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: dBase IV QuickStart
\nNo, you didn’t misread the title. I’m at work, and I was just helping a
\ncustomer with his selection of computer books. I happened to glance at the
\ncover of _dBase IV QuickStart_, and noticed that the cover was a rainbow of
\ncomputer labels. The one that caught my eye read:<\/p>\n

Oliver Queen
\n6452 Sherwood Ct.
\nInsianapolis, IN<\/p>\n

Another one reads:<\/p>\n

Barbara Gordon
\n4556 Gotham<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #340, from steven_edwards, 547 chars, Sat Jun 23 22:16:31 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 339.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n\tSeveral years ago I had an Intel-produced looseleaf text used for one
\nof their developer courses for one of the iAPX86 family processors. In the
\nmany pages of microcomputer arcana was a little comic relief: an occasional
\nJay Ward character (Snidely Whiplash comes to mind) made its appearance to
\npoint out the more devious of the various chip design ramifications.
\n\tI myself have slipped in references to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
\nin documentation for software I’ve designed. It does tend to lighten up the
\npaperwork burden.<\/p>\n

\t— Steve<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #341, from switch, 161 chars, Sun Jun 24 00:12:12 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 340.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nSome of my old physics teachers used to illustrate the principles
\nof gravity or momentum with various Warner character falling or
\nbeing pushed off cliffs.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #342, from bsoron, 1243 chars, Sun Jun 24 00:22:24 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: If You Read Only One…<\/p>\n

… well, you’ll have to choose between two — both the new Doom
\nPatrol and Kyle Baker’s “Why I Hate Saturn” both had me rolling on
\nthe floor. DP #34 has Robotman’s body gaining independent sentience
\nand having a philosophical discussion with his disembodied brain.
\nMeanwhile, M’sieu Mallah and The Brain are doing much the same as
\nthey prepare to attack DP headquarters. The setup is great on its
\nown, but the page in which The Brain and Robotman’s disembodied brain
\nfight is just wonderful. The ending’s very clearly foreshadowed, but
\nit’s got a great twist.<\/p>\n

“Why I Hate Saturn” isn’t as funny as Baker’s “The Cowboy Wally
\nStory,” but it’s close, with Anne, her sister Laura, and her friend
\nRicky debate relationships in the ’90s as a crazed ex-boyfriend
\nhunts Anne and Laura across the country. It’s more low-key than
\n“Cowboy Wally”; its laughs are less frequently but last as long as
\nthose in Baker’s first book. The payoff is that “Why I Hate Saturn”‘s
\ncharacters aren’t the broad caricatures that “Cowboy Wally” featured;
\neach of them has eccentricities, but I know people like all three of
\nthe main characters. This is a 200-page graphic novel from Piranha,
\nwhich has yet to publish a loser.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #343, from tom.white, 191 chars, Sun Jun 24 11:23:54 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 341.
\n————————–
\nIn a similar vein, I remember a PRIME manual for some application or other
\nthat made extensive use of bookkeeping on Magrathea, along with other
\nreferences to the creations of Douglas Adams.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #344, from jimomura, 336 chars, Mon Jun 25 00:19:21 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Dominion 5 and Outlanders 18
\n I’ve just picked these up and both are moving along nicely.
\nDominion finds Buaku attempting to kidnap babies and reveals a plan
\nfor the future of his gang. Outlanders finds Kahm’s rebels beginning
\nreal negotiations with the surviving Earth forces. The Sorceress
\nJilehr confronts her destiny.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #345, from jimomura, 290 chars, Tue Jul 17 00:04:28 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: “Alien Nation”
\n There’s a new “Alien Nation” comic book coming out. I don’t know
\nhow it’ll turn out. The ad I saw looked like it had good artwork, but
\nthat’s just one page, and it was probably specifically for the ad, so
\nyou can’t count on it being of that quality throughout.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #346, from switch, 107 chars, Tue Jul 17 11:43:52 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Star Trek
\nAnyone read the issue of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” written
\nby John deLancie?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #347, from dave.f, 80 chars, Tue Jul 17 14:35:04 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 345.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nre: Who’s the publisher for ALIEN NATION, Jim?<\/p>\n

D=<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #348, from dave.f, 167 chars, Tue Jul 17 14:35:07 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 346.
\n————————–
\nre: I have not read it, but the word on Usenet and
\nDECnet is that it’s fairly good, but not exceptional.<\/p>\n

The issue is ST:TNG Annual #1<\/p>\n

D=<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #349, from tom.white, 123 chars, Tue Jul 17 19:40:26 1990
\n————————–
\nFor fans of Fox Trot (like me), the second collection is now in stores.
\nAsk for “Pass The Loot” at your local Waldenbooks.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #351, from jimomura, 105 chars, Fri Jul 20 12:09:44 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 347.
\n————————–
\n Alien Nation is going to be published by “Adventure Comics” which
\nis a division of Malibu Graphics.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #352, from davemackey, 410 chars, Sat Jul 21 06:24:24 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: “Little Mermaid” comic
\nDisney’s comics division is going to be putting out a “Little Mermaid” one-shot.
\nThis will not be an adaptation of the movie, rather an original story, and
\nDisney is especially concerned with keeping the characters on model (especially
\nAriel) so they’re going to be using artists who worked on the film to draw the
\nbook. Anyone hear who?
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #353, from jimomura, 1476 chars, Sun Jul 22 18:25:46 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Crying Freeman #8, Ninja High School Perfec Memory 1 and Black Magic
\n Starting with the last, no, the next issue of the English version
\nof Black Magic isn’t out yet. I finally bought the original Japanese
\nManga. The publication dates are 1985\/12\/20 and 1988\/11\/10. The price
\non the back says 850 Yen, but I paid $33.00 Can. I can sort of understand
\nenough to see where this one’s going and I like the story. The next
\nissue in English should have “Open Up” and “Booby Trap” in it. The
\n“Booby Trap” story is the one that seems to have give rise to the
\nstory in the “Black Magic M-66” video.<\/p>\n

Crying Freeman #8 is the last in the first series of English
\ntranslations by Viz. However, response seems to have been pretty good
\nbecause Viz announces in this volume that another series is coming.<\/p>\n

The Ninja High School Perfect Memory is a strange publication.
\nA “Perfect Memory” is usually produced for an anime series and it
\ncovers all kinds of information about the series. One expects to see
\na synopsis of all the stories, the official artwork, interviews with
\nthe artists and performers. That pretty much describes the content.
\nThe form though, is the same low cost pulp as the comicbooks. It’s 96
\npages and a gloss colour cover. If you’ve just bought your first
\nissue of Ninja High School recently, this will be a must to help you
\nget into what’s going on. For instance, you may not have realized
\nthat the Salusian race was patterned on skunks!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #354, from hmccracken, 352 chars, Thu Jul 26 18:30:20 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 352.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI understand that the art on the _Little Mermaid_ comic will be handled
\nby one of the European “studios” that does much of the art for the
\nDisney comics. The actual artists may still be ones who worked on
\n_Mermaid_, of course, though I’m unaware of any that jump between the
\nanimaton department and the European comics side of the business.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #355, from steven_edwards, 826 chars, Thu Jul 26 23:48:28 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 354.
\n————————–
\n\tDisney had already produced a hardcover book in 1989 titled
\n_The Little Mermaid_ (Gallery Books ISBN 0-8317-5606-5) that is based of the
\nmovie storyline. This book is apparently the most recent of the _Disney
\nClassic Series_, all of which are based on full length animation films and
\naimed at the 10 and under set. With only 96 pages and text suitable for the
\nyounger ones, some of the film’s contents have been either abbreviated or
\ndeleted. Still, quite entertaining for the children.
\n\tThe artwork is fairly close to that in the motion picture. The
\nbackrounds are mostly pastels and fill the entire area of the pages. When one
\nconsiders the amount of work that went into the film, one wondered why they
\ndidn’t just reuse some of the cels, at least for tracing purposes.<\/p>\n

\t— Steve (my niece really loves this stuff)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #356, from mstoodt, 4614 chars, Fri Aug 3 22:20:53 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: OLFO #1
\n This topic has not been too active recently, so in a blatent
\nattempt to get things going, I am going to start what will hopefully
\nbe a weekly series of reviews of some of the titles that I get. My
\ninspirations in this are two members of another online service (which
\nshall remain nameless (but whose initials are CIS)), Patrick Mullet
\nand Paul “Zeus” Grant, whose columns IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) and
\nTVFO (The View From Olympus) (respectively) are uploaded on a regular
\nbasis to the Comics Forum on that unnamed service. So I choose to
\nname my column OLFO (One Life Form’s Opinion)…
\n My tastes aren’t exactly in the mainstream (I currently get
\nexactly _one_ Marvel (non-Epic) title: Dr. Strange), but I hope that
\nI’m mainstream enough to be interesting to those people while exotic
\nenough to be interesting to the other end of the spectrum as well.
\n(This wasn’t a very exotic week, though…)
\n Note: I’m not going to go out of my way to spoil endings of
\nstories, but neither will I make much effort to avoid spoilers, so you
\nmay want to consider this series as having a ****SPOILER WARNING****
\non each entry.
\n So what’s out there for this life form to have an opinion about?<\/p>\n

Legion of Super-Heroes Annual 1: Charade
\n Tom & Mary Bierbaum: Script; Dougie Braithwaite: Pencils;
\n Hazelwood & Mahlstedt: Inks; Todd Klein: Letters;
\n Tom CcCraw: Colors; Michael Eury: Edits<\/p>\n

This is the best Legion story since the “Five Years Later…” of
\nnumber 1. We actually learn something about the characters (Jo Nah,
\nUltra Boy, is a _lot_ smarter than he looks), it shows how some of the
\nnew continuity fits in with the old, it fills one fairly big plot hole
\nfrom quite some time ago, and (cheap shot time) there’s none of
\nGiffen’s blasted nine panel layouts.
\n It’s not perfect; the art isn’t great (though it’s better than
\nGiffen’s — I started collecting the Legion at the time of the
\nDarkseid saga _because_ of Giffen’s art, which at that time was as
\ngood as that of Perez or Byrne; now he’s on the bottom of my list),
\nand in some places (Jo’s street life) it’s not easy to determine whose
\nvoice the colored balloons is supposed to represent; but the plot is
\nstrong and tight, so I’d give it an eight on a one-to-ten scale (and
\nthat scale is definitely bell-shaped, so an eight is quite good).<\/p>\n

Grimjack 76: Battle Rock
\n John Ostrander: “Lyrics”; Flint Henry: “Music”;
\n Gary Fields: “Backup Vocals”; Martin Thomas: “Ambient Sound”;
\n Anina Bennett: “Producer”
\n plus Youngblood:
\n John Ostrander and Kim Yale: Writers; Steve Pugh: Artist;
\n Gary Fields: Letterer; Martin Thomas: Colorist;
\n Anina Bennett: Editor<\/p>\n

This issue is a literal “Battle of the Bands”, a true “Ragnarock
\nand Roll” show. It’s a good reminder of how weird Cynosure and its
\nconnected dimensions are, and Flint’s art is (if possible) more
\nchaotic than it was in the Demon Knight graphic novel (that’s a
\ncompliment). But the story doesn’t really mean anything, to the
\ncharacters or to the readers, and it keeps us from seeing what we want
\nto see: Scuzzy getting what’s coming to him. So this story gets only
\na five, pretty low for one of my favorite series. (The Youngblood
\nbackup story is good, showing the event that cemented the hatred
\nbetween John Gaunt and his brother Nick. So raise the average for the
\nissue to a six.)<\/p>\n

Detective Comics 621: Rite of Passage Part Four: Trial by Fire
\n Alan Grant: Script; Norm Breyfogle: Penciller;
\n Steve Mitchel: Inker; Adrienne Roy: Colors;
\n Todd Klein: Letters; Dan Raaspler: Assoc. Editor;
\n Dennis O’Neil: Editor<\/p>\n

When Tim Drake was introduced, I knew his parents’ life expectancy
\ndropped to next to nothing; there was no way he’d be able to work
\nfull-time with the Batman if he still had close living relatives. But
\nI hoped that they would die in a purely accidental plane crash, or
\nkilled by a drunk driver, or anything that would keep Tim from having
\nthe revenge motive that the Batman and both of the previous Robins
\nhad. Oh well, can’t win ’em all… Breyfogle is not one of my
\nfavorite artists, and Grant’s script doesn’t show anything special, so
\ncall it a five: a turning point for one of the characters which is
\nhandled adequately, but not exceptionally.<\/p>\n

Also received (no comment on these, I just want to show what I was
\nchoosing from while selecting the above titles to comment on): Akira
\n23; Captain Harlock 8; Dreadstar 60; Hellblazer 33; High Society 14;
\nStar Trek 12.<\/p>\n

That’s it until the next batch of four-colored ink hits paper…<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #357, from switch, 493 chars, Fri Aug 3 22:30:22 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 356.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nHey, no fair! I was gonna do the same (when I have time to sit
\ndown and type \ud83d\ude42 On my agenda are Ark #32, Comic Relief #14,
\nCheval Noir #9, and the rest of the stuff I haven’t had a chance
\nto check out yet…<\/p>\n

I agree on Tim’s parents, tho – it’s part of the Batman mythos that
\none’s parents must die in order for Batman to identify with him
\n(IMHO). The only problem I had with Carrie in _Dark Knight_ was
\nthat her parents seemed largely unconcerned that she was out at
\nall hours…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #358, from tshim, 74 chars, Sat Aug 4 22:51:27 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Bugs Bunny Comic Strip
\nWhere in NYC or nearby does this strip run?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #359, from davemackey, 249 chars, Mon Aug 6 22:01:16 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 358.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIt is definitely not in any of the major New York newspapers. Nor is it in
\nThe Asbury Park Press and possibly not in the Star-Ledger. If you find out,
\nlet me know — Brett Koth and Shawn Keller are doing the job.
\n –D.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #360, from tshim, 239 chars, Mon Aug 6 23:02:12 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 357.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 357.
\n————————–
\nWelp, maybe Carrie thought that, as much as they cared, her parents were
\njust about as good as dead.<\/p>\n

Carrie’s parents in are, btw, throwaway liberal stereo-
\ntypes that Miller must have tossed in to throw some “balance.”<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #361, from tshim, 40 chars, Mon Aug 6 23:04:53 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 359.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIs it possibly in the Record, Dave Mac?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #362, from tom.white, 155 chars, Mon Aug 6 23:12:55 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 360.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI heard one interesting theory that Commissioner Yindel is Carrie’s
\nmother. I doubt that was Miller’s intention, but there’s no clear
\nflaws in this idea.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #363, from switch, 264 chars, Mon Aug 6 23:30:58 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 362.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 362.
\n————————–
\nUmmmmm, I don’t know about you, but I’d recognize my sister in
\na robin outfit, with or without the mask. Probably from a distance.
\nI’m reasonably sure the Comissioner would have recognized the voice,
\nthe hair, or just the build if she were Carrie’s mother.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #364, from davemackey, 90 chars, Wed Aug 8 09:54:15 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 361.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI’ll try to pick one up in my travels and check it out.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #365, from tom.white, 111 chars, Wed Aug 8 10:11:09 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 363.
\n————————–
\nAh! But! Reread Dark Knight and see how often the Commissioner
\ngets a good look at Robin or hears her voice.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #366, from tshim, 170 chars, Wed Aug 8 23:56:05 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 362.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWait, Yindel is one of those by-the-book cops who happens to side
\nwith Bats at the end.<\/p>\n

How can this be the grass-smoking ex-libber that is made out to be
\nCarrie’s mom?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #367, from tshim, 458 chars, Wed Aug 8 23:59:41 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 364.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 364.
\n————————–
\nThanks, you seem to get around (nothing implied here) more than I, so
\nif you can see some Jersey rag covering the Bugs strip, alert us! (read: me!)<\/p>\n

I hope they come out with a trade paperback with this stuff. I saw one
\nartwork in the Mus. of Cartoon Art with the Monster tied up. Bugs goes:
\n“Luckily, we use the latest in pain-relief,” with dentist garb. BOOM!
\nLast panel with the monster konked out; Bugs with a broken mallet: “Feel
\nany numbness yet?”<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #368, from tom.white, 188 chars, Thu Aug 9 09:50:17 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 366.
\n————————–
\nI don’t recall all the points the author of this theory made, but
\nthey were all valid. When I read Dark Knight again I’ll try to
\nmake a list of reasons why Yindel COULD be Carrie’s mom.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #369, from davemackey, 257 chars, Thu Aug 9 22:57:14 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 367.
\nThere are additional comments to message 367.
\n————————–
\nI dunno of any reprint compilation of the Bugs comic strip. Possibly
\nthe comic books used some of the strip material. But this is the first
\ntime the Bugs strip has deserved such attention, IMAO (in my arrogant
\nopinion).
\n –D.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #370, from hmccracken, 246 chars, Fri Aug 10 18:27:16 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 364.
\nThere are additional comments to message 364.
\n————————–
\nThe best place to looks for the Bugs comic strip is in small-time
\nsuburban papers. The strip is bundled as part of a package
\n(with _Frank and Ernest_, _The Born Loser_, _Alley Oop_ et al)
\nwhich is sold primarily to itsy-bitsy clients.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #371, from hmccracken, 216 chars, Fri Aug 10 18:28:43 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 367.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI’m told, by the folks who do the Bugs strip themselves, that Warner’s
\nis thinking about a collection of the strip; it may even include
\nexamples that were refused by the syndicate as being too outrageous.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #372, from tshim, 189 chars, Mon Aug 13 23:53:55 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 371.
\n————————–
\nI find it a little paranoid to bar >any< use of firearms in the strip.\nI mean, Elmer is >supposed< to carry a gun.\n\nWithout one, he's a throwback to the fat \"accountant-on-vacation\" Elmer.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #373, from tshim, 62 chars, Mon Aug 13 23:55:20 1990\nThis is a comment to message 364.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nA friend says that the Poughkeepsie Journal seems to have it.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #374, from switch, 1547 chars, Tue Aug 14 00:10:14 1990\n--------------------------\nTITLE: Mini-comics review\nWell, not really. I intended to do more, but my stack's getting\nhigh. So I decided to just say what I could while time permits...\n\nCHEVAL NOIR #9 (Dark Horse):\nHaldeman & Marvano's \"The Forever War\", Book One, Chapter Two: Was the\noriginal _Forever War_ this depressing? I don't think I've come across\nthis much hopelessness and despair in any medium for some time. Almost\neveryone looks dead as well, which doesn't help...\n\nBolland's \"A Really Good Book\": Heh heh.\n\nAndreas' \"Coutoo\": The story here isn't picking up too much; a lot is\nfairly predictable. On the other hand, Andreas' \"camera\" angles (some\nof which are reminiscent of Miller's _Dark Knight_), layouts, and \nimaginative lights and shadows is fascinating.\n\nShuiten & Peeters' \"The Tower\", I: Apparently, some old tower is slowly\ncrumbling and all these people are hired to keep watch over certain\nareas to make sure they remain secure. The main (only?) character,\nGiovanni Battista, doesn't have anything for me to latch onto.\nI can't like or hate him as a character. Too talky for me.\nTechnically masterful, though. Wonderful use of straight lines, light,\nand shadow.\n\n\nDruillet & Lob's \"Delirius\", Chapter III: The adventures of Lone\nSloane just do nothing for me. It's standard sword & sorcery fantasy\nin SF trappings, with a number of artistic eyeball benders. But that's\nall...\n\nCampbell & Hillyer's \"The Eyeball Kid\", Episode IV: This wacky story\nof the gods continues. Too weird to describe in the few minutes I\nhave. Sorry.\n\nEmru\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #375, from richard.pini, 103 chars, Tue Aug 14 09:09:37 1990\nThis is a comment to message 373.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nThe Journal?!? Who's your friend - local to us'ns here in Poughkeepsie, home\nof all good things elfin?\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #376, from davemackey, 234 chars, Tue Aug 14 20:39:18 1990\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: B. Kliban\nCartoonist Bernard Kliban died on Sunday at the age of 55. A contributing\ncartoonist to Playboy, Kliban found his greatest fame with his cat\ndrawings, including the book \"Cat\".\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #377, from hmccracken, 259 chars, Tue Aug 14 21:41:26 1990\nThis is a comment to message 376.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nGary Larson should wire a *very* large wreath to the Kliban funeral,\nmethinks. I don't think there would be a _Far Side_ without \nKliban's work. Jim Davis should contribute a smaller wreath\nfor Kilban's influence on _Garfield_, also considerable.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #378, from tshim, 723 chars, Wed Aug 15 01:00:39 1990\nThis is a comment to message 375.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nWow -- first I \"meet\" you and now I discover you're from Poughkeepsie.\nI used to live (from '74-'81) in Dutchess Cty., in the village of Wingdale\nto be exact. (Between Dover Plains and Pawling, on the Connecticut border.)\nI went to Poughkeepsie many times, mostly for movies as an elementary\nschool student.\n\nAnyway, a schoolmate of mine commented during a chat that the Bugs Bunny\nstrip >might< be in the Journal, but he hasn't gotten back to me. Can you\nshed some light on this?\n\nP.S. When my family and I left for the city, Poughkeepsie, notably the\ndowntown area (is the cobblestone walkway still there?) seemed to be \ngoing for the worse. How are things there?\n(I mostly remember the Sears mall, and little else.)\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #379, from richard.pini, 1101 chars, Wed Aug 15 12:39:16 1990\nThis is a comment to message 378.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nI know the Wingdale area a bit - have some acquaintances in Dover Plains -\nand since I grew up in CT, I'm familiar with that side of the border through\nosmosis.\n I don't get the Journal as a matter of course (we have a slightly different\nname for it here, but hey, that's regionalism!) but I will take a look at one\nand see if the BB strip is in it. \n Downtown seems to have hit bottom a few years back and they're trying, so\nfar with little success, to rejuvenate it. Yes, the pedestrial walk is still\nthere (the Main Mall) but it seems half the shops are empty. Now there's some\ntalk of taking the walkway out, reopening Main Street through, putting in\ndiagonal parking, and seeing if that doesn't perk things up. It all is of\nlittle impact here, though. The Sears mall is still there, though suffering\nbecause of the opening a couple of years ago of a big, 2-story Galleria mall\nright next door. But now, even the new kid on the block has some vacancies.\n By the way, if you haven't already done so, I hope you'll check out the\nelfquest conference - some new and weird stuff going on in there!\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #380, from switch, 758 chars, Wed Aug 15 17:02:28 1990\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: More stuff\nLOVE & ROCKETS #30: I honestly regret not picking up L&R #1 oh-so-long\nago. Jaime's style of depicting ordinary people in real life and making it\ninteresting is incredible. How could I have missed this for all those\nyears? Two things that struck me about \"Ninety-Three Million Miles From\nthe Sun\", Jaime's story: how he draws realistic people in a comic-book,\nsimplistic style, and an interesting depiction of sex on page 21's\nlast panel -- gets the feeling and intensity across without being\neven remotely pornographic. I wanna draw like this when I grow up.\nGilbert's second chapter of \"Poison River\", about life in South\nAmerica, was compelling and disturbing. I really can't put what\nI felt about it into words, I'm afraid.\n\nEmru\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #381, from tom.white, 635 chars, Wed Aug 15 17:44:14 1990\nThis is a comment to message 380.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 380.\n--------------------------\nLove & Rockets is an excellent comic (said the proud owner of\nthe entire series). Problem is, I read so much and it comes out\nso infrequently, I cannot remember the issue-to-issue storylines.\nOh well.\n\nIf you're really hot to read the whole series, Fantagraphics has\nmade sure you can. Earlier issues are being reprinted in graphic\nnovel format, two issues (or so) per volume. It's up to around\nvolume 8 at this point. I say \"or so\" because some of the stories\nare reprinted complete in a single volume, whereas they first appeared\nover several issues of the comic. Don't worry, you won't miss a thing.\n\nThe latest issue was #33.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #383, from hmccracken, 436 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:11:47 1990\nThis is a comment to message 380.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nI haven't read _Love and Rockets_ is a long time, but when I was a\nregular reader, I always preferred Gilbert's work over his brother's\nfor both the narrative *and* the artwork. Less flashy, but more\nrealistic and multi-dimensional. Or so I thought three or four\nyears ago -- even the few letter-writers who liked Gilbert's work\nbetter kind of apologized for it and didn't come right out and\nsay he was a better cartoonist.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #384, from switch, 203 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:28:08 1990\nThis is a comment to message 381.\n--------------------------\nActually I got #33 before I got #30. I just happened to pull #30\nout of my bag of Things To Mention Really Briefly first.\n\nI intend to get the reprints one of these days, like everything \nelse...\n\nEmru\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #385, from switch, 54 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:28:45 1990\nThis is a comment to message 383.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 383.\n--------------------------\nTonight we will be talking about deja vu...\n\n\ud83d\ude42\n\nEmru\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #386, from hmccracken, 123 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:36:54 1990\nThis is a comment to message 385.\nThere are additional comments to message 385.\n--------------------------\nOnly those of us who can read my screwed-up messages before I\ndelete them and replace them with corrected versions...\n\n;=)\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #387, from davemackey, 199 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:38:43 1990\nThis is a comment to message 377.\n--------------------------\nThe author of \"101 Uses For A Dead Cat\" should also pay his regards, too.\nThat book was probably a direct backlash to the cat craze that Kliban was\nresponsible for.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #388, from davemackey, 131 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:40:15 1990\nThis is a comment to message 383.\nThere are additional comments to message 383.\n--------------------------\nMe too for the vote for Gilbert Hernandez... I was much impressed with\nhis work on the early issues, particularly Errata Stigmata.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #389, from tom.white, 847 chars, Wed Aug 15 19:16:27 1990\nThis is a comment to message 383.\nThere are additional comments to message 383.\n--------------------------\nAh yes, the old Xamie-v.-Gilbert debate. Who's better?\n\nThe entire question is nonsense. They are both top-notch creators\nwith their own distinct styles whom happen to be brothers. Except\nfor the occasional in-joke, mostly back in the early days, the other's\ncharacters do not (and could not) appear in one's stories.\nLiking Gilbert's work better than Xamie's work, or the other way around,\nis a very personal and subjective judgement that's best described\nas being a coin toss. I like whichever is doing a better story at\nthe time. I think Gilbert's \"Human Diastrophism\" was superb. Xamie\nhas done work on a par with it.\n\nSat in on a panel they had at the Dallas Fantasy Fair last month and\nthey were easily the two most lucid, interesting creators at the Fair.\nOthers were friendly and enjoyable to listen to, but these guys are thinkers.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #390, from richard.pini, 12 chars, Wed Aug 15 20:56:24 1990\nThis is a comment to message 385.\n--------------------------\nAgain..?\n\ud83d\ude09\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #391, from switch, 254 chars, Wed Aug 15 21:24:27 1990\nThis is a comment to message 383.\n--------------------------\nI liked Gilbert's work on \"Poison River\", but I much preferred \"Ninety-Three\nMillion Miles From the Sun\" _because_ of the more simplistic style. \"Poison\nRiver\"'s characters were too angry or downcast for me to do anything other\nthan be depressed.\n\nEmru\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #392, from tshim, 466 chars, Thu Aug 16 23:57:49 1990\nThis is a comment to message 379.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nI'll try to make some time for elfquest, but it's getting hard! <\/p>\n

That’s too sad about the stores and all up there. Then of course,
\nnearby Wappingers Falls (which I always considered a synonym with Pough-
\nkeepsie) had that nice incident with Tawana Brawley. Not the kind of way
\nI wanted to see my “town” exposed on television.<\/p>\n

Do check out the BB strip in the Journal — and who exactly are
\nyour acquaintances in Dover Plains? I probably know them!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #393, from demo7, 561 chars, Fri Aug 17 00:10:05 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: comics
\nSomebody up there on the flying screensful of type mentioned B. Kliban and his cat
\ncat craze. I’m sorry to report we have just learned (through Freak Brothers cart 
\ncartoonist Paul Mavrides) that Kliban died on the operating table during heart
\nsugery a couple of days ago. He was a crusty and not very old curmudgeon who
\nwa appalled at the popularity of his cat book and might, one thinks, almost
\nbe supected of having secretly contributed to the “101 Uses” book. Adoration
\nfrom little old ladies drove him up the wall. He will be missed.
\n?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #394, from r0xane, 74 chars, Fri Aug 17 09:24:30 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 393.
\nThere are additional comments to message 393.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

“Demo7” is currently being used by Fred Todd, owner of Rip-Off Press.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #395, from richard.pini, 256 chars, Fri Aug 17 13:41:00 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 392.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI did look in the Urina… I mean, the Journal, and nary a hare. And the
\nDover Plains folks are Jack Zander and his wife, all the more appropos to
\nthis conf, because he was involved with the Tom and Jerry cartoons out of MGM
\nin the 40s and 50s, I believe.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #396, from davemackey, 359 chars, Fri Aug 17 18:16:28 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 395.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 395.
\n————————–
\nJack Zander goes back even further… he was one of the original Harman-Ising
\nanimators in the early 30’s and moved over to MGM with Hugh and Rudy when
\nthey left Warner Bros.
\n Additionally, Zander had his own animation house in New York City
\ncalled Zander’s Animation Parlour. It is nice to know that he’s still
\naround.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #397, from hmccracken, 139 chars, Fri Aug 17 18:46:05 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 396.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIsn’t Zander’s Animation Parlour alive and well and busily
\nproducing animated TV spots? I believe so, though I may
\nbe mistaken.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #398, from hmccracken, 649 chars, Fri Aug 17 21:37:03 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 393.
\n————————–
\nWelcome to BIX and the animation conference, Fred. Hope you get an
\naccount and stick around — I’m sure you know a lot of interesting
\nstuff about the underground world we’d enjoy hearing.<\/p>\n

I don’t know that much about Kliban, but there was always that
\nundercurrent in his work that suggested he had no desire to become
\nthe next marketing giant, as he could have. That no doubt explains
\nwhy he did very little with his cat drawings after that first
\nbook, except for a few calendars, and why his later books are all
\nquite strange and uncommercial. Oddly enough, he has some sort of
\nnew cat book out just now, although it may be reprints.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #399, from switch, 2955 chars, Fri Aug 17 23:11:18 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: More “new” stuff
\nLOVE & ROCKETS #33: Actually the first _L&R_ I ever read. Not much to say
\nabout “Wig Wam Bam”, except how much I liked how the story conveyed that
\nmeandering, relaxed style of multiple parties on Saturday nights. “Poison
\nRiver” Part 4 is more interesting now that I’ve gone and read the first
\npart in #30, but I’m lost — can someone tell me what happened to Luba in
\nparts 2 and 3? Same thing with “Love and Rockets” Part 3 — HUH? Interesting,
\nbut I get the feeling I’m missing something. Anyone care to fill me in?
\nTHE TICK #8: Ben Edlund’s style is getting tighter and more, well,
\ncontrolled. It’s interesting to watch an artist evolve so quickly
\nover the space of 8 issues, but he seems to have hit a comfortable
\nstyle. Some of the absurd humor (“I’ve only seen that look in the eyes
\nof that critter one time before. That cow’s tasted human blood! It’s
\na man-eater!”) and really horrifying puns (“All right! Bovine
\nintervention!”) are just as good as when I first picked this comic
\nup five issues ago, but it doesn’t seem quite the same without
\nthose wacky ninjas. I think Edlund’s forcing it a bit.<\/p>\n

In this issue, a _Paul the Samurai_ mini-series is announced. Wonder
\nhow this will turn out…<\/p>\n

COMICS EXPRESS #5-8: If you don’t get this comic magazine, get it
\nnow. Published by Comics Interview, this is a monthly collection
\nof such newspaper strips as _Bizarro_, _Shoe_, _Mother Goose & Grimm_,
\n_Ernie_, and more recently, _Pogo_. There’s also a section dedicated
\nto up-and-coming talent called _The New Breed_; most of these are
\ngroaners, but there are some real sparklers in the middle of it all.
\n(Wish 90% of them didn’t seem to borrow from _Far Side_, though.)
\nThis mag’s convenient for me, since I don’t get _Ernie_ or _Mother
\nGoose & Grimm_ in my local paper, and the one that did folded.<\/p>\n

DETAILS #1: Interesting mag for two bucks. This isn’t strictly
\na comic magazine… roughly 75% of it is fashion ads, and most of
\nthe articles are semi-trendy semi-serious discourses on, well,
\nanything. However, at the end are three comics. “Miracle Pets:
\n‘Duchess'” is about a dog trained to catch nuclear weapons in its
\nmouth by Mark O’Donnell and Dean Rohrer. It’s one of those two-
\npage, chuckle-but-not-guffaw funny strips you’d find in _Heavy
\nMetal_ or the late and lamented _Epic_. “Wild Palms”, sort of a
\n“dark side of yuppyism as seen by a yuppie” where the main character,
\nHarry Wyckoff, seems to be more an observer than a participant in
\nhis life, seems to be something right out of _Heavy Metal_. Each
\npanel is precisely one-ninth of the grid layout, and each has at
\nleast one caption on the top with the character’s thoughts — no
\nspeech balloons. Vaguely interesting until things took a bizarre
\nturn in the last panel. “That Guy!” by Drew Friedman reminds me
\nof that one page strip (whose name escapes me) in _HM_ with Tor.
\nMuch like that, “That Guy!” fails to do anything for me.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #400, from davemackey, 334 chars, Sat Aug 18 07:18:24 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 399.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThe Friedman Bros. (Drew and Josh, sons of Bruce Jay Friedman) did
\na number of homages to Tor Johnson, most of which are reprinted in
\ntheir giant size compendium “Any Similarity…”
\n Comic strips in “Details”? Seems to be a growing trend. I’ve
\nseen some Kyle Baker satirical stuff in “Spy” as well.
\n –D.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #401, from switch, 81 chars, Sat Aug 18 09:52:37 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 400.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nReally? Maybe I have reason to get _Spy_ (at store discount) after all…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #402, from tshim, 431 chars, Sat Aug 18 10:52:27 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 395.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nNo kidding! Holy smokes — Jack Zander lives nary a few miles from
\nmy hometown! And I find out that Jerry Beck used to live in Flushing,
\nand that you live in Poughkeepsie. Ah, from a rich heritage am I. <\/p>\n

Anyway, a lot of rich and\/or famous seem to live in Pawling. Dr. Joyce
\nBrothers, James Earl Jones.<\/p>\n

Is it possible for you to forward a letter to Zander if I ever get a hankering
\n(or the time) to write something up?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #403, from tshim, 296 chars, Sat Aug 18 13:01:16 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 221.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nPlease, when you come to NYC, Emru, bring some old Peanuts books.
\nI remember them fondly, before I left elementary school and lost
\naccess. Now all I see being printed are the vapid new Peanuts,
\nthe one where Snoopy’s schnozz is out to >here<.\n\nAre there any old classic Peanuts being published?\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #404, from tshim, 102 chars, Sat Aug 18 13:02:54 1990\nThis is a comment to message 168.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nWhat happened to Bloom County? (as the author shows his complete\nignorance of the comic strip scene)\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #405, from hmccracken, 216 chars, Sat Aug 18 15:36:10 1990\nThis is a comment to message 403.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 403.\n--------------------------\nThere is a series of paperbacks called \"Peanuts Classics\" or somesuch\nwhich reprint some of the early strips. A high percentage of all the\nPeanuts books ever published are in print in one form or another.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #406, from hmccracken, 245 chars, Sat Aug 18 15:37:30 1990\nThis is a comment to message 404.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nBreather got tired of the seven-day-a-week grind and quit doing\n_Bloom County_ last year. He replaced it with a strip called\n_Outland_ which runs only on Sundays but which has essentially\nbecome _Bloom County_ under a different name.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #407, from tshim, 312 chars, Sat Aug 18 16:50:05 1990\nThis is a comment to message 405.\n--------------------------\nThe trouble is, one can't tell which are old and which are new from\nthe titles they give in BOOKS IN PRINT. Many newer printings of\nold Peanuts stuff get new titles, and thus new copyright dates.\nIn the words of a certain sandlot pitcher: ARGhhh.\n\nAs for the shelves, as I mentioned, most seem to be new stuff.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #408, from switch, 131 chars, Sat Aug 18 20:20:14 1990\nThis is a comment to message 403.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 403.\n--------------------------\nI still have a box with every Peanuts book I ever had. I'll drag some down\non my next trip (which may be in about a month).\n\nEmru\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #409, from mstoodt, 6013 chars, Sat Aug 18 21:04:37 1990\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: OLFO II\n Sorry for missing last week, but MacWorld Expo threw my\nschedule out of shape, so I'll cover two weeks worth this time.\n Aside to switch: I'm glad you've gone ahead to do your own\ncommentaries; it looks like our interests don't overlap too\nmuch, so let's each do our own things. (And I've not read Cheval\nNoir, but I have read Haldeman's Forever War novel, and yes it is\nfairly depressing; Joe H. shows a lot of sympathy for his main\ncharacters, but none at all for the war they are in.)\n So here's the second batch of One Life Form's Opinions:\n\n Grimjack Casefiles 2: Buried Past parts 3 through 5\n (Reprints of the GJ backup stories from StarSlayer 14 - 16)\n John Ostrander, Timothy Truman\n This series reprints the earliest stories in this series\nabout the city of Cynosure, where dimensions phase in and out,\nand where blasters work on one side of a street while magic works\non the other (but swords and a bad attitude work just about\neverywhere), and about one of the best swords-and-bad-attitude-\nmen in the city, John Gaunt a.k.a. Grimjack (or more recently,\nGaunt's reincarnation, Jim Twilley).\n This reprint series is very convenient, at least for me,\nsince I had picked up back issues to number 9, but finding\nearlier issues has been almost impossible. So by about issue 10\nof this series, my collection will be complete.\n The thing about Grimjack which makes a full collection\nmandatory is that John Gaunt has had a wild and complex past\nwhich starts coming out in bits and pieces as early as the\nstories in this issue, but which weren't told in full until the\nDemon Wars series-in-a-series in issues 66 to 69, and the\nYoungblood backup series starting in 70. It's interesting to try\nto figure out how much of this John Ostrander had before the\ncharacter ever appeared on paper, and how much he made up as he\nwent along, patching it together into final form for those recent\nstories...\n I've not seen much of Truman's work outside of Grimjack, but\nhis gritty style is perfect for Grimjack. Give this one a nine\n(on my one to ten scale).\n\n Nexus 75: Blowout!\n Mike Baron, Hugh Haynes, Arne Starr\n This is the final confrontation between Horatio Hellpop, the\noriginal Nexus, and Stan Korivitsky, the new Nexus.\n The bad news is that the only thing Steve \"the Dude\" Rude did\nfor this issue was the cover. The reason that is bad news is\nthat when you've got a battle between two similarly costumed\npeople, who both throw around huge amounts of energy, it takes an\nexceptional artist to be able to handle it; the Dude is\nexceptional (as can be seen in the Steve Rude Sketchbook, which I\njust received), while Haynes is merely \"pretty good\". At the\nbattle's critical moment, I found it tough to tell who had done\nwhat to whom until I had turned the page. For an issue this\nimportant to the series, the absense of the Dude is a major\ndisappointment.\n Call this one a five.\n\n Suicide Squad 45: The Jerusalem Serpent\n John Ostrander, Kim Yale, Geof Isherwood\n This issue is the start of a story involving Kobra's\noperation in Jerusalem to trigger the Age of Chaos. This is just\nsetting the stage; I haven't seen Kobra often, and I don't know\nif the Israeli supers are appearing for the first time or if\nthey're just new to me; but I trust John O. to make sense of\nthis enough to give it a six.\n\n 2001 Nights 1: Earthglow, Sea of Fertility, Maelstrom III,\nPosterity\n Yukinobu Hoshino, Fred Burke\n This series is a set of short science fiction stories, set in\nsequence in the same universe. Unlike Marvel's Open Space\nseries, a single creator gives this better consistancy, at least\nso far.\n The first story, Earthglow, is about a shuttle mission during\na threatened outbreak of WWIII; the story's been done before, I\nthink, but I've not seen it from this point of view. The end of\nSea of Fertility, which is set on an appropriately named location\non the moon, poses questions that may (or may not) be answered\nlater in the series. Maelstrom III is a \"How do I survive this\naccident in space\" story, a good puzzle with a good solution.\nPosterity shows one of the few ways to start interstellar\ncolonies without faster-than-light drives.\n I saw the anime of this last year (Nolacon) and wasn't\nimpressed, but some of that was probably due to the lack of\ntranslation; this issue was good enough to earn a seven.\n\n Wild Cards 1: Heart of the Matter\n Lewis Shiner, Melinda Snodgrass, Howard Waldrop, Walton Simons,\nHarry Kitson, Harry Candelario, Keith Williams, Jackson Guice,\nMarshall Rogers, Fred Fredricks\n Set in the universe of the Wild Cards shared-world anthologies\n(and written by the authors of those books), this issue is mostly\nflashbacks to the stories of Dr. Tachyon and Jetboy from the\nfirst book, with a framing story of \"Popinjay\" Ackroyd's\ninvestigation of the destruction of Jetboy's tomb.\n There's not much new material for those who've been following\nthe books, and people new to the series may be in for some\ninitial confusion (especially since characters like Golden Boy\nand Peregrin are mentioned but not shown yet; hopefully next\nissue they'll show why GB's so despised); but Guice's art on the\nTachyon story, and Rogers' on Jetboy, are both good, and Jay (one\nof my favorite characters from the books) is handled well. It\nshows enough promise, and the source material is good enough,\nthat I'll give this one an eight. (I am wondering if events from\nthis series will be refered to in the books; this is set before\nbooks six and seven, but I don't recall either of them mentioning\nanything about the bombing of Jetboy's tomb...)\n\n Also received: Badger 66; Baoh 8 (last issue); Black Magic 3;\nCerebus High Society 15; Cobra 6; Dirty Pair III: A Plague\nof Angels 1; Dr. Strange 21; Groo the Wanderer 70; Horobi 5;\nNexus Legends 20 (the last issue I need to complete my Nexus\ncollection); Stalkers 7; Swamp Thing 99.\n\n That's it until the next batch of four-colored ink hits paper...\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #410, from davemackey, 213 chars, Sat Aug 18 21:17:07 1990\nThis is a comment to message 401.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nAs a matter of fact, there's a new book coming from the Friedman boys,\nand Kyle Baker has a page in the Sept. issue visualizing scenes from\nJudy Jacklin Belushi's memoir \"Samurai Widow.\" Baker has a wicked\nstyle.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #411, from davemackey, 290 chars, Sat Aug 18 21:19:11 1990\nThis is a comment to message 403.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nI remember the Holt, Rinehart and Winston paperbacks, which were larger\nthan a regular paperback, and the Fawcett regular size paperbacks which\neach reprinted half a HRW edition. Those collections included material\nfrom the earliest days of the strip, when everyone's heads were more\noval.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #412, from tshim, 53 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:13:24 1990\nThis is a comment to message 408.\n--------------------------\nYour pack-rattedness is much appreciated ... thanks!\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #413, from tshim, 105 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:14:31 1990\nThis is a comment to message 411.\nThere are additional comments to message 411.\n--------------------------\nI wonder if a \"every Peanuts ever\" collection would be feasible\nafter Schulz departs for a better world.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #414, from tshim, 288 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:19:13 1990\nThis is a comment to message 409.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nBy the way, speaking of coloring comic books (I've been away for\nquite the while), is that new process that put brighter colors \nin comics in the mid-80s dead or alive? I remember the yellows\nwere so bright that it ruined anything else.\n\n(However, the old way really got on your hands.)\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #415, from hmccracken, 363 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:30:44 1990\nThis is a comment to message 411.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nThe early Peanuts strips were great. They were so *simple*...\nsort of a Nancy for highbrows. Peanuts reached its greatest\nheights in the sixties after Schulz got more sophisticated\nand imaginative, but those early, Thurberesque years are\nsome of the strip's best.\n -- Harry\n (Who more and more, when reading the current Peanuts, doesn't\n even understand it.)\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #416, from tshim, 68 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:52:20 1990\nThis is a comment to message 415.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 415.\n--------------------------\nThe running-gag strips were enormously funny. Remember Fuzzy-Face?\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #417, from tom.white, 81 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:59:20 1990\nThis is a comment to message 414.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nI havent seen a comic printed with the Flexographic in quite a while. \nNo loss.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #418, from hmccracken, 222 chars, Sat Aug 18 23:25:37 1990\nThis is a comment to message 417.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 417.\n--------------------------\nHave they stopped using Flexographic presses or just worked the\nbugs out? I think maybe the new Disney comics are printed\nFlexo, and they're beautiful. The first Flexo stuff of five\nor so years ago *was* awful.\n - Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #419, from tshim, 159 chars, Sat Aug 18 23:27:27 1990\nThis is a comment to message 417.\n--------------------------\nThe reason I ask is because after a brief perusal of current comics,\nit >seemed< Flexographic, but toned down.\n\nMaybe the current process was just punched up.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #420, from bsoron, 432 chars, Sun Aug 19 00:06:16 1990\nThis is a comment to message 410.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\n\n Kyle Baker's a favorite of mine, too... those Shadows were really\ntwisted (Helfer gets a lot of credit for those, of course), and The\nCowboy Wally Story is one of the funniest things I've ever read; I\noften drag it out for another read. Why I Hate Saturn is also good,\nbut not lung-bustingly funny like Cowboy Wally; it has characters\nrather than caricatures. Still KB artwork anywhere is a good enough\nreason to buy something.\n\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #421, from switch, 31 chars, Sun Aug 19 00:07:04 1990\nThis is a comment to message 416.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nYeah! And Dime-a-Dozen.\n\nEmru\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #422, from bsoron, 318 chars, Sun Aug 19 00:08:59 1990\nThis is a comment to message 406.\n--------------------------\n\n The new Bloom County book is out, BTW -- \"Classics of Modern\nLiterature\" or some such. The last four years of the strip with\na couple pages from Breathed's sketchbook and a few strips from\nAcademia Waltz. With any luck, the next book will include the\n-first- four years; Bloom County Babylon skipped around a lot.\n\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #423, from tshim, 130 chars, Sun Aug 19 15:01:45 1990\nThis is a comment to message 421.\n--------------------------\nAnd the Rhinoceros in the Jungle one-shot has got to have the biggest\npayoff I've ever seen, just in its simplicity of execution.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #424, from davemackey, 136 chars, Sun Aug 19 18:50:58 1990\nThis is a comment to message 415.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nWhat was the upshot of that sequence a few weeks ago when Charlie Brown was\nat camp and this little girl wanted him to kick a football?\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #425, from davemackey, 153 chars, Sun Aug 19 18:51:54 1990\nThis is a comment to message 418.\n--------------------------\nMainly because the colorists were not properly compensating for it. That's\nwhy everything looked so garish, that and technical bugs in the press itself.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #426, from tshim, 181 chars, Sun Aug 19 18:58:12 1990\nThis is a comment to message 424.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nI think the little girl is a Virginia clone.\n\nAs for the sequence, I can only guess (not having read it), that he's\nreluctant to kick the ball lest she pull a Lucy Van Pelt on him.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #427, from switch, 96 chars, Sun Aug 19 21:30:04 1990\nThis is a comment to message 426.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nShe then felt that \"Brownie Charles\" never did really trust her and went\nhome. Poor guy.\n\nEmru\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #428, from hmccracken, 59 chars, Sun Aug 19 23:26:12 1990\nThis is a comment to message 427.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTypical of latter-day Schulz, I am afraid. Sad.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #429, from rfranzen, 434 chars, Sun Aug 19 23:47:51 1990\nThis is a comment to message 428.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\n But, but, but, you guys are leaving out the reunion on the pier! Charlie\nand Snoopy were there, with Charlie lamenting how much he missed her. Just\nas you reach the last frame (well, the fourth, but it is the last :), she\ncomes back, thoroughly surprising them both. In the next strip she says \nsomething about never being able to stay mad at her \"Brownie Charles\". Of\ncourse then Charlie & Snoopy have a bus to catch...\n\tRich\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #430, from bfitz, 213 chars, Mon Aug 20 01:30:49 1990\nThis is a comment to message 420.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nDoes anybody have a Kyle Baker lexicography? I love his work, and even\nbought stuff like the recent Dick Tracy 3-issue because of his work.\nWhat is \"the Cowboy Wally Story\", for example?\n\n -- Brian Fitzgerald --\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #431, from tom.white, 387 chars, Mon Aug 20 05:08:02 1990\n--------------------------\nThe newest, and probably last, Bloom County book, \"Classics of\nWestern Literature\" has arrived. Reprints 1986-1989. Possibly complete,\nI'm not sure. I kinda doubt it. There's also an introduction\nby Breathed, sixteen of his Academia Waltz strips from his University\nof Texas days, and a couple of sketchbook pages. Bring $12.95 with you,\nand be prepared, it is massive, 10\" by 11\".\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #432, from switch, 78 chars, Mon Aug 20 08:04:36 1990\nThis is a comment to message 429.\nThere are additional comments to message 429.\n--------------------------\n(This is what happens when you miss the comics three days out of four.)\n\nEmru\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #433, from richard.pini, 584 chars, Mon Aug 20 19:41:46 1990\nThis is a comment to message 397.\n--------------------------\nYou are correct, Harry - they are still up and running. Truth be told, they\nwere the \"local talent\" that we took with us to CBS when Elfquest was in\ndevelopment for Saturday morning there. (There's much more to that story, but\nhey, I gotta be faithful to the elfquest conference...;) ) But both Jack and\nhis son Mark are still producing. Jack, just to show the kinda guy he still is,\ndid a storyboard for us which is a savage and delicious parody of a certain\nadvertisement for a certain feminine product - not to put down women, but to\nillustrate the absurdity of the original ad.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #434, from richard.pini, 71 chars, Mon Aug 20 19:42:25 1990\nThis is a comment to message 402.\n--------------------------\nNo problem. (BTW, I hear that Yul Brynner's son lives in Pawling, too)\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #435, from davemackey, 298 chars, Mon Aug 20 20:53:31 1990\nThis is a comment to message 429.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 429.\n--------------------------\nI don't know if I've been the only one who's noticed this, but for the\nlast couple of years, \"Peanuts\" has not always been four panels in length.\nFor many years it was always four, no more, no less. Now it can be one, two,\nthree, four or more as events warrant.\n One less thing we can count on.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #436, from tom.white, 379 chars, Mon Aug 20 21:19:38 1990\nThis is a comment to message 435.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nSchultz announced a couple of years ago that he was switching\nto a mostly three-panel format. His eyesight and motor control\naren't what they once were.\nTake what comfort you can in that, when he goes, so does the strip.\nNo syndicate can hire an artist and writer to take over and wreck it.\nSchultz owns all the creative rights, and has sworn that no one will\ncontinue Peanuts.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #437, from hmccracken, 501 chars, Mon Aug 20 21:58:01 1990\nThis is a comment to message 436.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 436.\n--------------------------\nHe also said that he likes the freedom that a variable panel length\nprovides. While the new format has provided him with an opportunity\nto do some gags he couldn't have before, it's also proven that that\nfour-panel tempo was important to Peanuts's flavor, as it is to\nDoonsbury's, Bloom County's, and Calvin and Hobbes's.\n\n(BTW, Schulz's motor-control problems spring from his heart surgery\nof a few years ago. His hand is quite shaky, which is especially\napparent in some Sunday strips.)\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #438, from bsoron, 984 chars, Mon Aug 20 23:04:18 1990\nThis is a comment to message 430.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\n\n The Cowboy Wally Story was a book Baker did for a real publisher --\ndon't have my copy handy, but I think it was Berkeley -- featuring\nCowboy Wally, an all-American sleazebag. The premise of the book is\na behind-the-scenes movie about Cowboy Wally, America's favorite kid's\nshow host until he had half-naked bubble dancers on his show; the\nratings went through the roof, and he got moved into a prime-time spot.\n(He got his show when he took some photos of a network executive playing\nwith his niece. Shortly after Cowboy Wally got his show, the photos were\nmysteriously lost.)\n\n The book's full of clever and outrageous humor, including Cowboy\nWally's version of Hamlet (filmed while he was in prison) and \"Sands\nof Blood,\" his Foreign Legion adventure movie.\n\n I haven't seen the book in stores in a long time, but a well-stocked\ncomics shop might have it; I've also heard that Bud Plant has it cheap.\nThe Comics Journal reviewed it some time ago if you want an advance\nlook.\n\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #439, from bfitz, 206 chars, Mon Aug 20 23:27:18 1990\nThis is a comment to message 438.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nI don't need an advance look - your description was good enough. How do\nI go about getting it from Bud Plant? (the local stores are none too\ngood about non-mainstream stuff).\n -- Brian Fitzgerald --\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #441, from tshim, 71 chars, Tue Aug 21 00:01:48 1990\nThis is a comment to message 436.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nThat's sad in a way ... someone might be able to restore the lost wit.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #442, from tshim, 24 chars, Tue Aug 21 00:02:12 1990\nThis is a comment to message 429.\n--------------------------\nAnd then ... and then?!\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #443, from tshim, 107 chars, Tue Aug 21 00:03:05 1990\nThis is a comment to message 437.\n--------------------------\nThe jaggedness of recent strips I thought was an attempt at more\nartsy a rendition. Little did I know ...\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #444, from tshim, 281 chars, Tue Aug 21 00:06:29 1990\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: GIVE ME LIBERTY and 'MAZING MAN and WORLD'S FINEST: WORLDS APART\nAny comment on these three? I haven't gotten around the former and latter,\nbut I just found out that 'MAZING MAN is printing annually. I loved this\ncomic when it was monthly, and weeped when it died. <\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #445, from richard.pini, 289 chars, Tue Aug 21 08:57:22 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 441.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nCouldn’t be done with Harriman’s Krazy Kat and they didn’t even try. Pogo?
\nThat’s very much a matter of taste\/opinion – the continuation might be
\ncharming in its way, but it’s not Kelly. IMO, no one after Segar really got
\nPopeye “right.” And let’s not even discuss Mutt & Jeff or Nancy…<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #446, from tshim, 95 chars, Tue Aug 21 20:11:49 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 445.
\nThere are additional comments to message 445.
\n————————–
\nTrue, but out of the much wider pool exposed to Peanuts, I would think
\nthere might be a first.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #447, from davemackey, 235 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:26:57 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 444.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI don’t weep for “Mazing Man. I rather liked the book when it was first
\nout, when Brenda, K.P. and the rest of the humans looked more like people
\nand less like the grotesque characters they are now.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #448, from davemackey, 156 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:27:56 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 445.
\n————————–
\nBobby London is darn close, but he puts too much of his own personality in
\nthe strip and that gets in the way sometimes.
\n –D.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #449, from tshim, 414 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:40:14 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 447.
\nThere are additional comments to message 447.
\n————————–
\nI still haven’t seen the three annuals I picked up, but yes,
\nthe flavor of the comic was more “cleaner” in its original
\nRosakis-DeStefano work. Janson didn’t help things, a first
\nfor the usually talented inker.<\/p>\n

Still, issue #12 (the one that wanted to get the Dark Knight
\ncrowd into buying ‘Mazing Man!) was still decent when it died,
\nand I’m glad those two guys are still working sometimes with
\ntheir creation!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #450, from bsoron, 349 chars, Tue Aug 21 23:53:01 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 439.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

I don’t have any info on Bud Plant — you might see if your local
\ncomics shop can order it from him (he used to be a wholesaler, but
\nI think he does both wholesale and mail order now). If not (and use
\nbig puppy-dog eyes… it always works :-), and if no one else here
\ncan supply his address, let me know, and I’ll see if I can dig
\nsomething up.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #451, from bsoron, 143 chars, Tue Aug 21 23:54:25 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 447.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

I agree. MM was a lot of fun during its first run, but everything
\nthey’ve done since that was cancelled has been a parody of the original.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #452, from tom.white, 356 chars, Wed Aug 22 01:11:17 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 450.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 450.
\n————————–
\nBud Plant
\nBox 1689-B
\nGrass Valley, CA 95945<\/p>\n

Send $1 for postage. Or, call 916-273-2166 (M-F, 9-5 PST)
\nfor fast and friendly service.<\/p>\n

I’ve never ordered anything from Plant but his reputation is
\nimpeccable. His mail-order business perpetually wins the Comic
\nBuyer’s Guide Service Award.<\/p>\n

The catalog is 160 pages, so schedule an afternoon for browsing.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #454, from hmccracken, 147 chars, Wed Aug 22 01:15:51 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 453.
\n————————–
\nHis service is excellent and the selection is even better.
\nGreat stuff! He’s the Whole Toon Catalog of comics and
\nrelated publications.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #455, from tshim, 149 chars, Wed Aug 22 23:21:15 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 451.
\nThere are additional comments to message 451.
\n————————–
\nI wonder why, since the two creators are still doing the script.
\nSomeone should write them and tell them to get back to their
\nroots re: ‘Mazing Man!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #456, from richard.pini, 247 chars, Thu Aug 23 08:50:53 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 450.
\n————————–
\nBud Plant Comic Art, 13393 Grass Valley #7, Grass Valley CA 95945. He has
\ngotten out of comics distribution, and handles non-comic books (which is to
\nsay, he *does* carry paperback and hardcover reprints of comics in addition
\nto other art books).<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #457, from bcapps, 189 chars, Sat Aug 25 22:43:58 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 451.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nHear, hear. The original ‘Maze was the best! The scripts are still good,
\nbut I think the artistic rendering of the characters has gone into realms
\npast where the Pander Bros. dwell.<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #458, from tshim, 117 chars, Sat Aug 25 23:33:28 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 457.
\n————————–
\nI think the original ‘Mazing’s combined the best of Calvin
\nand Hobbes wit and the chumminess of early Breathed well.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #459, from tshim, 133 chars, Sat Sep 1 11:15:45 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 357.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nBy the way, can anyone tell me the logic behind Batman
\nkilling Alfred with a stroke-inducing response (at the
\nend of )?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #460, from richard.pini, 143 chars, Sat Sep 1 13:39:41 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 459.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIt’s always been my impression that it was a natural stroke – in a sense
\nAlfred almost shutting himself off in his final, most ironic gesture.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #461, from switch, 49 chars, Sat Sep 1 14:21:22 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 460.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 460.
\n————————–
\nAs he said, it was the proper thing to do.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #462, from tom.white, 72 chars, Sat Sep 1 14:51:07 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 461.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 461.
\n————————–
\nYes, more like his life ending with stately Wayne Manor.
\nTres symbolic.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #463, from bcapps, 583 chars, Sat Sep 1 23:29:01 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 462.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nafter all, Bruce wouldn’t be needing him anymore. What would he do? Go
\nover to that “Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children” issue that had all the
\nbutlers running around looking for someone to wait on? \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

I don’t think Bruce killed him. He just left him with instructions to
\ndestroy the place, not himself. That he died, is just another body to
\nchalk up for the count in Batman’s career. Hmm… Wonder how many
\n“friends” have died that Bruce\/Batman have known? Would probably make a
\ngood trivia question, provided that you have the complete Batman run to
\nverify it.<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #464, from tom.white, 342 chars, Sun Sep 2 02:23:39 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 463.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 463.
\n————————–
\nWhy would you need the complete run? The continuity has been utterly
\ntrashed by DC, who seems only to want to please this year’s 13-year-olds.
\nNext year they’ll redo everything to please the next batch of 13-year-olds.
\nMy list of DCs that I read is steadily shrinking, due to their general
\nincompetence and disregard for their own products.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #465, from switch, 207 chars, Sun Sep 2 09:49:23 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 464.
\nThere are additional comments to message 464.
\n————————–
\nSame here. I think I’m down to the three Bat titles and the two Justice
\nLeague titles for DC, and that’s it for the Big Two (unless you count
\nEpic’s Akira as Marvel). It’s gotten horribly infantile.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #466, from tshim, 388 chars, Mon Sep 3 13:11:22 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 460.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWell, Alfred notes: “Of course, how appropriate …” And I thought
\nhe meant how carefully planned it all was, ie., Wayne’s plan.<\/p>\n

If it was natural, well, that’s a bit hokey, but that’s one
\nman’s opinion. However, contemplate if Bats did it — I mean
\nokay, not much use for the guy since there ain’t no more manor,
\nbut sheesh, what a reward? Didn’t Bruce ever hear of job
\nrelocation?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #467, from tshim, 149 chars, Mon Sep 3 13:12:09 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 461.
\n————————–
\nBut to kill your best friend? C’mon — you find him something
\nto do in that new underground cave, maybe babysit for the new
\nmutants (pun intended).<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #468, from tshim, 177 chars, Mon Sep 3 13:13:46 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 463.
\n————————–
\nOkay, I guess your and Richard’s idea that it was fate sort
\nof makes a >bit< more sense.\n\nBats killing him, which was implied, intentionally or not,\ndidn't make too much sense.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #469, from bcapps, 1321 chars, Mon Sep 3 13:37:42 1990\nThis is a comment to message 464.\n--------------------------\nTom, kinda read my last comment with a bit of sarcasm. Verily, I, too, am\ntired of the crud being pumped out of the marketing machines (Anyone here\nbuy Digital Justice? - ha! I have better use for that 24.95 - some indies\nthat are _worth_ reading!). But, in a way, I was kinda approaching some\ncomment on \"filler\" stories and no, I don't mean where
\nis on vacation, so let’s let the copy boys from the mail room write an issue!
\nI mean, conjuring up a “friend,” associate, man\/woman on the street, SOMEONE
\nwho is about to die so Batman can feel sorry about not being able to save
\neveryone and nearly get himself killed chasing down some murderer with a
\nmarketing hook. Granted, there may only be 4 or 5 original plots in the
\nworld with everything else being derived from them, but some of this
\n“everything else” just seems to boggle the mind with its worthlessness.<\/p>\n

Continuity? You mean writers have to write by rules?!?!? Some writers
\nknow how to use it, others only know of it. Batman, as a legendary figure,
\nis open to interpretation, unfortunately in some instances. Be glad there
\nare at least a few folks in the field who can handle the material well,
\nsuch as Miller.<\/p>\n

Bob
\n(“Whaddya mean ‘Am I gonna buy this book?’ Are you kidding? I just wanted
\nto see how low it’s sunk by now!”)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #470, from richard.pini, 323 chars, Mon Sep 3 16:06:02 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 466.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nOf course, Miller (and everyone else since him) made – and bludgeoned – the
\npoint that Alfred was a crusty old SOB, fully tanked up on his irony
\nrations, and given that, it always seemed to me to be within Alfred’s won
\ncharacter (that is, “own”) to note the appropriateness of his own passing
\nalong with everything else’s.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #471, from hmccracken, 541 chars, Tue Sep 4 21:51:16 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Are there any other fans of Herge’s great Belgian\/French
\ncomic strip _Tintin_ out there? I have always loved the strip —
\nlearned to read French from it eons ago — and recently picked up
\na fine book, in English, which details the history of the strip.
\n(I can’t recall the exact title, and the book’s upstairs — it’s
\nsomething like _The World of Tintin and Herge_.) There are *lots*
\nof French books about the strip — probably as many as there are
\nabout Disney here — but this is the only one in English that I
\nknow of.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #472, from switch, 171 chars, Tue Sep 4 21:55:23 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 471.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 471.
\n————————–
\nUsed to read it (as well as Gaston Lagaffe, Spirou, and a good
\nmany more) almost daily during my younger years. My only problem
\nis Herge’s portrayal of minorities.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #473, from davemackey, 266 chars, Wed Sep 5 00:28:19 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 471.
\n————————–
\nAll I remember about Tintin is that one of the local New York stations
\nused to show the old Tele-Hachette animated cartoon series based on
\nthe strip. Wish I could see some of those again. (As I grow older,
\nmy wish list of things I’d like to see again grows longer.)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #474, from mstoodt, 9427 chars, Wed Sep 5 00:44:38 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: OLFO 3
\n Another two weeks worth of One Life Form’s Opinions:<\/p>\n

Detective Comics 622: “Dark Genesis”
\n John Ostrander, Flint Henry, Mike McKone, Jose Marzan
\n This issue starts with the origin of the Batman, a hell-spawned
\ncreature that makes look calm and sane. This turns out to be the first issue
\nof a Batman comic book, which has hit the streets of Gotham City. (Of
\ncourse, Bruce never trademarked the name or costume…) So when
\nsomeone slices up a small time criminal, and says on a call-in radio
\nshow that he’s the Batman, the real one starts having PR problems…
\n The art from the comic (including one page of pencils) is done by
\nFlint Henry (Ostrander’s co-conspirator on Grimjack), and his
\ninimitably chaotic style is perfect for this. The real-world art by
\nMcKone and Marzan is adequate. The plot is a nice twist on a fairly
\nstandard Batman impersonator story; I’d bet about two to one that the
\ncreator of the comic is the impersonator, but I trust John Ostrander
\nto come up with enough twists to keep it interesting. I’ll give it an
\neight on my one-to-ten scale.
\n (BTW: My comments on Detective 621 in my first OLFO have turned
\nout to be not quite accurate; Batman 455 shows that though Tim
\nDrake’s mother is dead, his father is still alive, but confined to a
\nwheelchair. One out of two isn’t too bad…)<\/p>\n

Hellblazer 34: The Bogeyman
\n Jamie Delano, Sean Phillips
\n All of John Constantine’s life of pain, both inflicted and
\nreceived, seems to be catching up with him. He stumbles across Marj
\nand Mercury, looking for some sort of comfort; Marj takes him in, but
\nher daughter Mercury, certainly the wiser of the two, wants nothing to
\ndo with him.
\n This issue seems to be mostly a set up for next issue, a tale of
\nJohn’s youth; the dark and rough art matches the darkness of the
\nstory and the roughness of John’s life and his soul. This issue gets
\na seven in anticipation of the next issue.<\/p>\n

Legion of Super-Heroes 12: no title; cover: “Rebirth!”)
\n Keith Giffen, Tom & Mary Birbaum, Al Gordon
\n Good points: We actually get some plot movement. Roxxas is
\ncaptured, characters and news reports start to talk about the return
\nof the Legion, and we get our first look at legionnaire Kent
\nShakespeare, who can hold his own (for a short time, at least) toe to
\ntoe with the Persuader.
\n Bad points: Giffen’s interminable nine panel art. Some people
\nhave made the mistake of comparing Giffen’s use of this device to that
\nof Gibbons in Watchmen. Gibbons used the nine panel layout as a
\nbasis, but knew when a panel that size wasn’t appropriate, so that
\nless than half of the pages are straight nine panels. (I counted;
\nonly 71 pages out of the first six issues of Watchmen are nine panel
\nones. Closer to half than I had expected, but still less.)
\n But things are still moving painfully slow in some ways; Cham
\ntalks to Rokk about new Legion uniforms, but no one is wearing them;
\nwe get a couple of clues about the green ball of light and Celeste
\nRockfish, but no real answers; and I’d guess that the odds are at
\nleast two to one that Jo Nah will still be considered dead (but
\nactually in Khund territory) six issues from now…
\n I want to like the Legion; I’ve been collecting it in its various
\nincarnations longer than any other series I’m currently getting. But
\nGiffen is making it awfully difficult, with his painfully slow plots
\nand his awful art. This issue is lucky to get a six.<\/p>\n

Maze Agency Annual 1: A Night at the Rose Petal, Moving Stiffs,
\nMurder in Mint Condition
\n Mike W. Barr; Rick Magyar, Darick Robertson, Wm. Messner-Loebs;
\nAllen Curtis, Keith Aiken, Jim Sinclair; Adam Hughes, Rick Magyar
\n Maze Agency 16: If Books Could Kill
\n Mike W. Barr, Mary Mitchell, Don Martinec, Paul Worley
\n A more than double dose of the Maze Agency this time\u0005 (triple for
\nme, since I didn’t get issue 15 until this week); I wanted to cover
\nit well because there’s been talk on another service that it might be
\ncoming to an end soon, but that appears not to be correct (nobody’s
\ntold Mike Barr that it’s been cancelled).
\n This is a series of who-dun-it’s in the classic style, where
\nusually a single easily overlooked clue, correctly interpreted, lets
\nJennifer Mays and\/or Gabriel Webb determine who the murderer is. The
\nfirst story in the Annual, “A Night at the Rose Petal”, is an
\nexception to this; it works OK as the Spirit pastiche it’s intended
\nto be, but it is not what a Maze Agency story should be. “Moving
\nStiffs” is a more standard story; the art seems (appropriately for
\nthe title) somewhat stiff, but the story and mystery are OK. “Murder
\nin Mint Condition” is a three page story which was the first MA done;
\nit’s blessed by Adam Hughes art, but not much else.
\n The mystery in issue 16’s “If Books Could Kill” is rather strained
\nand obscure, depending on a major coincidence in the characters’
\nnames. The subplot, of Gabe’s chauvinistic feelings when Jennifer
\ngets a better offer for the book she wrote than Gabe did for his, is
\nbetter. The art by newcomer Mary Mitchell shows promise, but she
\nneeds quite a bit more work.
\n Both issues get a six.<\/p>\n

Ms. Tree Quarterly 2: The Devil’s Punchbowl, Shakedown (Midnight),
\nGhost Dance (Butcher)
\n Max Allan Collins, Terry Beatty; Ed Gorman, Graham Nolan; Mike
\nBaron, Shea Anton Pensa
\n On the other hand, we have the hard-boiled type of “mystery”, in
\nwhich Ms. Michael Tree tends to do her thinking with her gun; here,
\nshe’s investigating the death of a member of a Satanist cult. Collins’
\nwriting is average for this series; Beatty’s art hasn’t changed one
\nbit since the first Eclipse issue.
\n Midnight, a Spirit-like character who doesn’t speak, did little
\nfor me last issue and less this time. “Ghost Dance”, the text piece,
\nwas my first exposure to the Butcher; I found the Native American
\nbackground interesting, but this is only the first half (third?
\nthere’s no indication…) of the story.
\n Call this one about a seven, mostly on the strength of the Butcher
\npiece.<\/p>\n

Open Space 4: Ghosts, Empath, The Montana Rift, Let’s Go To The
\nTape
\n Joe Clifford Faust, Ray Lago; Charles de Lint, Ken Meyer, Jr.;
\nJudith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, Louis LaChance, Richard Howell;
\nLaurence M. Janifer, Jaxon Renick, Doug Hazlewood
\n This issue of Marvel’s shared universe anthology series shows a
\nbit more consistency between stories than previous ones. “Ghosts” is
\nabout a law enforcer bending the laws to accomplish his goals; a
\nstory with a similar theme appeared in issue two, but this one at
\nleast suggests that there’s a price to be paid for it (unfortunately,
\nit’s a fairly cliche’d price). “Empath” raises the possibility of
\nadding telepathy into the series; having one element like the “Smoots”
\nFTL drive is reasonable suspension of disbelief, but adding in another
\nmay go over the edge. “The Montana Rift” tries to do too much, but is
\nmostly an excuse for setting up a corporate “hidey-hole” for future
\nstories. The gimmick in the final story doesn’t appear reasonable
\n(too much effort for too little reward). Art-wise, the first story is
\nthe best.
\n Not promising; call this one a four, and a drop from my reading
\nlist.<\/p>\n

Star Trek 13: The Return of the Worthy, Part 1: A Rude Awakening
\n Bill Mumy, Peter David, Gordon Purcell, Arne Starr
\n The legendary crew of the Enterprise encounter a group they
\nconsider legendary: a team of explorers known as “The Worthy”, in
\nsuspended animation for three hundred years. Every indication is that
\nthey live up to their name and reputation… until the last two
\npanels of the issue…
\n Peter David’s work on this series has always been good; this
\ntime, working with Bill Mumy, is even better. The dialog, and the
\ncharacters’ reactions to The Worthy seem right on the money; and The
\nWorthy appear to be the kind of team legends (or TV series or comics
\nbooks) would be written about.
\n An interesting story. This one earns a nine.<\/p>\n

Tales of the Beanworld 17: The Mystery Pods Must Go!
\n Larry Marder
\n This is without a doubt the strangest comic series ever created.
\nThe characters are a group of animate beans, who are involved in odd
\necological relationships with the other creatures in their world. In
\nthis issue, Mr. Spook tries to get rid of the Mystery Pods which have
\nbeen bothering him since they appeared, with unpredictable results.
\n Things move slowly in this series (especially considering its
\nquarterly frequency!), but it’s obvious that every move is carefully
\nplanned. Larry Marder’s minimalist art style helps to emphasize the
\nunreality of the Beanworld.
\n (One warning: don’t judge this series the first few issues,
\nreprinted in the Beanworld graphic novel. The first three issues have
\na greatly different “feel” to them than later ones; the slow pace of
\nthe later issues lets things feel natural, but the first few issues
\nare so fast-paced that the unreality becomes silly.)
\n My highest recommendation for this series, and a ten for this
\nissue.<\/p>\n

Also received: Aliens: Earth War 2, Aliens Vs. Predator 2, Batman
\n455, Breathtaker 2, Cerebus 137, Cerebus High Society 16, Cyberpunk:
\nThe Seraphim Files 1, Dr. Strange 22, Elsewhere Prince 6, Elfquest:
\nKings of the Broken Wheel 2, Fish Police 23, Interface 6, New Titans
\n70, Power Factor 2, Vampire Lestat 6, World’s Finest 2.<\/p>\n

Be seeing you….<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #475, from hmccracken, 265 chars, Wed Sep 5 03:38:06 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 472.
\n————————–
\nThat’s one of the things the book covers — several of the
\nTintin books had sections rewritten and\/or redrawn to
\ntone down racial stereotypes. From what I saw, what was
\nleft wasn’t all that much more enlightened than what
\nwas started with in some cases.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #476, from tshim, 213 chars, Mon Sep 10 14:48:10 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 470.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nBy the way, does anyone know how Batman and Superman got to know eachother’s
\nidentity? I’m talking about >both< the previous universe (Bats and Supes\nare friends) and the new one (where they're grudging allies).\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #477, from richard.pini, 435 chars, Mon Sep 10 17:19:59 1990\nThis is a comment to message 476.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 476.\n--------------------------\nIn the previous (read: real as far as I'm concerned) universe, they were both,\nin their civilian identities, on the same cruise ship. A crisis came up,\nthey both ducked into the same dark cabin to change, a flash of light \n(lightning, explosion, flames, whatever) lit the cabin and they both got\ncaught by each other. In the new...well...have no idea. DC stopped sending\nme comp copies so I don't tend to read a lot of DC comics... \ud83d\ude42\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #478, from switch, 65 chars, Mon Sep 10 17:51:01 1990\nThis is a comment to message 477.\nThere are additional comments to message 477.\n--------------------------\n...and in the new universe it just happened. No idea how.\n\nEmru\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #479, from switch, 89 chars, Mon Sep 10 17:51:29 1990\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: Speaking of...\n...Bats and Supes, has anyone read the new \"World's Finest\"?\n\nEmru\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #480, from hmccracken, 528 chars, Mon Sep 10 18:31:10 1990\nThis is a comment to message 477.\nThere are additional comments to message 477.\n--------------------------\nWhen I was a kid living in England, I had two thick reprint books,\none of Batman stories and one of Superman stories, and that\ntale was in one of them. I think my distaste for DC's attempts\nto modernize their old-line heroes results in part from how much\nI loved those junky old stories: I read those two books until \nthey fell apart, and can probably still remember most of them \ndespite having not read them in eons. (I knew in an *instant*\nthat Superman and Batman found out each others' identities on that\nship.)\n - Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #481, from tom.white, 452 chars, Mon Sep 10 18:41:41 1990\nThis is a comment to message 476.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nThe very first time the characters met (regardless of which continuity)\nwas waaaay back in Superman #76. Kent and Wayne were stuck sharing \na cabin on a cruise (it was overbooked). While checking in and unpacking,\na fire broke out. Both used the sudden power loss and subsequent darkness\nto change into costume, when an explosion at the fire lit up the cabin\nthrough the porthole. Ta-da! An awkward moment for each, but they did\nput out the fire.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #482, from tom.white, 275 chars, Mon Sep 10 18:44:36 1990\nThis is a comment to message 479.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nYes, and it is worth buying for Steve Rude's artwork alone.\nAs with many Superman\/Batman stories, it geographically shifts\nMetropolis and Gotham City to fit the story (are they really\nneighboring cities, or separated by an hour's drive?).\nStory is okay, nothing spectacular.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #483, from richard.pini, 41 chars, Mon Sep 10 20:05:42 1990\nThis is a comment to message 481.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nAh, I remember now, and stand corrected.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #484, from tom.white, 4677 chars, Mon Sep 10 22:25:08 1990\nThis is a comment to message 483.\n--------------------------\nOK, OK, I went and pulled down Bonanza Books' \"Superman: From the 30's to\nthe 70's\" and checked out the story.\n\nNo issue number is given, so I might be wrong about Superman #76, and\nthere's no credits listed, but the artwork smacks of Wayne Boring to me.\n\n\"The Mightiest Team in the World!\" has a splash page that has nothing to\ndo with the story: Superman is poised to do his famous one-handed stop\nof a speeding train while Batman swoops down to pluck Lois from the tracks,\nwhere she's managed to catch her foot, like usual. What the Bat-line might\nbe attached to is beyond me....\n\nAnyway, Batman and Robin wrap up the latest crime wave in Gotham, and \nCommissioner Gordon suggests a vacation, which appeals to them (a far\ncry from the obsessed Batman of today). Robin decides to visit relatives\nupstate, while Bats plans on a cruise. Superman has decided to take \na vacation on the same cruise for no particular reason.\n\nWhile checking in, with Lois there to see him off, Clark is told he has\nto share his stateroom with Bruce since they are overbooked. Clark avoids\nmaking too much fuss so as not to arouse Lois's suspicions.\n Purser: \"I'm sure you gentlemen will get along splendidly!\"\n Clark: \"Er -- yes! (But what if he should find out I'm Superman?)\"\n Bruce: \"Uh -- certainly! (What if he discovers I'm Batman?)\"\n\nAt that moment, out on the dock, some guy shoots a tank truck, starting \na fire, so he can steal a shipment of diamonds while wearing an asbestos\nsuit. Lois, while trying to cover this story like a good reporter, gets\ntrapped by the flames. Our Heroes hear commotion outside; Bruce kills the\nlights under pretense of bedtime, and Clark doesn't argue. A quick switch,\nand... the flames light up the cabin, giving away their secrets.\n\nSuperman flies the truck up into thinner atmosphere, where the flames die,\nwhile Batman saves Lois (\"I knew you'd save me, Superman! But -- but wait,\nyou're not Superman!\" \"I'm only Batman, Lois -- subbing for Superman while\nhe's busy!\") Superman returns and douses the remaining flames.\n\nFinding the asbestos suit, Our Heroes determine the thief must be on\nboard the ship since no one has left the pier (the cruise is on\na ship called Varania). Realizing the danger to their identities\nif they suddenly appear on the cruise while in costume, they tell the\ncaptain that they want to sail on the cruise in order to track the criminal.\nThe captain gives them his cabin (so where is he gonna stay on an overbooked\nship?). Lois is aboard too, having gotten permission from Perry for the \nsake of the story. She lucked on to a last-minute cancellation. Lois\ngoes to find Clark, so the guys zip down to their cabin for a quick\nswitch.\n\nClark, of course, feigns seasickness, and Bruce claims he'll have to \nstay cabinbound to care for him.\n\nSuperman asks Batman to start paying affectionate attention to Lois, \nto keep her out of his hair, but Lois overhears and gets revenge by\nfawning all over Batman. Superman flies the ship a few miles to get\nout of choppy seas, and uses his X-ray vision to find a suspect, a man\nwho's carrying a pistol.\n\nBatman questions the suspect, and realizes he's lying, but without the\ndiamonds as evidence, can't do anything. Lois asks Batman to escort her\nto the ship's dance that night.\n\nBatman puts on a display of his athletic prowess for entertainment that\nnight, and Superman follows suit by juggling some tiny icebergs. Lois\nplays being fascinated by Bats but bored by Supes. Unaware of her\ncounterplan, Superman concedes Batman a better man, not that he cares.\n\nThe suspect, having sabotaged the ship's engines, makes his getaway by\nhelicopter, taking Lois hostage. Busy towing the ship, Superman tosses\nBatman to the helicopter, where he captures the two criminals and rescues\nLois. (\"Oh, Batman -- I knew you'd come to save me!\")\n\nIn port, Batman reveals where the diamonds are -- in the lead bullets.\nHe figured it out when the crook didn't fire at him when he had the chance,\nand of course Superman couldn't see them through lead.\n\nTheir job finished, Batman and Superman leave the cruise. After repairs,\nthe cruise continues, and Bruce and Clark (having recovered) reappear.\nLois gets suspicious, but Superman flies Batman home to Gotham, where\nhe makes a quick appearance. Mention of this in a radio broadcast is\nenough to convince her Bruce isn't Batman, but Clark is another story.\n\nBruce saves the day: he disguises himself as Clark while Superman greets\nhim and Lois.\n\nBatman and Superman decide to find out Lois's affections by both\nasking her to dinner, but too late! She's going out with Robin. (hahaha)\n\nThis story is from the \"1950's\" chapter.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #485, from dave.f, 425 chars, Tue Sep 11 11:07:59 1990\nThis is a comment to message 482.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nI have not yet picked up #2 of the Worlds Apart story, but enjoyed #1.\nI really like the portrayals by Rude. Supes really looks like the \nFleisher cartoon handling and Bats seems to be of the same vintage.\nI even like the way the characters have been polarized in the \ncurrent continuity. The story is OK. The Joker gave me a few good\nlaughs. Don't really like the portrayal of Lois. Seems too\nditzy and air-headed.\n\nD=\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #486, from r0xane, 261 chars, Tue Sep 11 11:54:41 1990\nThis is a comment to message 485.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nDave, what do you expect of a woman who is madly in love with a man (Superman)\nbut if she sees him out of costume, with a suit and glasses on, doesn't have \na clue who he is? I often wondered how an ace reporter like Lois could have \nmissed that for so long. \n\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #487, from switch, 134 chars, Tue Sep 11 16:43:54 1990\nThis is a comment to message 486.\nThere are additional comments to message 486.\n--------------------------\nOverwhelming evidence -- in old continuity, there were more \nsimultaneous-Clark-Kent-and-Superman-appearances than I can count.\n\nEmru\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #488, from hmccracken, 454 chars, Tue Sep 11 18:46:37 1990\nThis is a comment to message 486.\nThere are additional comments to message 486.\n--------------------------\nI believe some years ago they ran a rather silly story which claimed\nthat the glass in Clark Kent's glasses had som sort of hypnotic power\nwhich convinced people that he was dumpier and less handsome than\nhe really was.\n\nThat's nonsense, of course: Lois and everybody else don't realize\nthat Clark and Superman are the same guy for the simple reason that\nthe whole conceit of the strip would collapse if they did. No other\nexplanation needed.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #489, from dave.f, 584 chars, Tue Sep 11 19:04:50 1990\nThis is a comment to message 486.\nThere are additional comments to message 486.\n--------------------------\nActually, I scoffed at the idea of glasses and combing of a curl as a\ndisguise until I saw Chris Reeve actually believable look like two\ndifferent people in SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE. Not to the point that people\nwho were close to both would be fooled for long, but enough to help\nsuspend my disbelief.\n\nI guess what got me is how much Lois looked like a fashion manequin, \nrather than a seasoned reporter. She always seemed to stand in the most\nawkward positions and with her hair usually across her face. 'course,\nthe fact that the artist is male may have something to do with it.\n\nD=\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #490, from switch, 143 chars, Tue Sep 11 20:32:32 1990\nThis is a comment to message 486.\nThere are additional comments to message 486.\n--------------------------\nAccording to a Superman trivia book I picked up in '78 when I was in\nLA, Clark (old continuity) slouched and raised his voice an octave.\n\nEmru\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #491, from rfranzen, 73 chars, Wed Sep 12 00:20:52 1990\nThis is a comment to message 486.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\n Roxy, you don't understand! He combs his hair differently, too! \ud83d\ude09\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #492, from r0xane, 25 chars, Wed Sep 12 10:04:30 1990\nThis is a comment to message 491.\n--------------------------\nOh! *That* explains it.\n\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #493, from bcapps, 282 chars, Fri Sep 14 00:06:55 1990\nThis is a comment to message 477.\n--------------------------\nIn the new universe, I believe that Batman became aware of Superman's identity\nwhen he recovered Ma Kent's scrapbook, that was stolen by some \"memorable\"\n(read: I can't remember this person) villain\/[ess]. As to Superman finding\nout Batman's identity, I don't know that one.\n\nBob\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #494, from davemackey, 484 chars, Sun Sep 16 21:24:47 1990\n--------------------------\nTITLE: Mighty Mouse\nIssue #2 of Marvel's \"Mighty Mouse,\" in comics shops this week, includes\na four-page featurette which briefly chronicles Mighty's film and comics\ncareer. However, one little bit of misinformation: \"Mighty Mouse: The\nNew Adventures\" was said to \"last only one season -- but what a season\nit is!\" The show ran for two seasons before CBS cancelled it.\n Also, the final issue of the Bugs Bunny miniseries shipped this week.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #495, from richard.pini, 475 chars, Tue Sep 18 11:55:22 1990\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: A FAVOR...\nCould any and everyone who reads this topic please check out his\/her local\nWaldenBooks store? I need to know what the '\n\n\"Waldens Recommends\" recommendation is for this week (9\/16-22) - this is the\ntitle that is showcased up at the cash register counter on that little blue\nplastic holder. I know what the title is *supposed* to be, but am looking\nfor independent verification. All replies will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.\nReply by email if you prefer.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #496, from r0xane, 84 chars, Tue Sep 18 14:31:14 1990\nThis is a comment to message 495.\nThere are additional comments to message 495.\n--------------------------\nAt the Waldenbooks here in Houston, the recommendation is \"Kiss The Boys\nGoodbye\".\n\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #497, from richard.pini, 92 chars, Tue Sep 18 15:55:08 1990\nThis is a comment to message 495.\n--------------------------\nCORRECTION TO #495\n\nI have just found out that what I need is *next* week (9\/23-29). Sorry.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #498, from tshim, 411 chars, Fri Sep 21 12:08:46 1990\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: Supes and Spidey\nHow many of these were there? I have the giant-sized edition, youknow, the one\nwhere they fight Lex Luthor and tDr. Octopus. I also know there was a Bats=\nHulk shindig, and an X-Men-Teen Titans thing. Were there any others?\n\nAny others planned but that never came about?\n\nI ask because there seem to be rampant rumors that there was a second\nSpidey-Supes issue. What was that about?\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #499, from tom.white, 991 chars, Fri Sep 21 17:38:53 1990\nThis is a comment to message 498.\nThere are additional comments to message 498.\n--------------------------\nThere was a second Superman\/Spider-man team-up. It was tabloid size\n(I kinda miss those gigantic comics) and the featured villians were\nDr. Doom and the Parasite. Plot was something silly in its scale:\nDoom holds several major cities around the world hostage by threatening\nto let his fusion reactor meltdown (something like this). He needs\nParasite's energy-eating abilities to control the reactor anyway.\nThe good guys win, of course; but toward the end, while Doom is trying\nto excape, Superman casually scoops him up. Doom panics, ranting about\ngetting off-planet, but is told \"Calm down, I just need your glove\".\nSuperman yanks it off with ease. Nice to see Doom in over his head for once.\n\nThere was a planned Justice League-Avengers team-up, back in the early\n80's, but it was stillborn due to editorial changes at one or both companies.\nToo bad, because many of the pages had been pencilled when it was \ncancelled, and this team-up had been a long-time dream of George Perez.\n\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #500, from switch, 82 chars, Fri Sep 21 20:12:03 1990\nThis is a comment to message 498.\n--------------------------\nSpidey-Supes vs. Dr. Doom and... and...\n\nEr, anyone wanna help on this one?\n\nEmru\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #501, from mstoodt, 7540 chars, Fri Sep 21 22:00:06 1990\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: OLFO 4\n Yes, it's been three weeks; you thought it was gone forever,\nbut it's back again: still another in the series of One Life\nForm's Opinions!\n\n A.R.M. (Larry Niven's) 1: Death By Ecstasy\n Bill Spangler, Terry Tidwell, Steve Stiles\n This is the first part of a three-issue adaptation of the\nclassic Larry Niven SF-detective story. As an adaptation, it's\ncompetently done, and the source material is an excellent story,\npart of that rare category of cross-genre material; but why\nadapt it? It isn't an exceptionally visual story; there's none\nof Niven's marvelous aliens (the setting is early in Niven's\nKnown Space series, before any permanent contact with aliens have\nbeen established), and the only \"special effect\" is Gil\nHamilton's \"imaginary\" (telekinetic) third arm. Many other Niven\nstories would be a much more natural fit to the comics medium, so\nwhy did they choose this one?\n Whatever. I'd call it a six on my one-to-ten scale, but if\nyou're not familiar with the source material, raise that number\nto a nine; I've not been impressed by Niven's solo work since\nthe mid-seventies, but he was one of the best in the SF field\n(and his collaborations since then also rate quite well), and his\nA.R.M. stories are among his best work.\n\n Bratpack 1 (untitled)\n Rick Veitch\n Early press compared this examination of kid sidekicks to\nMoore's treatment of superheroes in Watchman, but I don't see any\nreal comparison. Moore took the \u0002Charlton characters (modified\nslightly) and rebuilt our world around them; Veitch took the\ncharacters he targeted and mutated them almost beyond\nrecognition, producing a mean-spirited work which I regret having\nread. All this rates is a two. This isn’t
\na book for reading, it’s a book for laying down and avoiding.<\/p>\n

Crying Freeman Part 2 #1: The Tiger Orchid parts 1,2,3
\n Kazuo Koike, Ryoichi Ikegami
\n The start of a new story for the reluctant assassin and his
\nbride. Ikegami’s art is excellent as always (the other series he
\nworked on that’s been translated, Mai the Psychic Girl, is my
\nfavorite of all the translations done so far). My only complaint
\nis that I’ve just gotten the anime version of Crying Freeman (on
\nlaserdisc), so I know (approximately) where this story is going
\n(and the next story as well), and these stories aren’t as good as
\nthe first… Give this a seven.<\/p>\n

Dreadstar 61: People Who Hate Papal; plus Fallen Angel:
\nConclusion
\n Peter David, Angel Medina, Bill Anderson, Tim Tyler; Peter
\nDavid, John Calimee, Jim Nelson
\n Vanth’s early foe, the Lord Papal, has been brought back from
\nthe dead (“Junior”‘s parting shot last issue). A good non-stop
\nbattle issue. In the backup, we finally get a good explanation
\nfor Iron Angel’s switch-hitting eye patch. This issue gets a
\nseven.<\/p>\n

Elementals 15: The Conversation
\n Bill Willingham, Mike Leeke, Mike Chen
\n Long time no see! This is a real “talking heads” issue, but
\nthe topic of conversation is an important one for the characters
\n(and the series): Are the Elementals and their opponents part of
\nhuman society, and should those opponents be judged by the human
\ncommunity, or should they take matters into their own hands? The
\nart is adequate, but basically inconsequential in this issue;
\nthe plot and script are everything, and they’re pretty good.
\nCall this one an eight, with hopes that Comico can it get back to
\na regular schedule.<\/p>\n

Grimjack 77: Final Payback; plus Youngblood
\n John Ostrander, Fint Henry, Hilary Barta; John Ostrander, Kim
\nYale, Steve Pugh
\n I rated the last issue of Grimjack fairly low because it lost
\ntrack of the Skuzzy storyline. This one gets back to that story,
\nand concludes it (and Skuzzy) with a vengence. Along the way,
\nJim learns a lesson about responsibility for his actions; and
\nthe good karma Jim earned when he took the fall for his friends
\nis returned with interest, in the happiest ending this series has
\nhad in a long time. And take a good long look at the cover….
\nA definite ten here.<\/p>\n

Groo The Wanderer 71: Laughingstock
\n Sergio Aragones, Mark Evanier
\n Groo is one of the most consistently funny comics on the
\nmarket. Last issue, a writer (who looks remarkably like Mark
\nEvanier, and whose scribe looks a lot like letterer Stan Sakai)
\nwrote a book describing Groo as a hero; but anybody who knows
\nanything about Groo knows that concept is ridiculous. This
\nissue, the writer writes a comedy about Groo; unfortunately,
\nthis is less than successful as well, since people who don’t know
\nGroo start to want to see him in action, but the minimum safe
\ndistance for observing Groo doing what Groo does best is about a
\nlight-year….
\n A nine for this and just about every other issue of the
\nseries.<\/p>\n

Hard Boiled 1 (untitled)
\n Frank Miller, Geof Darrow
\n For this I paid five dollars (minus a nickel and my discount
\nat my dealer)? No plot whatsoever. A lot of ultra-violence, a
\nlot of pseudo-technology. Darrow’s art is good enough to justify
\nthe nine full page panels and three two-page spreads (plus an
\nanti-wraparound cover — the front and back are one scene, but
\nthe edges of the picture are at the spine of the book), if you
\nlike ultra-violence and pseudo-technology. But it looks to me
\nlike Frank Miller phoned this in from a payphone with only one
\ncoin. Three.<\/p>\n

Legends of the Dark Knight 11: Prey part one
\n Doug Moench, Paul Gulacy, Terry Austin
\n The first two stories in this series were mediocre, but just
\nwhen I was about to stop getting it, this story makes me sit up
\nand take notice. Jim Gordon is assigned to the head of a
\n“vigilante” task force to handle this Batman person; he has to
\ntread carefully between looking effective and actually being
\neffective. Meanwhile, Hugo Strange is developing some
\ninteresting theories about the psychology of the Batman. (Then
\nthere’s the woman in the cat suit…) Gulacy’s art has always
\nseemed stiff to me (prime example: what’s that blonde in
\nStrange’s apartment on page 18 there for?), but this storyline is
\nworth getting. Make it a seven.<\/p>\n

Sandman 19: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
\n Neil Gaiman, Charles Vess
\n William Shakespeare directs a production of his play for a
\nvery unusual audience. “The price of getting what you want, is
\ngetting what once you wanted.” This is only my second issue of
\nSandman, the first being last issue’s cat story; but this is
\ngoing onto my “buy” list, and I’ll be starting a back issue hunt
\nsoon… This is an eight.<\/p>\n

Usagi Yojimbo 25: The Bridge
\n Stan Sakai
\n This series is another consistent performer, about a rabbit
\nronin (lord-less samurai). This issue, Usagi confronts a demon
\ninhabiting a bridge. Sakai’s art is always good (although seeing
\nskulls in balloons over the heads of people (or demons) as they
\ndie gets a bit tiresome). Call this issue a seven.<\/p>\n

Also received: Akira 24, Badger 67, Batman 456, Cadillacs and
\nDinosaurs 1, Cerebus High Society 17, Cobra 7, Dark Horse
\nPresents 43, Deathlok 4, Fish Police 24, Give Me Liberty 2,
\nGrimjack Casefiles 3, Hellblazer 35, Horobi 6, Nexus 76,
\nOutlanders 21, Stalkers 8, Suicide Squad 46, Swamp Thing 100,
\n2001 Nights 2.<\/p>\n

A final note: Is anyone reading these things? I don’t seem
\nto be getting too much of a reaction from you out there…. Do
\nyou like them? Do you agree with me? or disagree? Has anyone
\nbought (or avoided buying) anything based on my recommendation?
\nAre you glad (or sorry) that you listened (or didn’t listen) to
\nme? Is it worth my time and effort to keep doing this?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #502, from switch, 105 chars, Sun Sep 23 22:24:14 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 501.
\nThere are additional comments to message 501.
\n————————–
\nI’m reading, but it’s hard for me to comment since I’m usually
\ngettin my comics late these days \ud83d\ude41<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #503, from bcapps, 1560 chars, Mon Sep 24 22:04:56 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 501.
\n————————–
\nI’m reading them also. I kinda have to agree with you on the BratPack, in
\nthat it’s extremely vindicative. One would think that it’s Veitch’s revenge
\nfor the Swamp Thing controversy and that he’s pointing out the absurdity of
\nkid sidekicks (now, why do you suppose they call them that?) although in a
\nheavy-handed sort of way. It reminds me of a comment a co-worker said about
\nkids today: “Were we ever like that? I don’t think we were ever _that_
\nobnoxious. Gawd! I don’t want to be around if kids today are going to run
\nthe world. These kids are _stooopid_!” Now, he was just talking about kids
\nin general. He doesn’t read comics.<\/p>\n

I’ve definitely enjoyed Sandman since it came out. It is well worth the
\ntrips to the back issue bins. Groo has also been one of my favorites.
\nI’m also something of a rabid Cerebus fan and every so often like to pull
\nout the “phone books” (the large, reprint volumes) and review what has
\nhappened ’til now. There’s almost always some little clue or reference
\nthat seems totally out of place back then, but makes perfect sense now.
\nHard Boiled was wierd! One of those dream sequences that never seems to end.
\nIt’s a wait and see. Give Me Liberty is one that is really good. Nice to
\nsee some more of Gibbons’ work. Course, then again, I almost expect to see
\nDr. Manhattan pop out and start observing things. Shade is another title
\nthat’s in the strange-reality vein (like Animal Man, Sandman, Hellblazer,
\net al.) that is proving to be an interesting work.<\/p>\n

Bob (don’t worry, we’ll have more comments later)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #504, from richard.pini, 82 chars, Tue Sep 25 11:23:18 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Favor redux
\nStill looking for any\/all help with msgs 495 and 497 – thanks!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #505, from r0xane, 39 chars, Tue Sep 25 21:52:36 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 504.
\n————————–
\nIn Houston, its “Return to Centaura”.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #506, from davemackey, 277 chars, Tue Oct 2 06:57:02 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Happy anniverary
\nIt was forty years ago today that the comic strip PEANUTS first appeared
\nin newspapers. Good ol’ Charlie Brown, Sherman and Patty appeared in the
\nfirst strip, written and drawn by Charles Schulz — as it is today. So
\nhappy birthday to the Peanuts gang.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #507, from hmccracken, 976 chars, Sun Oct 7 19:01:15 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: _Fearless Fosdick_ (Kitchen Sink Press) is a fantastic new
\nbook of reprints of the strip-within-a-strip that brilliantly
\nsatirized _Dick Tracy_ within Al Capp’s _Li’l Abner_. Fosdick is
\nthe world’s stupidest, most violent policeman (as well as Abner’s
\n“ideel”), and the stories in this book surely rank among the funniest
\ncomic strips ever done. I am particularly fond of the story which
\nrelates Fosdick’s reaction to a criminal’s planting of a poisoned can
\nof beans somewhere in the city: Fosdick procedes to run around the
\ncity knocking off every citizen he spots about to open a can of beans,
\nso as to save them from possibly devouring the poisoned ones. (This
\namounts to several hundred people.) A plot description can’t hope to
\ndo justice to this story, which is both hysterically funny and an
\nallegory which often comes to my mind as I read of other folks out
\nthere who rampage and destroy in Fosdick-like attempts to save the
\nworld from itself.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #508, from steven_edwards, 2239 chars, Fri Oct 19 22:52:32 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: _Disney Adventures_ Issue #1<\/p>\n

[This is not a Byte review]<\/p>\n

The first issue of _Disney Adventures_ (ISSN 1050-2491) dated 12 Nov 1990
\nis on the newsstands with a cover price of US$1.95 with an annual subscription
\nrate of $29.95 (introductory discounts available). The publisher’s address:<\/p>\n

W.D. Productions, Inc.
\n 500 South Buena Vista St (Tower Building, 29th fl.)
\n Burbank, CA 91521<\/p>\n

The magazine is 128 pages long with dimensions of about 13 cm x 19 cm.
\nThe contents include several full color comic stories about the Disney
\nAfternoon characters and a Roger Rabbit piece. A number of text\/photo pieces
\nand a brief interview with Rick Moranis are present and make up about half the
\nissue. The reading level varies with an approximate mean of about 11 years.
\nThe magazine contains advertising for both Disney and third party products.
\nAll articles have author credits and all comic artwork has author and artist
\ncredits. There’s a cute closing photo on the last inside page that reminds
\none of the old _Life_ magazine’s Miscellany feature; below the photo is a
\nquarter page list of third party photo credits for the issue with sources
\nranging from the Wyoming State Museum to _Playboy_ magazine.<\/p>\n

Well, if I had a kid in the 7-14 target bracket, I’d get a subscription
\nfor him\/her. The artwork is very good and quite close to that which appears
\non the television programs. There are a few continuity faults such as the
\nvarying color of Dale’s (the chipmunk) forelock (gray, black, and brown).
\nAlso, in an article about time-variant TV linguistics, a photo of Dobie Gillis
\n(Dwayne Hackman) is misidentified as Maynard G. Krebs (Bob Denver). There
\nis an interesting article on a US\/Soviet joint Siberian land bridge journey
\nand another article on the religious origins of Halloween; both are written
\nso as to be informative while cleverly sidestepping any potentially offending
\npolitical or religius views.<\/p>\n

For aspiring animators, there is also a contest where the grand prize
\nwinner gets a chance to spend a day with the current top Disney animators and
\nactually create some to-be-used artwork. The five first prize winners get
\ncollector’s cels from past Disney features.<\/p>\n

— Steve<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #509, from hmccracken, 138 chars, Sun Oct 21 19:11:03 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 508.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIn what area of the newstand did you find this? (Comics section or
\nregular magazine section?) And how often is it published?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #510, from steven_edwards, 420 chars, Sun Oct 21 19:29:15 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 509.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 509.
\n————————–
\n\tI saw this in the regular magazine section at a local supermarket. I
\nlater checked a small comic store and was told that they weren’t currently
\ncarrying the title. The comic store proprietor said that it wasn’t received
\nwith the usual batch of Disney Comics (like _Chip ‘n Dale’s Rescue Rangers_).
\n\tI think it’s published monthly. There is a coupon inside for an
\nintroductory rate of 12 issues for $19.75.
\n\t— Steve<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #511, from steven_edwards, 59 chars, Sun Oct 21 19:55:12 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 510.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 510.
\n————————–
\n\tOops – that’s $17.95 for 12 issues – ^%#$@&! keyboard \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #512, from richard.pini, 125 chars, Sun Oct 21 21:38:31 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 511.
\n————————–
\nIt was announced that the magazine would be available in non-comics spots –
\nan attempt to get those non-comics spots buyers.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #513, from dave.f, 247 chars, Mon Oct 22 12:18:01 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 509.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nHarry, I haven’t picked it up yet, but I saw it the other day at the
\ncheckout counter at the Super Stop & Shop in Westboro, on the same
\nrack with TV Guide. I really don’t think they’re trying to pick
\nup the usual comics buyers with this one.<\/p>\n

D=<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #514, from cmattern, 266 chars, Tue Oct 23 17:23:29 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 513.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI’ve seen it on a number of supermarket checkout counters myself.
\n Chris
\nP.S. But I *haven’t* seen it at my usual comics stores. I agree with Dave–
\nthis is pitched as a magazine for kids in general, not the comic trade.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #515, from aturn, 455 chars, Wed Oct 24 18:13:59 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 514.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n\tI have seen it in supermarkets, convenience stores, _and_ in the
\ncomics shops I go to.
\n\tBut why should its availability, or lack thereof, in comics
\nspeciality shops be meaningful? Just as well that it is available
\nother places, since comics shops are notoriously bad at attracting
\nany “walk-in” trade that isn’t already familiar with comics. Let’s
\nface it, a store window with a life-size poster of Wolverine won’t
\nmean anything to an average person.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #516, from hmccracken, 524 chars, Wed Oct 24 18:52:25 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 515.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI haven’t seen it yet — I’m obviously not looking in the right places.<\/p>\n

I agree wholeheartedly that it shouldn’t really matter whether the
\nmagazine is in comic shops or not. From what I hear this is a
\nmagazine unreservedly aimed at the youth of America as a whole, and
\nthe youth of America is more likely to find it in a convenience store
\nor supermarket than a comics store. I’m suprised that Disney’s comic
\nbook line is as collector-oriented as it is (references to Carl Barks,
\nads for expensive books, etc).
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #517, from aturn, 76 chars, Thu Oct 25 00:04:49 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 516.
\n————————–
\n\tWell, that was even more a problem under the Gladstone
\nimprint, wasn’t it?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #518, from bcapps, 691 chars, Fri Oct 26 23:43:10 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Clark\/Supes & Lois!!
\nAs many of you are probably aware by now, Superman, disguised as mild-
\nmannered Clark Kent, has proposed to Lois Lane, the well-known newspaper
\nreporter, and she has accepted.<\/p>\n

The Washington Post covered this item today in the Style section and went
\non to disclose that they may not be able to have kids and probably would
\nadopt. They also went for a bit of humor in the piece, by playing on
\nRobert Wuhl’s bit (a comedian often on HBO) about Superman’s “The Look.”
\nAs in, “can you imagine Lois having to put up with that?”<\/p>\n

Looks like they’re trying to do more to “update” the heroes, in much the
\nsame manner that Marvel put Peter and Mary Jane together.<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #519, from hmccracken, 402 chars, Sat Oct 27 17:04:50 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 510.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI finally saw a copy of _Disney Adventures_ magazine, at a local comics
\nshop, oddly enough. The format — digest-sized on good paper with lots
\nof high-quality color — and the content — a mixture of comics and
\nkid-oriented articles — reminded me very much of the Italian Disney
\ncomic books, such as _Topolino_. I’ll bet Disney was influenced by
\ntheir success in launching this magazine.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #520, from hmccracken, 1044 chars, Sat Oct 27 17:12:02 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 518.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nGee, Superman and Lois marrying. (Assuming of course, that the
\nproposal and acceptance will indeed result in marriage.) Does this
\nmean that Lois knows that Superman and Clark Kent are one and the
\nsame? (Please forgive me, I’m not a current reader of any of the
\nMan of Steel’s exploits.) If she doesn’t, is there any way on earth
\nthat she won’t know, given that she’s married to the guy?<\/p>\n

Of course, this Superman and Lois, according to DC’s convoluted
\nhistory, aren’t the ones who most of the characters’ stories have
\npictured. And the Superman and Lois of the 1940s — aka Earth-2
\n(or is that Earth-1?) were married for years, before they ceased to
\nexist. Thinking of all this makes me wish that DC had done the right
\nthing and never, ever suggested that there was more than one Superman
\nor Lois Lane or Batman or anybody. By such petty “logic” are
\ncultural myths destroyed. No doubt someone here will remind me of
\nwhich great man (I always forget who) told us that foolish consistency
\nis the hobgoblin of little minds.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #521, from steven_edwards, 382 chars, Sun Oct 28 00:49:42 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 519.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n\tYesterday I made a beer run to the supermarket where a week ago I saw
\na big stack of _Disney Adventures_ #1 in the magazine section. They’ve all
\nbeen sold. Looks like a collector’s item, folks; perhaps it was the big, red
\n“FIRST ISSUE” on the cover that did it as I recall no formal advertising but
\nrather just a small wire service filler article in a local newspaper. — Steve<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #522, from bcapps, 251 chars, Sun Oct 28 23:10:27 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 520.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nDo you think we’ll see an editor’s note stating that “This is NOT an
\nimaginary story?” The blurb I saw stated that Clark will let Lois know
\nthe truth before the wedding. Let me dig it out and I’ll do a few quotes
\nfrom the source article soon.<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #523, from hmccracken, 377 chars, Thu Nov 1 18:22:26 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 522.
\n————————–
\nA radio report this morning confirmed with DC editor Mike Carlin
\nthat A) It’s Clark Kent who’s proposing, and B) he will do the right
\nthing and inform Lois of his secret. The report said that the issue
\ncontaining these events was published today, and I will buy my first
\nissue of _Superman_ since the John Byrne takeover several years ago
\nin order to find out more.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #524, from davemackey, 623 chars, Fri Nov 2 06:59:39 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Annual trip to Hell
\nEvery year about this time, Matt Groening makes available a choice
\nselection of “Life In Hell” strips in a mini-jumbo compendium. But
\nthis year, he’s gone like a bat out of hell, so to speak, and compiled
\nmany “Hell” strips, some never reprinted, in “The Big Book Of Hell.””
\nPriced at $15.95, it’s in larger format than his previous books and
\nincludes a handy index so you can find some of your favorites. He even
\ndirects you to a few strips that have an early version of Bart Simpson
\nin them.
\n Groening has also produced a book of Simpsons postcards.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #525, from switch, 53 chars, Thu Nov 22 00:32:55 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Hey!
\nAnyone else ’round here read Zot!?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #526, from davemackey, 194 chars, Fri Nov 23 19:28:19 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 525.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nEmru–
\n I can’t claim to get every issue, but I do enjoy Zot on those
\noccasions when I do get to read it. So the answer to your
\nquestion is “yes.”
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #527, from hmccracken, 935 chars, Fri Nov 23 19:45:09 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: What is it abut Mickey Mouse…
\nthat he is the exact double of not one but *two* royal monarchs? One of
\nthem, of course, is the Prince whom he swaps places with in Disney’s
\ncurrent _Prince and the Pauper_ featurette. But more than fifty years
\nago, the same thing happened in an excellent story in the MM daily
\ncomic strip entitled _Monarch of Medioka_. Mick switched places with
\none Prince Michael in that one, in a story clearly inspired, like the
\nnew featurette, by Mark Twain’s original story. (I wonder if the
\nauthors of the screenplay to the _P&P_ cartoon were aware of Floyd
\nGottfredson’s nifty 1930s strip sequence.)<\/p>\n

Gottfredson’s version of the Mickey-takes-the-throne story should
\nstill be available in a nicely-done comic album published by Gladstone
\nnot too long before they lost the Disney comics license. (I took a
\nlocal comic shop’s 50%-off-everything sale today as an excuse to pick
\nup a copy.)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #528, from hmccracken, 140 chars, Fri Nov 23 22:12:30 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 527.
\n————————–
\n(Just remembered that I should have noted that _Monarch of Medioka_
\nwas even more directly inspired by _The Prisoner of Zenda_.)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #529, from steven_edwards, 403 chars, Sat Nov 24 02:14:04 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 521.
\n————————–
\n\tThen again, there may be circulation problems elsewhere. I just got
\nissue #2 from a comic store, and I note that the special offer subscription
\nprice has dropped from $17.95 to $14.95 (single issue cover price is $1.95).
\nOn the other hand, the Gladstone imprint lines seem to being doing quite well
\nwith a subscription price of $18.00 per year equal to the monthly cover price
\ntimes twelve. — Steve<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #530, from bcapps, 100 chars, Sun Nov 25 01:25:26 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 526.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI, too, read Zot! But I haven’t seen an issue in a long while. Since maybe
\naround 22 or so?<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #531, from switch, 480 chars, Wed Nov 28 11:48:56 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 530.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIssue #33 was the last, and #34 is due out soon. Apparently the question
\nof sex is going to pop up. Given the sensitive handling of teenage
\nromance in previous issues and lesbianism in the last issue, I’m interested
\nto see how this goes.<\/p>\n

The author (I can’t believe his name escapes me!) has such wonderful
\ninsights into the way teenagers think, and the dialogue is believable
\nenough that I could latch right on to it. Of course, I’m also fond
\nof the slight manga feel.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #532, from dave.f, 857 chars, Thu Nov 29 11:30:49 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Billy Mumy in Worcester
\nFor those in the eastern Massachusetts area, “That’s Entertainment”, a
\ncomics and collectibles shop in Worcester, is going to have Billy
\nMumy make an in-store appearance tomorrow, Friday 30-Nov, from 4:00
\nto 7:00 pm. Billy played Will Robinson on LOST IN SPACE. He is
\nstill acting and is writing comic books for Marvel (among others) and
\nis in a rock band called “Seduction of the Innocent” along with
\nMiguel (Albert Rosenfield, Beau Jack Bowman) Ferrer.<\/p>\n

On Saturday they’ll be hosting a visit from Mike Mignola, penciller on
\nEpic’s “Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser”. He’ll be in the Worcester store
\nfrom 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and in their Fitchburg shop from 3:00 to 5:00 pm.<\/p>\n

The shop can be reached at (508) 755-4207 for directions. This is
\nnot an official endorsement of “That’s Entertainment”, just a note
\nof interest.<\/p>\n

D=<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #533, from morganfox, 209 chars, Thu Nov 29 16:18:48 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 532.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAnd Billy Mumy as well will be in Boston Sat and Sunday at the Collectables
\nShow, Fans 90. That will be held from noon on Sat and Sun. at the Baystate
\nExpo. I will get the closing times up in a later message.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #534, from morganfox, 455 chars, Thu Nov 29 17:02:19 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 533.
\n————————–
\nMore and better infor.
\nNortheast Collectibles Extravaganza(Hey…I didn’t name it) including Fan
\nFair ’90. With Eddie Munster and the cost(sic) of Lost in Space. Sat Dec1
\nNoon to 6PM, Sun Dec2 10AM to 5PM. Bayside Expo. Reportedly 600 tables of
\nstuff. Also there it seems at the same time is Jolly Jim’s Indoor Street
\nFestival. 350 vendors of holiday goodies and the best of street performers.<\/p>\n

Sounds like the whole thing might be worth a giggle or two!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #535, from bcapps, 218 chars, Sat Dec 1 15:13:27 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 531.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nHowzabout Scott McCloud? 34? The last issue that I remember reading was
\nthe one in which Zot became stuck on our Earth. Was that anytime recent?
\nSeems I’m gonna have to go fishing through the back issue bins!<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #536, from hmccracken, 1115 chars, Sat Dec 1 20:05:47 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: It didn’t seem to me that _The Sorceror’s Apprentice_ was a very
\nsuitable candidate for being adapted into comics form. How do you
\nput a story that’s told largely with music, has no dialogue, and
\nfeatures some of Disney’s most spectacular animation on the printed
\npage?<\/p>\n

The current issue of _Mickey Mouse Adventures_ comics actually does a
\nvery good job of doing just that. The art, by Stephen DeStefano and
\nGary Martin is *extremely* faithful to the cartoon — so faithful, in
\nfact, that I wonder if they somehow traced frames from the film into
\ncomic form. The comic’s script takes the clever approach of having
\nthe story narrated by the old Sorceror himself in captions, rather than
\nsaddling the story with dialogue. While the narration reads a little like
\nan overly-verbose superhero comic — which isn’t surprising, since it
\nwas written by Marv Wolfman, writer of just that sort of comic — it
\nactually works quite well.<\/p>\n

Kudos to Mssrs. Wolfman, DeStefano, and Martin, for producing a comic
\nthat *almost* makes you want to see them try adapting all of _Fantasia_
\ninto comic-book form.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #537, from mstoodt, 712 chars, Sun Dec 2 00:45:27 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 535.
\nThere are additional comments to message 535.
\n————————–
\nZot got stuck on Jenny’s Earth in issue 27, so yes, you’ve missed a few.
\nAnd they are definately worth the back issue bin search. It was only a
\ncouple of months ago that I completed my search for back issues of the
\ncolor series.<\/p>\n

There aren’t many titles which can transform a week’s batch from average
\ninto a major event simply by coming out that week. Zot! is one. (About
\nthe only other titles I have that kind of reaction to are Groo and Tales
\nof the Beanworld.) Unfortunately, there won’t be too many more reactions
\nof that type in the near future; after 36, Scott McCloud is putting Zot!
\non hiatus for a while, as he did between issues 10 and 11 (or 10.5, if you
\ncount that one).<\/p>\n

MaS<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #538, from switch, 99 chars, Sun Dec 2 11:07:02 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 535.
\n————————–
\nYeah, Scott McCloud (silly me). Zot got stuck on our Earth maybe
\nfive or six issues before.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #539, from davemackey, 620 chars, Mon Dec 10 18:04:42 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Kings Of The Comics
\nThe World Financial Center will present “Kings Of The Comics”
\ntomorrow afternoon. Guests will include Bil Keane, Dean Young,
\nMort Walker and Hank Ketcham.
\n More information on this event can be had by calling (212)
\n945-0505. The World Financial Center is holding this event in
\nconjunction with the “Masters Of Cartoon Art” exhibition from the
\nMuseum of Cartoon Art, on display at the WFC (which is in New
\nYork) through February 15.
\n Irony: this info is from an ad in the “New York Times,” a
\nnewspaper that does not publish a single comic strip!
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #540, from hkenner, 94 chars, Mon Dec 10 18:54:55 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 539.
\n————————–
\nThe Times likes you to know that it knows that comics exist, out there
\nin the plebeian press.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #541, from hmccracken, 1527 chars, Mon Dec 10 19:38:39 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: A comics-reading friend at the office broke the bad news to
\nme today: the _Boston Globe_ had replaced _Tiger_ with a new comic
\nstrip based — inevitably — on _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_.
\nNow, I am not really a _Tiger_ fan, although I do like Bud Blake’s
\nart, and I sort of like the _Reg’lar Fellas_-_Just Kids_ comic strip
\ntradition that it perpetuates. And while I don’t care for the Turtles,
\nI am willing to give their strip a chance.<\/p>\n

Anyhow, I was moved for some reason to call the _Globe_ about this.
\n(In a previous message of a few months back, I recounted my call to
\nthe _Globe_ when they dropped _Tiger_ for a few days to see if anyone
\ncared.) I asked what had happened to Tiger, and was told that they
\nhad replaced him with the Turtles based on a desire to add a children’s
\nstrip to the paper. I registered my preference for Tiger — which is
\na real, albeit modest one — and the person I spoke to recorded my wish
\nand said that they were tracking response to the change. While I don’t
\nexpect to see Tiger return, anything can happen. During the 1970s,
\nthe _Globe_ went through a long cycle of carrying _Tumbleweeds_ (at
\nits best one of finest contemporary comics), dropping it (I have always
\nsuspected because of its portrayal of Native Americans), running a series
\nof letters to the Editor decrying its loss, then bringing it back. And
\nthen dropping it all over again. So while I doubt that there are legions
\nof Tiger fans out there, if there are their complaints may have some
\neffect.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #542, from bsoron, 148 chars, Mon Dec 10 20:26:09 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 541.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 541.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

My reaction parallels yours pretty closely — Tiger’s funny every
\nonce in a while, and Bud Blake draws kids well. I’ll call the Globe
\ntomorrow.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #543, from hmccracken, 258 chars, Mon Dec 10 20:35:34 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 542.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nGosh, if I’d known other BIXen would call, I’d have mentioned BIX —
\nif the _Globe_ switchboard was swamped with calls from angry BIXen,
\nthey might open a comics page vendor-support conference here.<\/p>\n

(Okay, they wouldn’t. But it is a neat idea.)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #544, from bsoron, 268 chars, Mon Dec 10 22:50:55 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 543.
\nThere are additional comments to message 543.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

Incidentally, the latest story in Pogo has me rolling on the floor
\neach day. Doyle and Sternecky really won’t ever be Kelly, but they’ve
\nfinally started to get me to read the strip every day, which is more
\nthan I can say for the rest of the strips on that page…<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #545, from davemackey, 463 chars, Tue Dec 11 01:03:13 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 541.
\nThere are additional comments to message 541.
\n————————–
\nThe Asbury Park Press, a fairly large Central New Jersey
\nnewspaper, used its touchtone phone information network to
\nsolicit readers as to which strip it should drop to make room for
\n“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” The winner (or loser, in this
\ncase) was “Annie.”
\n I think the last word on Ninjaturtlemania was served up by
\nJim Reardon and Art Vitello in a segment of today’s “Tiny Toon
\nAdventures” entitled “Slugfest.”
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #546, from steven_edwards, 413 chars, Tue Dec 11 10:29:12 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 543.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n\tWell, I would call, but I gave up on the Globe long ago. By the
\nway, the New York Times does run a sampler of editorial cartoons in the
\nSunday edition.
\n\tIsn’t the case that the Times doesn’t carry comics in part because
\nof the exclusionary clauses in the comic syndicates’ contracts for carving
\nup markets? I don’t think that there are any syndicated comics in the
\nnationally distributed newspapers. — Steve<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #547, from hkenner, 185 chars, Tue Dec 11 10:54:59 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 546.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nExclusionary clauses may be part of the reason now, but no-comics was
\na Times policy back when it was strictly a local paper. “Dignity,”
\nI think. We are *serious* around here.
\n–HK<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #548, from hmccracken, 583 chars, Tue Dec 11 18:12:57 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 547.
\nThere are additional comments to message 547.
\n————————–
\nAnother factor *may* have been that for a long time so many strips
\nwere controlled by the Hearst and McCormick\/Patterson empires —
\nboth of which had competing papers in New York. But somehow,
\nI think the _Times’s_ lack of comics has become such a good emblem
\nof its seriousness that it wouldn’t add them if it could. The paper
\nhas run the odd one-day-onl strip from time to time. Walt Kelly did
\na _Pogo_ for them in 1972, I think.
\n (And of course in Al Hirschfeld they have an artist who’s been one
\nof the outstanding newspaper cartoonists of them all for 65 years.)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #549, from davemackey, 210 chars, Tue Dec 11 18:20:23 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 547.
\n————————–
\nI think the only thing the “Times” has going for it is its
\nextremely challenging crossword puzzle. Definitely the best of
\nany paper in the country. Otherwise, forget it.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #550, from davemackey, 403 chars, Wed Dec 19 01:49:37 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: TV Guide vs. the comics
\nAnother “bang, pow, zap” comic book story — but this time, it’s
\non the cover of TV Guide. Flash, Batman and Dick Tracy (I thought
\nthis was TV Guide, not Home Video Guide) are on the cover, and
\namong the quotees in the article are Stan Lee and Mark Evanier.
\nAlso a short sidebar on the actor who plays The Flash, John
\nWesley Shipp.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #551, from dave.f, 400 chars, Fri Dec 21 19:19:33 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 550.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nBoy, it really galls me to see what has become of TV GUIDE since
\nMurdock bought it. That article on comic book heroes on the screen
\nwas just about worthless. Nice to see mention of some upcoming
\nprojects, but otherwise talk about content-free jounalism.<\/p>\n

And why do we always have to have sound effects as part of the title
\nof these things???<\/p>\n

I found the Shipp sidebar much more interesting.<\/p>\n

D=<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #552, from aturn, 226 chars, Sat Dec 22 00:16:45 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 551.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n\tTV Guide sure has gone downhill. Puff Pieces. Ugly, cluttered
\ncovers (when they used to have very appealing ones). The “Grapevine”
\nsection is a good argument for declaring desktop publishing programs to
\nbe deadly weapons.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #553, from aturn, 221 chars, Sat Dec 22 00:18:51 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: WORLD’s WORST COMICS AWARDS
\n\tAnyone else here see Kitchen Sink’s comic of the same name? A
\nhoot and a half, and well worth seeking out for anyone who ever felt the
\nurge to forcefeed a comic to its creative staff.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #554, from hmccracken, 161 chars, Sat Dec 22 00:22:16 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 552.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThat they added a horoscope gives an indication of what audience Murdoch
\nhas refocused TV Guide at (not that it was ever Partisan Review, of course).
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #555, from hmccracken, 74 chars, Sat Dec 22 00:22:33 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 553.
\nThere are additional comments to message 553.
\n————————–
\nI’ve seen the ads for it and look forward to getting the comic.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #556, from aturn, 53 chars, Sat Dec 22 00:24:33 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 554.
\nThere are additional comments to message 554.
\n————————–
\n\tI had the same reaction to the horoscope, actually.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #557, from mstoodt, 81 chars, Sat Dec 22 00:48:37 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 554.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThe horoscope is _the_ reason I no longer subscribe to TV Guide.
\n MaS<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #558, from bsoron, 296 chars, Sat Dec 22 18:39:42 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 557.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

It could be worse:<\/p>\n

ARIES – Romance may enter your life if you concentrate on reruns. Beware
\n of housemates who want to subscribe to more than one premium channel.<\/p>\n

TAURUS – A message awaits you on The Weather Channel. Watching NBC during
\n sweeps weeks will enhance your life.<\/p>\n

and so on…<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #559, from davemackey, 690 chars, Mon Dec 24 00:19:24 1990
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Mad 300 cover
\nIf you want to see what the cover to MAD #300 would have looked
\nlike had the crisis in the Persian Gulf not flared up, check out
\nthe January-February 1991 issue of SPY.
\n In the “Spy Magazine For Kids” feature, there is a photo of
\nthe proposed cover, showing Pres. Bush burning the Mad Flag.
\nSensitivity to the events in Iraq forced a last-minute change to
\nNorman Mingo’s classic portrait of Alfred E. Neuman, the cover
\nthe issue now bears.
\n This item was recently confirmed when Dick DeBartolo brought
\na copy of the suppressed cover during his personal appearances
\nat two “Steve’s Comic Relief” shops earlier this month.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #560, from davemackey, 193 chars, Mon Dec 24 00:19:36 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 541.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWho does the TMNT comic strip, anyway? I don’t see any creator
\ncredits on it. Are we back in the days of the Bugs Bunny by Leon
\nSchlesinger comic strip?
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #561, from davemackey, 291 chars, Mon Dec 24 00:19:46 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 558.
\n————————–
\nActually, I ignore the horoscope. And the crossword. And the
\nmovie guide. And most of the program listings. And anything
\nMarilyn “I’m told” Beck writes. And the shallow soap opera page.
\n Yet, I have to renew my parents’ subscription next month…
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #562, from davemackey, 341 chars, Thu Dec 27 19:59:15 1990
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Other computer networks and CBG
\nI notice that a lot of the other computer networks, including
\nCompu$erve and GEnie getting play in the “Comics Buyers Guide.” I
\ndon’t think it would be a bad idea for one of our moderators to
\ndrop Don and Maggie a little note advising them of our presence
\nhere.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #563, from hmccracken, 122 chars, Thu Dec 27 22:31:15 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 562.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nGood hint, Dave, and something I’ve been planning on doing. Your
\nnudge is probably what I needed to get going.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #564, from richard.pini, 102 chars, Fri Dec 28 13:03:35 1990
\nThis is a comment to message 563.
\n————————–
\nMaybe we both should…seeing as how, even though I’m on all three systems,
\n90% of my time goes here.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #565, from davemackey, 323 chars, Fri Jan 4 19:06:50 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 560.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThere are credits on the Sunday “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”
\nstrip but they are so darned hard to read, and I’ve never heard
\nof the guys.
\n Incidentally, speaking of credits, both sons of the late Dik
\nBrowne are now signing their full names to their strips, Chris
\nBrowne on “Hagar” and Chance Browne on “Hi and Lois.”<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #566, from aturn, 87 chars, Sun Jan 6 00:57:00 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 565.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 565.
\n————————–
\n\tBut I’ll bet that most papers still have the “by Dik Browne”
\nslug over their dailies.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #567, from davemackey, 191 chars, Sun Jan 6 08:32:51 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 553.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI finally got a copy this week… it is extremely clever. I don’t
\nknow which was funnier… Steve Ditko’s fake names or the fake ad
\non the back cover.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #568, from switch, 36 chars, Sun Jan 6 15:02:04 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 566.
\n————————–
\nDoes in the Montreal Gazette.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #569, from hmccracken, 248 chars, Sun Jan 6 22:50:55 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 567.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nOpinion thirded (?): it’s a funny book. Steve Ditko’s character names
\nare hilarious — as are the Objectivist comics they appeared in.
\n_The Comics Journal_ once ran a review of one of his comics with
\nthe great title of “Atlas Slugged.”
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #570, from davemackey, 1123 chars, Sat Jan 12 19:57:43 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Cracked turning into Mad?
\nIt is noted that Cracked has new editors, a couple of MAD
\nveterans named Lou Silverstone and Jerry DeFuccio. It is also
\nnoted that the back cover for the March 1991 issue (no. 261) was
\ndrawn by Jack Rickard, longtime “usual idiot” for MAD. It is also
\nnoted in the name of consumer information that Jack Rickard died
\nabout 1983, and the cover appears to have been retouched (by John
\nSeverin?) to include Sylvester and put everyone on the back cover
\n(a motley lot which includes Dracula, Frankenstein, Charlie
\nChaplin and Dizzy Gillespie) into Cracked t-shirts.
\n The link is that the new press\/publicity rep at Cracked is
\nnamed Diana Rickard.
\n Ex-editor Michael Delle Femine brought an awareness of the
\nrest of the comics world to Cracked, and now it appears that
\nfannishness (which lately was what distinguished Cracked from
\nMad) is gone. It seems like Cracked once again wants to be
\ncontent to imitate Mad.
\n “Twin Peaks” fans might like the “Twin Geaks” board game
\nincluded in the inside covers, drawn by Mike Ricigliano.
\n >>> TINAR <<< --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #571, from hmccracken, 371 chars, Sat Jan 12 22:05:23 1991\nThis is a comment to message 570.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nIs Don Martin still with _Cracked_? I wonder if there's\nsome internal strife at _Mad_ which explains the defections\nof such long-standing contributors to a much less high-profile\n(and presumably poorer-paying) periodical. I haven't read\n_Cracked_ in years, but remember wondering why such a splendid\ncartoonist as John Severin was wasting his time with them.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #572, from davemackey, 234 chars, Sun Jan 13 07:13:12 1991\nThis is a comment to message 571.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nYes he is; and he did the front cover of the issue in question.\nPart of the reason that Martin made the switch is that Cracked\nallows him to retain ownership of his work, which Mad never\ncould.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #573, from aturn, 50 chars, Sun Jan 13 08:45:00 1991\nThis is a comment to message 572.\n--------------------------\n\tI presume you meant \"would\" rather than \"could\".\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #574, from davemackey, 544 chars, Sat Jan 19 13:56:07 1991\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: Cal and Tom\n\"Goofy Adventures\" no. 11, which shipped this past week, features\ntwo more submissions from veteran cartoon\/comics writer Cal\nHoward: \"The Return of Goofy da Vinci,\" which was first published\nin 1965, and a brand-new story called \"A Goofy Look At Weather.\"\n(I wonder if Cal Howard's Hot Dog Stand is still in business?)\n Also, the lead story in \"Donald Duck Adventures\" no. 11,\n\"What's For Lunch...Supper?\" is written by another name not\nunfamiliar to animation fans, Tom Yakutis.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #575, from hmccracken, 69 chars, Sat Jan 19 16:47:41 1991\nThis is a comment to message 574.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nUnfamiliar to this animation fan, Dave: who's Tom Yakutis?\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #576, from davemackey, 372 chars, Sun Jan 20 07:30:15 1991\nThis is a comment to message 575.\n--------------------------\nTom Yakutis has written and designed cartoons for Hanna-Barbera\nand DePatie-Freleng for the last 25 years or so; in fact, at\nDePatie-Freleng he designed the first \"Inspector\" cartoons. He\nalso worked on some of the Warner Bros. features.\n Don't feel bad for not knowing. For every little tidbit I\nknow, there's a dozen I don't.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #577, from hmccracken, 971 chars, Thu Jan 24 21:03:47 1991\n--------------------------\nTITLE: New Comic Strip\nHas anybody seen a new strip called _Big Nate_, about a little boy\nwho wants to be a cartoonist? From what little I've seen, it is\ndrawn in a style so close to Bill (_Calvin and Hobbes_) Watterson's\nas to be practically actionable. There are a bunch of strips with\nWattersonesque touches out there, and this is clearly the one that,\nartistically at least, owes the most to his work.\n\nThe strip is syndicated by United Features, the folks who -- in a\nbusiness blunder that ranks with all those publishers who turned'\ndown _Gone With The Wind_ -- paid Bill Watterson to develop _Calvin\nand Hobbes_ and then decided it wasn't worth publishing. They seem\nto have been haunted by this ever since, and have introduced a\nnumber of features that seem like attempts to make up for the\nerror. _C&H_ is now one of the top five strips in the world;\nUnited has probably lost millions because they didn't realize\nwhat a success the strip would be.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #578, from hmccracken, 473 chars, Sat Jan 26 17:12:18 1991\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: Comics history enthusiasts should be fascinated\nby the first issue of a magazine called _Pure Images_, which is\nmostly devoted to a history of the creation of Spider-Man.\nEven if you're not into Marvel comics or superheroes in\ngeneral (and I'm not) this is an absorbing piece. Did you\nknow that the very earliest version of the character was \ncreated for a Harvey comic book to be drawn by C.C.\n(_Captain Marvel_) Beck in the early 1950s? I sure\ndidn't!\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #579, from aturn, 217 chars, Sun Jan 27 00:11:51 1991\nThis is a comment to message 578.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\n\tI havne't seen the article in question, but somehow I think that\nthe part about CC Beck is either a mistake, or refers to a different \ncharacter of the same or similar name. Could you quote the passage in\nquestion?\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #580, from hmccracken, 554 chars, Sun Jan 27 11:29:23 1991\nThis is a comment to message 579.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nNope, it's not a mistake, considering that they reprint an entire \npenciled story by Beck, but it is a complicated turn of events.\nJoe Simon came up with a character he called variously Spiderman\nor the Silver Spider and had Beck draw a story with it. It was\nsubmitted to Harvey and rejected. From there the path to Marvel's\ncharacter seems convoluted but clear. True, the original Simon\ncharacter is a vastly different one from the Ditko-Lee one.\nThe fact that he was a guy who dressed up like a\nspider and climbed walls was the constant.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #581, from richard.pini, 367 chars, Sun Jan 27 16:58:45 1991\nThis is a comment to message 580.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 580.\n--------------------------\nYou might want to look at that book that Joe Simon did just recently with\nhis son (of course I can't recall the title, and I am away from my library).\nIt's a history of the comics, with a heavy slant toward what he and Jack Kirby\ncontributed (but not a bias, if you take my meaning - he slings no mud). And\nthere's a good bit about the 'original' SpiderMan in there.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #582, from hmccracken, 244 chars, Sun Jan 27 17:22:00 1991\nThis is a comment to message 581.\n--------------------------\nI haven't read the Simon book, but this article quotes from it at length.\nSimon and Kirby's work at Harvey, and Kirby's later work at Marvel,\nis the link between this early version of Spiderman and the one that\nLee and Ditko wrought.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #583, from aturn, 1091 chars, Sun Jan 27 23:34:18 1991\nThis is a comment to message 580.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\n\tWithout actually having read Pure Images, it still seems rather \ntenuous to me. After all, DC had a character in the Forties called the\nTarantula, who also stuck to walls. Ideas at that sort of simple level are\na dime a dozen. What made Spider-Man stand out was the execution, not \n\"Here's a guy who dresses like a spider and sticks to walls\". (I speak\nhere *only* of the Ditko version, by the way. After he left, the book \ntook a nosedive from which it never recovered, IMHO)\n\tI will take a wild guess here and say that the Simon Spiderman\/\nSilver Spider was later reworked into the Simon\/Kirby Fly.\u001c Am I right?\n\tAm I also right in recalling that Greg Theakston, long time Kirby\npartisan, is the editor and\/or publisher of Pure Images? Rather than\nconcentrating on the *indisputable* parts of his creatorship problems with\nMarvel, Kirby has lately spent a lot of effort trying to prove that \nSpider-Man was entirely his creation. I say it was the Ditko input that \nmade that feature stand out, regardless of who made up the name, and that\nis what counts, as far as I'm concerned.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #584, from hmccracken, 322 chars, Mon Jan 28 01:03:21 1991\nThis is a comment to message 583.\n--------------------------\nRight, the Silver Spider did become the Fly, and Theakston is the\nman behind the magazine. The article seemed pretty convincing\nto me -- you probably need to read it yourself to see how\nbelievable you find its evidence. You're right that 99% of\nwhat made Spider-Man a good character was Ditko's contributions.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #585, from aturn, 472 chars, Sun Feb 17 01:28:51 1991\nThis is a comment to message 569.\n--------------------------\n\tThe second issue (of 2) of this is out now, featuring such stuff\nas a debunking of comic book origins, a countdown if the ten worst comics \nof the past twenty-five years, and a quick salute to the worst comic of\n1990. Comes sealed in a plastic bag to prevent peeking; a gimmick that\ncaused at least one shop that I know of to automatically put it in their\n\"adults only\" section (Quite mistakenly. This may qualify as slightly\nsubversive satire, but hardly salacious).\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #586, from hmccracken, 1578 chars, Sun Feb 17 15:43:15 1991\n--------------------------\nTITLE: The first volume of a planned full-color, complete reprint\nseries of Cliff Sterrett's _Polly and Her Pals_ is now available.\nIt's gorgeous. If you're not familiar with Sterrett or _Polly_,\nthe guy's work has been compared to Herriman's, if \nHerriman drew a family strip that was sort of along\nthe lines of _Blondie_. (Actually, Polly is unmarried\nand much of the action revolves around her father, but\nthe feel is somewhat similar.) Personally, I find\nHerriman's work far greater than Sterrett's on a\nconceptual basis (and I'm not all that big a _Krazy\nKat_ fan, even so.) But visually, Sterrett's work\nis hard to beat. This first volume of reprints is\nsubtitled \"The Surrealist Period,\" and that's pretty\naccurate. Other cartoonists have designed more\nbeautiful pages than Sterrett, but I can't think of\nanyone whose individual panels were as beautifully\ncreative and funny as Sterrett's. He's probably the\ngreatest forgotten genius of the comics, although\nhe's getting less forgotten all the time.\n\nThis reprint book is $34.95, which is a hefty price for\na book of around a hundred pages. But it is a hardcover,\nand it is all in handsome color -- it's a very good-looking\nvolume. If $34.95 is a bit rich for your tastes, there are\nat least a couple of less-expensive Sterrett reprint projects\ngoing on, although they're in black-and-white and they cut\nup the strips and rearrange them to fit their page sizes.\n(I haven't quite worked up the courage to buy the $34.95\nvolume myself -- it's published by Kitchen Sink Press,\nBTW -- but probably will.)\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #587, from hmccracken, 854 chars, Tue Feb 26 23:31:34 1991\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: The current issue of _The Comics Journal_ is a special\nWalt Kelly one. There's an interview with Kelly, done in 1969;\nhe seems to have been tipsy at the time. There are also several\nshort Pogo and Kelly articles and some interesting artwork.\n\nThis good material is surrounded by the usual combination of\ninfantile backbiting, mediocre news reporting, and vanity-press\nwriting that has characterized the Journal for a long time. The\narticle in this issue by Scott Russo on the recent High and Low\nart exhibit is one of the most gratuitously stupid things the\nJournal has run. The infantile backbiting has been a part\nof the Journal from day one, but the poor quality of much of\nthe magazine is more recent and, I believe, due to the revolving-door\nstaff they seem to have.\n\n(Does anybody else out there *read* _The Comics Journal_?)\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #588, from aturn, 465 chars, Tue Feb 26 23:37:47 1991\nThis is a comment to message 587.\nThere are additional comments to message 587.\n--------------------------\n\tWell, I *used* to read the Comics Journal, but their erratic\npublishing schedule finally got to me. That, and \"the usual combination\nof infantile backbiting, mediocre news reporting, and vanity-press\nwriting\" (good summation, that. Oh, TINAR, of course)...\n\tAs for the revolving-door staff, well, I have known, in my time,\nmany people who worked for Gary Groth at one time or another. Know how\nmany of them ever had a single nice thing to say about him?\n\tNone.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #589, from bsoron, 81 chars, Wed Feb 27 00:12:22 1991\nThis is a comment to message 587.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 587.\n--------------------------\n\n Read 'em? Sure. I even worked for 'em (a summer internship back\nin college).\n\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #590, from davemackey, 261 chars, Wed Feb 27 00:47:09 1991\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: \"Why I Hate Saturn\"\nCould it be another DC Comics inspired series for CBS? Well, one\nof the projects in development over there is \"Why I Hate Saturn,\"\nwhich is based on a Pirhana Press graphic novel by Kyle Baker.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #591, from aturn, 63 chars, Wed Feb 27 00:56:43 1991\nThis is a comment to message 589.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 589.\n--------------------------\n\tAnd you're one of the people I was referring to in #588, Bob!\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #592, from bcapps, 1333 chars, Wed Feb 27 01:36:21 1991\nThis is a comment to message 590.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nIf you had a chance to see the TV Guide from a few weeks ago, oh, say about \n6 weeks or so, which had Batman(Keaton) and Flash on the cover, it talked\nabout some of the projects currently under development in Tinseltown.\n\"Saturn\" was mentioned as was \"Green Arrow(!?!)\" (hope it can be done \nmore along the social issues and less along the violence, although that\nis a common thread in social issues these days. \ud83d\ude41 )[ie, referring to\nthe numerous complaints lodged against Grell's GA for misogyny].\nIf you're itching to follow comic-related projects in the film world\n, your best bets are Starlog, Comic Scene and CBG. Starlog runs a\nMediaLog column which covers SF and Comic related projects. Comic Scene,\nthough infrequent, has a Comics-only version of MediaLog and it \ncurrently over 50 projects listed in some stage or another. CBG reports\non press releases as it receives them (or finds out about them) and it\nhas an insider, Darrell McNeill(sp?) doing a column called Animation News,\nwhich covers more than just Animation in H-wood (kinda like a Mark\nEvanier scoop on things, but more from just a reporting point of view).\nTINAR (The preceeding is a paid (by my sub on BIX, ha!) public-service\nannouncement for all you information addicts out there.)\n\nBob (currently doing time in an office somewhere north of Detroit...)\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #593, from switch, 106 chars, Wed Feb 27 10:03:28 1991\nThis is a comment to message 587.\nThere are additional comments to message 587.\n--------------------------\nOccasionally. I find the sniping and pretentiousness a bit too much\nto read the Journal regularly.\n\nEmru\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #594, from bsoron, 73 chars, Wed Feb 27 11:47:57 1991\nThis is a comment to message 591.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\n\n But I *can* say something nice about Gary Groth.\n\n He never hit me.\n\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #595, from richard.pini, 145 chars, Wed Feb 27 15:26:04 1991\nThis is a comment to message 587.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nI read it, snippets of it, now and again, since they send it to me. Mostly\nI like to see whether or not someone's taken a shot at us or EQ... \ud83d\ude09\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #596, from hmccracken, 225 chars, Wed Feb 27 21:31:18 1991\nThis is a comment to message 594.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 594.\n--------------------------\nI don't know Groth, but I do have a fanzine he published when he\nwas fifteen or so. He was as unbridled a \"fanboy\" -- did he\ncoin that word? -- as anybody ever was. Explains a lot about\nthe _Journal_, I think...\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #597, from hmccracken, 513 chars, Wed Feb 27 21:38:31 1991\nThis is a comment to message 592.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 592.\n--------------------------\nBob, Darrell McNeil's column is famous among those in the animation\nindustry for basically reporting months-old, incorrect information\nfrom other trade journals as triumphant scoops. Darrell also devotes\nso much of the column to plugging his own projects that I've more than\nonce heard an animation type say something vaguely self-promoting\nprefaced by \"I don't want to sound like Darrell McNeil, but...\"\nCBG also has a better animation columnist whose material they rarely \nget around to printing.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #598, from hmccracken, 390 chars, Wed Feb 27 21:42:39 1991\nThis is a comment to message 589.\n--------------------------\nWhen was that? I've read it long enough that I remember when it\nwas a TBG clone called _The Nostalgia Journal_.\n\nActually, upon re-reading my comments I see that I was a bit unfair.\nThe Journal has enough good stuff that I rarely miss an issue.\nIt's mainly the news section, Groth's editorials and responses to\nletters, and the work of one particular columnist that get to me.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #599, from switch, 77 chars, Wed Feb 27 23:07:54 1991\nThis is a comment to message 596.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 596.\n--------------------------\nYes, but weren't we all? I certainly was. (And oh do I regret\nit...)\n\nEmru\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #600, from hmccracken, 231 chars, Thu Feb 28 00:11:10 1991\nThis is a comment to message 595.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nActually one of the nadirs of _TCJ_'s criticism was made in reference to\nEQ about five years ago. Have they ever printed anything as silly as\nthe assertion (I'm paraphrasing only slightly) that \"Wendy Pini can't\ndraw?\"\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #601, from hmccracken, 534 chars, Thu Feb 28 00:14:52 1991\nThis is a comment to message 599.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nWe all were, Emru, and most of us still are from time to time. Nothing\nwrong with Groth having been a fanboy; I just think _TCJ_'s elitist-or-\nwhatever critical stances are, in part, shaped by Groth's, er, growth as\na comics fan. That's actually not bad at all that the magazine reflects its\neditor so closely. I predict that if _TCJ_ still exists under Groth's\neditorship in thirty years, it will be championing _Blondie_ and _The\nFamily Circus_, or whatever it is that Groth is interested in at that point\nin his life.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #602, from davemackey, 275 chars, Thu Feb 28 02:04:28 1991\nThis is a comment to message 596.\n--------------------------\nI gave up reading the Journal a while ago due to price; I'm not\naware of its latter deterioration.\n I apply the old Voltaire homily towards Groth: I may not\nagree with what he says but I'll defend to the death his right to\nsay it.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #603, from davemackey, 200 chars, Thu Feb 28 02:04:39 1991\nThis is a comment to message 597.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 597.\n--------------------------\nIsn't John Cawley was now contributing to CBG? that would be an\nimmediate improvement over the \"Big D\" whose information usually\ngoes in one and out the other.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #604, from davemackey, 100 chars, Thu Feb 28 02:04:46 1991\nThis is a comment to message 601.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nOr he could further confuse us by becoming a Marvel Zombie!\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #605, from bcapps, 1019 chars, Thu Feb 28 04:31:18 1991\nThis is a comment to message 597.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nI wasn't aware. I have noticed the rather large amount of \"chest-beating\"\non his part, but I was kinda chalking it up to over zealous enthusiasm.\nSome of it I had noticed to be dated after reading about it earlier \nhere on BIX. I would imagine that Don and Maggie are happy to \nreceive editorial content for such a weekly vacumn of a periodical\nsuch as CBG. Be if from folks who can write or \"writers\" themselves.\nEr, that should be it, not if. CGB could certainly use more Anim\ncoverage and if it were more timely and worthwhile it would be \neven better. Unfortunately, if the opinion is as widespread as\nit might seem from your comments, it would indicate that CBG \ncould be held in higher esteem in the industry. And not only in\nAnim, but Comics itself. But I still tend to prefer it to the\nTCJ, since I usually prefer my news closer to the unbias side\neven if it has to be sugar-coated somewhat, than towards the\nranting\/raving\/hate-everyone-except-who-we-publish-and-like slant.\n(TINAR, TINAR, TINAR).\n\nBob\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #606, from aturn, 154 chars, Thu Feb 28 07:42:46 1991\nThis is a comment to message 594.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 594.\n--------------------------\n\tLOL!\n\tCome to think of it, I *have* heard that particular nice thing from\nseveral of Groth's former employees, so I guess my earlier post was too hasty.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #607, from aturn, 739 chars, Thu Feb 28 07:48:19 1991\nThis is a comment to message 604.\nThere are additional comments to message 604.\n--------------------------\n\tWell, he used to *be* one, more or less. Before the Comics Journal,\nthere was the Nostalgia Journal. Everyone knows that, because he will\nfreely admit it.\n\tBut what he won't so freely admit is that before there was the \nNostalgia Journal, there was Fantastic Fanzine (I have a copy of it around\nhere someplace..), as big a piece of Marvel boosterism as you're likely to\nfind this side of Marvel Age. This was in the early 70's, if I remember\nproperly, but it may have been early. Anyway, the point is not merely\nfanboyishly enthusiastic Marvel Zombie stuff, but the fact that the use of\nlanguage (if you will) is similar to what he does now, thus wrapping the\nwhole package up in an air of intellectual pretension and horrid elitism.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #608, from bsoron, 566 chars, Thu Feb 28 16:50:59 1991\nThis is a comment to message 606.\n--------------------------\n\n Seriously, though, having worked both for Groth's Comics Journal and\nHal Schuster's Comics Feature, there's no comparison. Because my two\nbosses here in Harvard Square were good friends, Comics Feature was more\nfun, though we never knew from one week to another if the checks would\narrive from the business offices in Florida -- and, if they did, if they'd\nclear. (Our paychecks bounced a number of times.) But for all the fun,\nworking at the Journal was a *better* experience, for a number of\ngenerally unquantifiable reasons. (Did I just contradict myself? \ud83d\ude42\n\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #609, from richard.pini, 58 chars, Thu Feb 28 17:45:40 1991\nThis is a comment to message 600.\n--------------------------\nNot that *I've* read... ROAR! That *was* so perfect... \ud83d\ude09\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #610, from hmccracken, 143 chars, Thu Feb 28 18:11:45 1991\nThis is a comment to message 604.\n--------------------------\nRight, _Fantastic Fanzine_ is what I have a copy of. You could not\nconstruct a more perfect example of fanboyishness if you tried.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #611, from davemackey, 370 chars, Thu Feb 28 23:12:57 1991\nThis is a comment to message 605.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTHe problem I've always had with CBG is that such irregular\ncolumns as Darrel McNeil's are held until they have the space to\nrun them. Believe it or not, they do like to maintain some\nbalance of editorial vs. ads, and it's always in the proportion\nthat maximizes revenue. This is why some of Darrel's \"scoops\"\nappear to be dated.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #612, from hmccracken, 207 chars, Fri Mar 1 00:04:20 1991\nThis is a comment to message 603.\n--------------------------\nI don't know if John is continuing his column or not; I know that it\nwas supposed to be a bi-weekly (I think) one, but CBG built up a\ngreat backlog and then printed stuff after it was out-of-date.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #613, from hmccracken, 116 chars, Fri Mar 1 00:07:14 1991\nThis is a comment to message 611.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nDon and Maggie say, I believe, that the ad-editorial ratio in CBG is\nquite consistent from week to week.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #614, from bsoron, 364 chars, Fri Mar 1 10:21:47 1991\nThis is a comment to message 613.\n--------------------------\n\n The Post Office has rules on the ratio of editorial to advertising\nmatter in publications, to distinguish them from shoppers and\nadvertising supplements. I haven't read CBG since it was TBG, but I\nwouldn't be surprised if the rag's editorial-to-advertising ratio was\nvery close to the minimum defined by the Post Office. (I *think* it's\n25 percent editorial.)\n\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #615, from mscoville, 360 chars, Sat Mar 2 20:51:28 1991\n--------------------------\nTITLE: Frederico Fellini\nA new comic strip has debuted by Frederico Fellini (director of such films as\n8 1\/2). The entire article about the strip is in this weeks Entertainment\nWeekly on page 7. It is interesting to note that the article states when \nMussolini outlawed comic strips in 1938, Fellini did his own version of Flash\nGordon as a protest. mscoville\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #616, from davemackey, 188 chars, Mon Mar 4 19:10:06 1991\nThis is a comment to message 594.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nThe only nice thing I can say about Groth is he printed a letter\nof mine once -- it's in issue no. 103, if anyone's desperate\nenough to look it up.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #617, from davemackey, 376 chars, Mon Mar 4 19:10:20 1991\nThis is a comment to message 565.\n--------------------------\nThe guys who do the TMNT strip sound like a law firm: Clarain,\nLawson, Berger and Kelleher. And they only take credit for the\nstrip on Fridays and Sundays.\n Incidentally, the actual story continuity only takes place\non Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday entries are\nreserved for crafts, puzzles, or other special features.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #618, from richard.pini, 331 chars, Mon Mar 4 19:52:10 1991\nThis is a comment to message 616.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nHeh. One of the flames I have against GG is that he printed a letter of *mine*\nonce - followed by the flaming reply he let the subject of my letter write,\nahead of publication. I know that the power of the press belongs to those who\nhave one, but I've always felt that that particular practice was manipulative\nand grossly unfair.\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #619, from hmccracken, 52 chars, Mon Mar 4 20:08:07 1991\nThis is a comment to message 618.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 618.\n--------------------------\nThey write and draw like a law firm, too.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #620, from davemackey, 308 chars, Mon Mar 4 23:04:36 1991\nThis is a comment to message 618.\n--------------------------\nI hear where you're coming from. It seems like yellow journalism\nat its best, and perhaps is part of the reason I gave up reading\nthe Comics Journal (that, and the fact that recent economic\nconsiderations have forced me to cut back on lots of\ncomics-related reading).\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #621, from davemackey, 64 chars, Mon Mar 4 23:04:46 1991\nThis is a comment to message 619.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nAnd are about as funny.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #622, from hmccracken, 19 chars, Mon Mar 4 23:22:52 1991\nThis is a comment to message 621.\n--------------------------\nExactly.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #623, from davemackey, 273 chars, Mon Mar 11 01:50:17 1991\n--------------------------\nTITLE: New C&H t.p.\nT.P. doesn't stand for toilet paper or Twin Peaks -- it's trade\npaperback, and C&H, quite naturally, is Calvin and Hobbes. Just\npublished by Andrews and McMeel: \"The Revenge Of The Baby-Sat,\"\nthe eighth C&H book.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #624, from davemackey, 777 chars, Mon Mar 11 19:04:44 1991\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: Happy Birthday to you....\nToday is the 40th anniversary of the \"Dennis The Menace\" comic\nstrip, created by Hank Ketcham. (This is not to be confused with\na British comic strip with the same name, in which Dennis has a\ndog named Gnasher.)\n With this in mind, one of the tabloids this week had a story\nabout Jay North, who played Dennis in live action in the 1950's\nand later gave voice to animated characters on \"Pebbles and\nBamm-Bamm\" and \"Here Comes The Grump.\" Jay recently admitted on\nthe \"Geraldo\" show that he recently stayed in his room for two\nyears \"and studied dark, horrible books about serial killers and\nmutilations.\" On a happier note, he married on March 2 and cites\ntherapy for helping straighten his head out.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #625, from davemackey, 409 chars, Mon Mar 11 19:05:10 1991\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: Family Circus by Jeffy\nBe forewarned: today's \"Family Circus\" panel sets the stage for\nanother week of strips allegedly drawn by son Jeffy in Dad's\nabsence. These strips are usually the funniest that the feature\nhas to offer, since Bil Keane usually goes for sentimentality\nmore often than not -- the sort of strips Grandma would cut out\nand carry in her purse.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #626, from davemackey, 243 chars, Mon Mar 11 19:06:18 1991\n--------------------------\nTITLE: \"Spring Fever\"\nDisney's \"Spring Fever\" one-shot is now out, and it features a\nlead story reprint by Carl Barks. Animation-related contributors\ninclude Jaime Diaz, Ed Nofziger and Don Christensen.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #627, from hmccracken, 84 chars, Mon Mar 11 20:34:53 1991\nThis is a comment to message 624.\n--------------------------\nThere is, BTW, another big art book of _Dennis_ reprints coming\nout soon.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #628, from hmccracken, 321 chars, Tue Mar 12 23:15:13 1991\nThis is a comment to message 625.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\n_The Family Circus_ is the closest thing we have to an Ernie Bushmiller\n_Nancy_ today in many ways. Weirdly formalized drawing, the same\ngags driven into the ground 1,000,000 times, etc. I find the sequences\nabout the family's grandfather lolling around heaven and observing the\nfamily genuinely disturbing.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #629, from davemackey, 177 chars, Wed Mar 13 19:05:34 1991\nThis is a comment to message 628.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTo me, the worst ones are \"Not Me,\" showing little spectrelike\ncreatures so labeled being responsible for the kids' mischief.\nOh, yucch.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #630, from davemackey, 377 chars, Wed Mar 13 20:41:22 1991\nThis is a comment to message 629.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nFirst of the Billy (not Jeffy -- I can't tell those damn kids\napart) strips ran today. It was his father telling him never to\ndraw his cartoons on notebook paper. Which he did.\n Now I can remember drawing lots of cartoons in my early\nyears on notebook paper, so I'll probably be cutting that one out\nand carrying it in my wallet! \ud83d\ude42\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #631, from hmccracken, 232 chars, Wed Mar 13 21:48:55 1991\nThis is a comment to message 630.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nAs has probably been mentioned here in the past, the ironic thing\nis that Bil Keane's son Glen *is* a cartoons -- one of Disney's\nfinest modern-day animators, in fact. So if Billy continues with\nhis artwork he may go far.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #632, from hmccracken, 76 chars, Wed Mar 13 21:49:40 1991\nThis is a comment to message 631.\nThere are additional comments to message 631.\n--------------------------\nOops -- read \"cartoonist\" for \"cartoons\" in the previous message.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #633, from bsoron, 226 chars, Thu Mar 14 01:25:37 1991\nThis is a comment to message 631.\n--------------------------\n\n Part of me would love to hear that Glen Keane has a Harley, smokes\nfour packs a day, and is regularly published in the Penthouse letter\ncolumn. Purely as a reaction to the fantasy world his father creates,\nyou understand.\n\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #634, from dave.f, 538 chars, Thu Mar 14 12:22:54 1991\nThis is a comment to message 592.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nI also recall seeing SATURN mentioned in that TV Guide article. I hope \nthey can come up with a better ending than Kyle did. He's a great\nartist and really has a feel for dialog, but he just does not know\nhow to end a story. Reminded me of the National Lampoon line \"and\nthen everybody got run over by a bus. The End\" Totally out of left\nfield. The Cowboy Wally Show, which I consider one of the funniest \ncomics I've ever read, also ended poorly. Perhaps Kyle just needs\na collaborator who can work on closure to his stories.\n\nD=\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #635, from bsoron, 370 chars, Thu Mar 14 18:06:08 1991\nThis is a comment to message 634.\n--------------------------\n\n I'll agree that \"Why I Hate Saturn\" ended in pretty weird fashion,\nbut I thought Cowboy Wally was great down to the last panel. It's\ntrue that the last page was just a couple one-liners serving as a\ntransition between the end of the last story and the back cover, but\nthey were in character for Wally, and there wasn't anywhere else to\ntake the story at that point.\n\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #636, from davemackey, 378 chars, Wed Mar 20 20:57:40 1991\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: A Jeopardy! question\nIn the category \"Museums,\" the answer is \"Mort Walker is one of\nthe artists exhibited in a Rye Brook, New York museum of this\ntype of art.\"\n The question, of course, is \"What is comics?\"\n This was an actual question from the broadcast of March 18,\nand a pretty nice plug for the Museum Of Cartoon Art.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #637, from bcapps, 338 chars, Thu Mar 21 01:51:42 1991\nThis is a comment to message 636.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nI seem to recall mention in CBG that some of those Jeopardy! question\nwriters\/researchers are avid comics fans. I recall seeing several\nepisodes in which comics were the subjects of the questions, many\ntimes under \"Fictional Characters.\" But this one is a good hook.\nI like it! (One of these days, I'm gonna get there. I swear!)\n\nBob\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #638, from davemackey, 1193 chars, Fri Mar 22 18:44:31 1991\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: Return of the Daily News!\nThe New York Daily News has resumed full-fledged union\npublication after a long, crippling strike.\n In deference to its comics readers, the News provided its\nreaders who were away during the strike a two-page recap of\nevents in many of its comic strips, including \"Annie,\" \"Winnie\nWinkle,\" \"Gasoline Alley,\" \"The Amazing Spider-Man,\"\n\"Doonesbury,\" and \"Dick Tracy.\"\n It also listed notable highlights from some non-continuity\ngag strips, including \"Calvin and Hobbes,\" \"Peanuts\" and \"Cathy.\"\n If I'm not mistaken, this walkout was much longer than the\nfamous newspaper strike in the 30's that forced then-Mayor\nFiorello LaGuardia to read the comics over the radio. But no\nneed for Mayor Dinkins to do this today.\n IMHO, I think savvy readers could figure out where they\ncould find their favorites in other papers; maybe friends from\nout of town could fax them the strips, or they could wait for\nbound compilations.\n But now that the strike is over, new owner Robert Maxwell\nwill take Skeezix, Winnie, Zonker and B.D., and all the rest\n(in the words of the paper's new motto) \"Forward With New York.\"\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #639, from davemackey, 467 chars, Fri Mar 22 18:44:49 1991\nThis is a comment to message 637.\n--------------------------\nOne \"Jeopardy!\" researcher in particular, a guy named Carlo\nPanno, was very much interested in Disney trivia, and you could\nbet that whenever there were questions about Mickey Mouse and\nDonald Duck, Panno wrote them. (Panno now works on \"The\nChallengers.\")\n While on the subject, there's a guy on the \"Jeopardy\"\neditorial staff named Fredrik Pohl IV, and it isn't difficult to\nguess which famous SF writer he's related to.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #640, from hmccracken, 550 chars, Sat Mar 23 09:48:58 1991\nThis is a comment to message 638.\nThere are additional comments to message 638.\n--------------------------\nI'm glad the _Daily News_ has a full-fledged comics section again.\nHistorically, its comics pages are among the richest of any paper,\nsince its longtime publisher Captain Joseph Patterson used it\n(and\/or its sister paper, the _Chicago Tribune_) to introduce\n_Dick Tracy_, _The Gumps_, _Little Orphan Annie_, _Moon Mullins_,\nand a lot of other great strips. I haven't read the _News_'s\nSunday comics section in fa few years, but last time I checked it\nwas still quite nice -- good quality paper and printing and a\nnice selection of strips.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #642, from hmccracken, 683 chars, Sat Mar 23 17:16:04 1991\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: Tom and Jerry returning to your newsstand\nAn ad in current issues of Harvey comic books states that Harvey will\nsoon be publishing a Tom and Jerry comic book. The ad also says that\nthe comic will feature stories and art by the great Carl Barks. \nAssuming that Mr. Barks has not come out of retirement at the\nage of ninety to do Tom and Jerry comics for Harvey, it seems safe to\nsay that the comic will include reprints of the \"Barney Bear and\nBenny Burro\" stories he did as back-ups for the Dell Tom and Jerry\ncomic in the 1940s. Wonder if the rest of the comic will be reprints\nas well. The ad features an extremely garish drawing of Tom and\nJerry in tuxedoes.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #643, from hmccracken, 767 chars, Sat Mar 23 18:47:22 1991\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: Dennis is Forty\n_Dennis the Menace_ is celebrating its fortieth birthday, and to mark\nthe event they've been reprinting what I assume is the first week of\nthe panel in place of new work this week. I believe this was also\ndone ten years ago when the feature turned thirty. Now whether this\nis done partially to give Hank Ketcham a week off or not I don't know,\nbut it's a nice touch, and reminds us of how enduring a popular comics\nfeature can be. I mean, can you imagine a TV show lasting this long,\nlet alone rerunning forty-year-old episodes without them looking like\nsomething from the ancient past? \n\nKetcham did something similar but even nicer during the week of July\n4th, 1976 -- the week's _Dennis_ panels were all set in colonial times.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #644, from davemackey, 166 chars, Sat Mar 23 19:20:33 1991\nThis is a comment to message 642.\n--------------------------\nWhy do the artists of the 90's feel the urge to dress Tom and\nJerry? First the garish Hawaiian shirts and jams, now tuxedos!!\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #645, from davemackey, 303 chars, Sat Mar 23 19:20:46 1991\nThis is a comment to message 643.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nKetcham did this last week, as well, and some of the older work\nhasn't aged a bit (except for design alterations over the years,\nnormal for any long-running strip).\n Ketcham himself turned 71 this past week, by the way, so\nit's a double birthday celebration.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #647, from dave.f, 134 chars, Mon Mar 25 12:05:59 1991\nThis is a comment to message 638.\n--------------------------\nI assume the Spider-man recap was not long. Nothing much has happened in\nthe current story since it began back in August!!! ;^}\n\nD=\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #648, from davemackey, 234 chars, Fri Mar 29 20:04:18 1991\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: Calvin puts his toy tiger away for a while\n\"Calvin And Hobbes\" is going on a nine-month hiatus effective May\n5. Looks like Bill Watterson's gonna take it easy after six long,\nhard years.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #649, from hmccracken, 137 chars, Fri Mar 29 20:10:09 1991\nThis is a comment to message 648.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nREALLY? Will there be reprints?\n\nGee, I wonder why Bill doesn't hire someone to ghost the strip for\nthe nine months... \ud83d\ude09\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #650, from adunkin, 69 chars, Sat Mar 30 20:57:18 1991\nThis is a comment to message 649.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nThey are reprinting from the comic's start--1985.\n\n --- Alan Dunkin\n\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #651, from davemackey, 359 chars, Sun Mar 31 00:22:58 1991\nThis is a comment to message 650.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nWatterson joins Garry Trudeau, Gary Larson and Berke Breathed in\nthe ranks of syndicated cartoonists that have had to take a\nbreather from their creations (though Breathed's breather was\nactually recuperation from an accident). Wonder what \"Peanuts\"\nwould be like today if Schulz took a year off between 1955 and\n1956.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #652, from hmccracken, 433 chars, Sun Mar 31 12:19:29 1991\nThis is a comment to message 651.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 651.\n--------------------------\nOf course many cartoonists have taken long breaks in the past; it's\njust that they've run unannounced reprints or ghosted strips in\nplace of new work. I understand that _Blondie_ was ghosted for something\nlike forty years -- the death of Chic Young's young son was so hard on\nhim he was unable to continue his strip.\n\nGeorge McManus took another approach when he needed a break: he'd write\nnew dialogue for old strips. \n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #653, from hmccracken, 848 chars, Sun Mar 31 19:12:46 1991\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: The new _Pogo_ strip (which is actually about two years\nold now) has had a change in personnel: writer Larry Doyle has left.\nNeal Sternecky, who has been drawing it all along, now writes it as\nwell. So far he's been doing a respectable job -- although it \nshould be noted that the current Sunday story, in which Owl, Churchy,\nand others are presumed, through a complex series of events, to have\nbeen infant-ized by the Fountain of Youth, is a direct steal from\none of Walt Kelly's funniest sequences. (Kelly actually did two\nversions of the sequence -- one for the comic books in the 1940s, and\na later, improved one for the newspaper strip.) If you're familiar\nwith the Kelly story, the Sternecky one is different enough that it\nmight be interpreted as a tribute...but I doubt that too many \nreaders remember Kelly's version.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #654, from hmccracken, 191 chars, Sun Mar 31 19:13:41 1991\n--------------------------\nTITLE: See today's funny papers for a cute _Marvin_ strip in which\nMarvin is visited by Roger Rabbit, Bugs Bunny, Oswald the Rabbit (!)\nand other famous bunnies on Easter morning.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #655, from bsoron, 127 chars, Sun Mar 31 21:24:21 1991\nThis is a comment to message 652.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\nThere are additional comments to message 652.\n--------------------------\n\n And Pogo started reprinting old strips before Kelly died; his widow\ndidn't start on the strip for some time after he died.\n\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #656, from bsoron, 348 chars, Sun Mar 31 21:27:01 1991\nThis is a comment to message 653.\n--------------------------\n\n The Sunday story is really crawling along... there's been no progress\nin the plot for some time. Each week, another reaction shot. I wouldn't\nwant a gag-a-week format for the Sunday strip, and I know Kelly's work\nrarely moved quickly and rarely had clear beginnings or endings, but you\n*did* get the sense that things were happening, at least.\n\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #657, from hmccracken, 304 chars, Sun Mar 31 22:33:04 1991\nThis is a comment to message 655.\n--------------------------\nRight. While Kelly was sick _Pogo_ was a combination of reprints,\nart by several ghosts, new gags with paste-up Kelly photostats, and\nsome new story and art by Kelly (including some stuff done by him when\nhe was very ill which is very, very sad -- see the reprint collection\n_Phi Beta Pogo_).\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #658, from davemackey, 373 chars, Mon Apr 1 19:05:34 1991\nThis is a comment to message 652.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nForgive me for not knowing first names, but for years the Blondie\nstrip was signed Young & Raymond or Young & Gersher; perhaps\none of these two acted as Chic Young's ghost artist. I would\nassume that the Young in both cases was surviving son Dean, who\ncontinues the strip today with Stan Drake doing the art (and\nmaybe the writing?)\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #659, from hmccracken, 416 chars, Mon Apr 1 22:09:41 1991\nThis is a comment to message 658.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nJim Raymond drew _Blondie_ ford decades and was credited for the\nwork after Young's death. When he died, he was replaced by\nGersher, who was replaced for some reason by Stan Drake, who\nisn't as goq\u0005ood (at drawing _Blondie_, that is; he is an excellent\n\"serious\" cartoonist). To continue the _Blondie_ tradition\nof uncredited work, Drake's assistant draws something like half\nthe strips without credit.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #660, from davemackey, 303 chars, Mon Apr 1 23:16:53 1991\nThis is a comment to message 659.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nBut more importantly, Stan Drake is sort of a \"company man\"--\nhe's one of the Connecticut clique, if you will. He used to draw\n\"The Heart Of Juliet Jones,\" and if you'd told me then that he'd\nbe doing \"Blondie\" years down the road, I'd have laughed in your\nface.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #661, from hmccracken, 102 chars, Tue Apr 2 07:30:41 1991\nThis is a comment to message 660.\n--------------------------\nDoes he no longer draw _Juliet_? That was the best of the soap\nopera strips for my money.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #662, from hmccracken, 634 chars, Fri Apr 12 18:13:27 1991\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: Is it just me or...\nis Garry Trudeau's current series of \"excerpts\" from the Kitty Kelley\nbiography of Nancy Reagan as irritating to others as it is to me?\nI am not a Reaganite. I might enjoy a sequence of satire based on the\nbook's revelations. But all Trudeau is doing is quoting stories that\nmake Mrs. Reagan look bad, and then (in the guise of his characters)\nsmirking. Come to think of it, that's what most of his satire has\nconsisted of for years -- (allegedly) factual statement about the\nmisdoings of a Republican or conservative, followed by smugness.\nNaturally, Democrats -- I'm one -- escape unscathed.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #663, from davemackey, 146 chars, Tue Apr 30 23:19:37 1991\nThis is a comment to message 662.\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\n\"Entertainment Weekly\" did much the same thing last week,\nserializing parts of the book in comics format.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #664, from hmccracken, 293 chars, Tue Apr 30 23:22:52 1991\nThis is a comment to message 663.\n--------------------------\nIn the case of the Trudeau strips, he seems to have served as\na witting or unwitting promotional tool for the book. Kitty's\npress agents apparently released him one of the very few\nadvance copies that went out. _Entertainment Weekly_ was much\nmore clever with the same basic idea.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #665, from davemackey, 701 chars, Sun May 5 01:28:03 1991\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.\n--------------------------\nTITLE: CBG 913...\n...has an interesting article by Bob Miller regarding feature\nfilm development by Walt Disney's animation unit. (Far be it from\nme to spill the beans here. Some surprises.)\n It also passes along this note (and I'm sure Don and\nMaggie won't mind me passing this along to you, because they'd\nprobably agree that this is important for you to know): Dr.\nSeuss, Theodore Geisel, is in the hospital. According to Shel\nDorf, \"It will cheer him up to get lots of mail from people,\nespecially if people tell him what he's meant to them.\"\n The address to send cards is Dr. Seuss c\/o San Diego Museum\nof Art, P.O. Box 2107, San Diego, CA 92112.\n --Dave\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #666, from hmccracken, 211 chars, Sun May 5 07:51:30 1991\nThis is a comment to message 665.\nThere are additional comments to message 665.\n--------------------------\nI'm certainly sorry to hear about Dr. Seuss. BTW, a future issue\nof _Animato_ may include an interview with him by John Province,\ncovering his work during World War II on the Private Snafu\ncartoons.\n -- Harry\n\n==========================\nanimation\/comics #667, from sharonfisher, 57 chars, Sun May 5 09:47:44 1991\nThis is a comment to message 665.\n--------------------------\n>“what he’s meant to them.”
\nChrist, that sounds ominous.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #668, from sje, 1262 chars, Sun May 5 15:38:26 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Harvey Comics Revisited<\/p>\n

\tIt has been over twenty years since I saw a Harvey comic, so I scouted
\none of the local stores for an example of their recent work. I came up with
\nHarvey Classics Casper #1 (Mar 1991) and Wendy #1 (Apr 1991).<\/p>\n

\tEach issue has thiry-two pages of color plus cover pages. There are
\nseveral stories in each, and I would guess that the target age group is
\nbetween eight and twelve years of age. A letters column is included along
\nwith some advertising for other Harvey items. Interestingly, there are no
\nadvertisements for any third party companies.<\/p>\n

\tThe covers are nicely done and are standard size. Inside, the quality
\nof the paper is much like comics of the 1960s and similar to that seen in
\nSunday paper advertising inserts with a fairly rough, non-glossy texture. The
\ncoloring is somewhat disappointing on two counts. First, the printing screen
\nis rather coarsely grained compared to other current comic books. Second, the
\nwere many coloring errors with respect to consistency of eye color, color
\noverlap, and registration. On the plus side, the lettering is neat and easily
\nreadable. Also, the cover price is only US$1.00, among the lowest of most
\ntitles. — Steve<\/p>\n

[This is not a Byte review; it’s a Steve review]<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #669, from hmccracken, 249 chars, Sun May 5 17:25:37 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 668.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 668.
\n————————–
\nAs may have been mentioned here in the past, Harvey has digitized
\nlarge amounts of old artwork and stored it on optical disk, and
\nalso does its coloring with computers. It’s possible that this
\nexplains the coarseness you mention, Steve.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #670, from sje, 506 chars, Sun May 5 20:23:27 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 669.
\n————————–
\n\tI checked the screen resolution and it looks pretty close to single
\npoint (about 0.35 mm or 1\/72 inch). I doubt if it has much to do with optical
\nstorage; there are just too many places where coloring of eyes, clothes, and
\nso forth are just plain mistakes. Also, the dynamic range is limited to what
\nappears to be only sixty-four colors. (Newer comics and most graphic comics
\nhave 1024 colors.) I would say that the overall artwork is close to what is
\nseen in the Sunday paper color comics. — Steve<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #671, from davemackey, 464 chars, Sun May 5 23:37:07 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 668.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIt should be noted that Harvey is now split into two entities:
\nHarvey Comics (their “traditional” titles) and Harvey Rockomics
\n(their New Kids On The Block titles). Forthcoming titles will
\ninclude the comics revivals of “Woody Woodpecker,” “Tom And
\nJerry,” the return of Martin Taras’ “Baby Huey,” and an
\nadaptation of the “Back To The Future” animated series for which
\nGil Kane (!) has drawn the cover for the first issue.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #672, from sje, 592 chars, Mon May 6 00:12:24 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 671.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n\tThe Casper and Wendy issues I wrote about each had plenty of
\nadvertisements for NKOTB titles. One such title appeared to be a fusion
\nof Richie Rich and NKOTB.<\/p>\n

\tI think that Harvey could have a good chance at the over-twelve
\nmarket if they would take a few hints from DC, Marvel, and Disney with
\nrespect to production standards. I think that the market could stand a
\nslight price increase if it meant a significantly better product.<\/p>\n

\tI’m a little disappointed that there weren’t any Hot Stuff episodes
\nin either of the issues. There is apparently no Hot Stuff series, either.
\n — Steve<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #673, from hmccracken, 406 chars, Mon May 6 04:21:33 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 672.
\nThere are additional comments to message 672.
\n————————–
\nI believe, Steve, that _Hot Stuff_ is still published
\non some sort of ongoing basis, even if it isn’t very
\noften. If Hot Stuff stories aren’t printed in other
\nHarvey comics, it’s just part of the complicated and
\nnot very logical rules that Harvey has always used.
\n(I believe that Little Dot stories are often printed
\nin Richie Rich comics, but Little Audrey stories never
\nare, for instance.)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #674, from dave.f, 239 chars, Mon May 6 08:56:23 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: TWILIGHT
\nHas anyone been reading TWILIGHT? The second issue just came out. Chaykin
\nwill win no awards for originality, or clarity of storytelling, but
\nJose Luis Garcia-Lopez’s art (looking very Mobeus-like) is quite striking.<\/p>\n

D=<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #675, from hmccracken, 133 chars, Mon May 6 09:38:26 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 674.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI hadn’t heard of it, Dave. What’s it about? Garcia-Lopez has always
\nbeen a very decent artist. Underappreciated, too.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #676, from davemackey, 303 chars, Mon May 6 19:09:11 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 672.
\n————————–
\nI took another look at the Harvey listing in the latest CBG and
\nsomehow forgot to mention that they’re also reprinting the old
\n“Felix The Cat” comics and a toy-tie-in series called “Monster In
\nMy Pocket.” So they are offering a diverse array of titles once
\nmore.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #677, from dave.f, 601 chars, Thu May 9 09:04:56 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 675.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIt’s a 3-part prestige format SF story. Takes place over the span of a
\nmillenium. Recounts how mankind finds immortality due to enzymes found
\nin an alien race (the Methuseloids) and the havoc that causes.\u001b Sub plots
\nof religious wars, over-zealous paramillitary space forces, sentient
\nanimals resulting from gene-slicing mixed with bionic experimentation.<\/p>\n

In case I didn’t mention in my first message, DC is publisher. To reiterate,
\nthe story may win no prizes, but the art is fabulous. Chaykin manages
\nto include the characters Manhunter 2070 and Tommy Tomorrow in highly
\nunexpected ways.<\/p>\n

D=<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #678, from bsoron, 67 chars, Thu May 9 14:18:57 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 677.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 677.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

And, like any Howard Chaykin book, there’s plenty of oral sex.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #679, from aturn, 1500 chars, Fri May 10 00:31:33 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 677.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n\tYou say “Highly unexpected”.
\n\tI say, as a longtime DC fan, given that his versions of Tommy Tomorrow,
\nStar Hawkins, Manhunter 2070, the Star Rovers, etc. bear no resemblence at
\nall to the originals, that I don’t understand why he didn’t just create new
\ncharactres for this series (Given his involvement in the Ironwolf series, I
\nwill forgive his reuse of that character in a distorted way.). After all,
\nnewer readers won’t remember the characters at all, and older ones like
\nmyself who had some affection for the original versions of the characters
\nwill tend to find his ‘misuse’ of them offputting, and a hindrance to their
\npotential enjoyment of the series.
\n\tPersonally, I thought they got off on the wrong foot with the ads in
\nthier other books for this series with the line “You’ve read the fiction
\nabout these people. Now you’re ready for the truth” (or however they
\nphrased it). I am sick of the attitude that has permeated almost every DC
\nbook since 1985: if you liked anything they did before that, you were stupid
\nand foolish, and now deserve to be discarded.
\n\tYeah, I know this is a fanboyish sort of complaint, but I will admit
\nto a long-standing emotional involvement with certain DC series and concepts
\nthat have almost all been written out of their fictional histories. Kind of
\nmakes me feel, well, cheated, abused and abandoned.
\n\tBut, yeah, the art on Twilight is real good. Why Garcia Lopez has
\nnever quite seemed to gain the popularity he should have is quite beyond me.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #680, from aturn, 65 chars, Fri May 10 10:04:36 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 678.
\n————————–
\n\tI *knew* there was something missing from the Flash TV Program!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #681, from hmccracken, 712 chars, Fri May 10 17:56:43 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 679.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWhile I haven’t read the comic in question or any other DC comic in
\nquite awhile, I agree with the general thrust of your message.
\nI imagine that others here will disagree with my fe\u001bzeling that almost
\nevery comic which purports to update or adult-ize an old superhero —
\nup to and including _Dark Night_ and the like — are ludicrous and
\nvaguely embarassing. Superheroes are by their very nature a fantastic
\nand ultimately childlike (not *quite* the same thing as childish)
\nconcept. Any story with gentlemen and ladies running around in
\nlong underwear, deflecting bullets, is going to be like that. So
\nwhy not sit back and enjoy it, rather than trying to graft realism
\nand adult material onto it?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #682, from hmccracken, 480 chars, Mon May 13 16:53:51 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: I *thought* Calvin looked a little funny today…
\nBill Watterson’s sabbatical has begun, and _Calvin and Hobbes_ is
\nin reprints of the strip’s very early days. While these strips
\nhave been reprinted to death in books, they haven’t been seen in
\nthe newspaper since first publication, back in 1984 or so as I
\nrecall. It’ll be interesting to see how well they’ve withstood
\nthe test of time, and whether the strip’s popularity is hurt by
\nthe lack of new material.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #683, from davemackey, 133 chars, Mon May 13 19:29:31 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 682.
\n————————–
\nI think it’s a to-the-day reprinting of strips from 1985. It did look a
\nlittle strange, yes.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #684, from davemackey, 622 chars, Mon May 13 22:11:06 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: George Delacorte
\nThis week’s Time just barely mentions the recent passing of George Delacorte
\nat the age of 97 in New York City.
\n Who was George Delacorte and what does he have to do with comics,
\nanyway? Delacorte was the founder and owner of the publishing company that
\nbore his name, and also published magazines and comic books under the Dell
\nimprint, including the Walt Disney and Looney Tunes comics, and the ever
\npopular Four Color comics. (Though the comics line is no longer existent,
\nthe Dell name lives on, mainly as a publisher of crossword puzzle magazines.)
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #685, from hmccracken, 376 chars, Mon May 13 22:14:22 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 684.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nGee, who would have thought he was still alive? Before the Dell
\ncomics line turned into Gold Key Comics (for reasons which remain
\nmurky, at least to me) it was at tone time the best-selling —
\nand arguably the best — comic book line in America. Certainly
\nin Carl Barks, John Stanley, and Walt Kelly it had three of
\nthe finest artists ever to work in the medium.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #686, from davemackey, 488 chars, Tue May 14 01:18:44 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 685.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWeren’t there some issues of “Walt Disney’s Comics And Stories” which topped
\nthe million mark in circulation, which is unheard of even by today’s
\nstandards?
\n I’m not old enough to remember Dell comics; in fact my local barber shop
\nspecialized in Gold Key comics, mostly adventure titles. I think they had
\n“Little Lulu,” “Magnus, Robot Fighter” and the “Tarzan” comics for your
\nreading pleasure while you were waiting to have your ears lowered.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #687, from hmccracken, 300 chars, Tue May 14 09:06:59 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 686.
\nThere are additional comments to message 686.
\n————————–
\nDave, I’ve heard that there were issues of _Walt Disney’s Comics
\nand Stories_ that sold more than *three* million copies in the
\nearly 1950s. Comic-book reading was much more universally a
\npart of childhood then; presumably TV did a lot to erode comics’
\npopularity in the 1960s and 1970s.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #688, from bcapps, 92 chars, Tue May 14 22:46:34 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 686.
\n————————–
\nunheard of, except in maybe, say, over-hyped, Marvel first-issue collectors items?<\/p>\n

Bob
\n\ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #689, from hmccracken, 1292 chars, Sat May 18 14:16:00 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Disney Comics go Historical
\nIt may just be coincidence, but the Disney Comics line seems to
\nbe indulging in a lot of obscure comics history references
\nlately. At the moment, _Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories_ is
\nreprinting cartoons drawn in the 1920s by Carl Barks (the great
\nartist\/writer of Donald Duck comics) for an obscure naughty
\nhumor magazine called _The Calgary Eye-Opener_. The cartoons,
\nmainly tame cheesecake drawings, are reprinted without captions,
\nmaybe because even today they are a little strong for a Disney
\ncomic (and I’ve seen other early Barks cartoons that are a bit
\nmore strong than the ones Disney is reprinting).<\/p>\n

Disney has also recently introduced a comic called _Roger
\nRabbit’s Toontown_, and in the second issue, Roger meets
\nGertie the Dinosaur! This isn’t out yet, but the first issue
\nprints the cover, which is wonderful.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the oddest of all is the last issue of _Goofy Adventures_
\nmagazine, in which Goofy appears in a story as Count Dracula
\n(actually, I think he’s called Count Goofula or something like
\nthat). The story is written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated
\nby Gene Colan and Tom Palmer. Elderly Marvel comics fans will
\nrecall that this was the creative team on _Tomb of Dracula_, a
\npopular comic of the mid-to-late 1970s.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #690, from richard.pini, 603 chars, Sun May 19 09:18:45 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 681.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nHowie (he hates to be called that now that he’s ‘legit’ – but we go way back)
\nhas as his basic driving force a cynicism that must take the old and naive
\nand charming and turn it into the bleak and trendy and (IMO) ugly. he did it
\nwith the Shadow and he’s doing it with all of those “Mystery in Space” and
\nrelated-title second banana characters from DC. It’s an intriguing concept on
\nthe surface of it, and I agree with the assessment that the art is very nice,
\nbut just as I consider Superman to be the WEisenger-era character, so I
\nconsider all those SF characters to be as they were, not as they are.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #691, from bsoron, 338 chars, Sun May 19 12:34:55 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 690.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

I honestly haven’t been able to follow Twilight… I’ll give it a shot
\nonce I have the whole thing, but it’s tough to tell who’s who in the damn
\nthing. Maybe DC’s one concession to the Good Ol’ Days should be using new
\nversions of those little pictures of the characters’ faces that used to
\nrun in the margins of the splash panel… <\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #692, from davemackey, 113 chars, Sun May 19 16:32:25 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 691.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThat’s a nice idea… then they’ll probably bring back the Go-Go Checks!
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #693, from bsoron, 136 chars, Sun May 19 23:53:22 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 692.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

I think that a year or two ago, they *did* bring back Go-Go checks,
\nat least on their annuals. Wonder how many fans got the joke…<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #694, from davemackey, 313 chars, Tue May 21 23:12:29 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Last issue of “Mighty Mouse”…
\n…is a must read if you’re a big fan of late-night television. That’s all
\nI’m gonna say, except the issue was drawn by Mike Kazaleh and includes some
\nsurprise appearances from some other animated cartoon stars of the Terrytoons
\nera.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #695, from davemackey, 324 chars, Tue May 21 23:12:40 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 693.
\n————————–
\nMarvel once put Go-Go Checks on the covers of their books during an
\n“Assistant Editors Month” a number of years ago, back in ’83 or ’84. (Your
\nmessage somehow got garbled due to the vagaries of 2400 Baud and you may have
\nbeen talking about Marvel in the first place, for all I know.)
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #696, from davemackey, 323 chars, Sun May 26 06:52:51 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Look for Jim in “Tale Spin”
\nThe comic book version of “Tale Spin” No. 3 promises an interview with Jim
\nCummings in No. 6. Cummings, of course, provides several voices on the
\nanimated version of the show. Also printed in the current issue is the cast
\ncredit list for the show.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #697, from davemackey, 428 chars, Sun May 26 06:53:04 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: “101 Dalmatians” movie tie in
\nDisney Comics has shipped the “101 Dalmatians” movie tie-in. It consists of
\nthe main feature from Four Color Comics #1183 (1961), drawn by Al Hubbard,
\nand two backups, one featuring Lucky from Al Hubbard (1979) and a Cruella
\nDeVille Christmas story drawn by Willie Ito and Mike Royer (1985).
\n Disney, of course, is reissuing the film this summer.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #698, from switch, 2394 chars, Sun Jun 2 19:03:17 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Recent acquisitions
\nIt’s been a while since I commented on my recent comic purchases,
\nlargely because I buy my stuff a month or two late most of the time.
\nHowever, my most recent batch was only a week or two late, so I
\ndecided to inflict you all with my opinions once again \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

THE PROFESSIONAL: GOLGO 13 — Takao Saito’s classic manga about
\nan emotionless cipher of an assassin, translated to English. Golgo 13
\n(named for the unlucky number and Golgotha) is a man who never misses
\na shot, who is fluent in over a dozen languages, knows more about
\nmilitary hardware than any other man, and is seemingly unaffected
\nby his surroundings. He rarely says anything, and does little to
\nendear himself to anyone… and yet he’s one of the most fascinating
\ncharacters in manga history. Each episode is a variation on the
\nsame theme: Duke Togo (Golgo’s “real” name) must kill someone.
\nOddly enough, it never seems to get tiring as we read about how
\nDuke influences those around him, especially his victims. This
\nisn’t the first time Golgo 13’s adventures have been translated
\ninto English; I’ve a few digest-sized translations (“Ice Lake Hit”
\nand another whose name escapes me), plus one issue which was released
\nby Lead Publishing a few years back on rather cheap paper (the Lead
\nversion seemed to be reprinted from the digest). Golgo 13 is the
\nsecond of Viz’ color releases, which I object to on the basis of
\nmucking with the original black and white art, plus the fact that
\nthey jack the price up to $4.95 US\/$6.50 Cdn. Oh, well, at least
\nthe coloring is by Saito Productions, so I assume it has some
\napproval from Saito-san himself. I prefer the originals, though.<\/p>\n

COMICS EXPRESS — Bizarro’s bizarre, Ernie’s absurd, The Quigmans
\noccasionally elicits a chuckle, Pogo is good but still not quite
\nthe same, The New Breed has far too many bad puns but thankfully less
\nFar Side wanna-bes, Shoe is Shoe, The Neighborhood is occasionally
\nfunny, Mother Goose & Grimm is funny, Outland is outlandish, and Bad
\nHabits has its moments.<\/p>\n

AKIRA #30 — Some seriously wild stuff with Tetsuo attacking the
\nnaval carrier, Kei closing in for the kill, the army moving in,
\nand Kaneda and company about to make a full frontal assault.
\nWith all the action and fantastic art, it still doesn’t quite
\npack the same punch as earlier issues. I hope it picks up.<\/p>\n

BATMAN #464 — It’s a Batman story.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #699, from davemackey, 302 chars, Mon Jun 3 20:00:28 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Ed Dodd
\nEd Dodd, who created the adventures of outdoorsman Mark Trail, died recently
\nat the age of 88.
\n Dodd, who passed the day-to-day chores of the strip to Jack Elrod in
\n1981, created the strip in 1946 and ran in a modest 200 papers at its height.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #700, from sje, 317 chars, Mon Jun 3 22:44:34 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 699.
\n————————–
\n\tThe _Mark Trail_ strip is well remembered; it gave a lot of city kids
\na view of things not commonly seen. I also recall an additional bit of its
\nsocial awareness: in response to a young reader’s question about the title
\ncharacter’s pipe smoking, “Mark” gave up the tobacco as an example for the
\nchildren. — Steve<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #701, from davemackey, 692 chars, Wed Jun 5 20:06:07 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, Cousins!
\nDig this, New York Radio Fans! Cousin Bruce Morrow will be appearing as
\nhimself in the eighth issue of “Archie’s Riverdale High,” which is being
\npublished in August.
\n Cousin Brucie, who is going to be caricatured by artist Stan Goldberg
\nfor the comic, is currently with WCBS-FM and hosts a weekly show called
\n“Cruisin’ America.” Prior to that he worked at WINS and WABC in New York.
\nBruce was pressed into service by Archie when editor Barry Grossman
\ndiscovered he and Brucie went to the same NYC high school, James Madison High
\nSchool. (Preview panels of the comic appear in this week’s “Broadcasting.”
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #702, from hmccracken, 1486 chars, Wed Jun 5 21:24:20 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Harvey Comics’s first issues of _Tom & Jerry_ and
\n_Woody Woodpecker_ are out, and I’m sorry to say they
\naren’t very impressive. They seem to be made up mostly
\nof work of recent vintage done for European consumption,
\npoorly lettered in English and with mediocre production
\nwork in general.<\/p>\n

What’s really galling is that the _Tom & Jerry_ comic
\nhas a large headline on the cover trumpeting the fact
\nthat the comic features stories and art by Carl Barks,
\nthe great Disney duck cartoonist. Now, the stories by
\nBarks are not Tom & Jerry stories but actually _Barney
\nBear and Benny Burro_ stories (story, actually) that
\nhe did many years ago. Harvey has added “Story and
\nart by Carl Barks” to the first panel of the story in
\na hand meant to resemble that of Barks, as well
\nas (I believe) re-lettering the story and generally
\ntampering with it. Needless to say, the Barks story
\nis the only one in either of these comics that is
\ncredited…Harveyt’s just trying to cash in on the
\ncachet of the Barks name, apparently.<\/p>\n

I have higher hopes for Harvey’s upcoming _Felix the
\nCat_ comic, which will include work by Otto Messmer,
\nFelix’s creator.<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

(And I forgot to mention: the _Tom & Jerry_ story has
\na second Barney Bear and Benny Burro story that is
\n*totally* uncredited — there’s a completely blank
\npanel at the start that was clearly intended to
\nhold the titles. I wonder if they mistakenly credited
\nthis story to Barks and stripped out the panel at
\nthe last moment.)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #703, from hmccracken, 1293 chars, Fri Jun 7 23:13:06 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: _The Complete Color Polly and Her Pals_, Series One: the
\nSurrealist Period, Volume One_ — which I mentioned awhile
\nback — is *wonderful*. I finally got up the courage to
\nplunk down my $34.95, and I’m so glad I did. Cliff
\nSterrett’s comic strip (which ran for a long time, although
\nits highpoint was the 1920s, which this volume reprints
\nabout a year and a half’s worth of) may not be quite as
\ngood as _Krazy Kat_, as Rick Marschall’s introduction
\nclaims, but it’s pretty darn close, and Sterrett’s sense
\nof composition is probably the greatest in the history
\nof comics. This particular reprint book from Kitchen
\nSink Press, along with the companion _Kolor Krazy Kat_
\nseries, is the most exquisitely well-done comic strip
\nreprint series even done. The paper quality and
\ncolor work is outstanding, and the introductory
\nmaterial, including Marschall’s introduction and
\na preface by Art Spiegleman, is unusually good.
\nKitchen Sink’s work on these books and on its
\n_Li’l Abner_ series is to be cherished.<\/p>\n

I know there aren’t a lot of old-time comic strip
\nfans out there in BIXland, but those of you who
\nare out there should snap this book up…Come to
\nthink of it, those who *aren’t* old-time comic
\nstrip fans might become ones if they read a little
\n_Polly and Her Pals_.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #704, from hmccracken, 346 chars, Sat Jun 8 20:41:14 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 702.
\nThere are additional comments to message 702.
\n————————–
\nFor the record, Harvey Comics continues to increase its
\npublication list with the addition of _Tom and Jerry and
\nFriends_ and _Woody Woodpecker and Friends_ (which are
\napparently in addition to plain ol’ _Tom and Jerry_ and
\n_Woody Woodpecker_) and _Scooby Doo_. These three new
\npublications are set to premiere in a couple of months.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #705, from davemackey, 383 chars, Sun Jun 9 07:14:44 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 702.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI got the first issue the other day, and I don’t think the Barks version of
\nBarney Bear comes close to capturing the sleepy essence of the cartoon
\ncharacter. It’s good as Barks, though.
\n If you want to compare the original to the reprint, the code numbers in
\nthe first panel indicate that the story originally appeared in Our Gang no.
\n12.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #706, from switch, 1837 chars, Sun Jun 9 13:29:18 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: More stuff
\nThis week’s acquisitions: 2001 Nights #8&9, Batman #465, Captain
\nHarlock #13, Crying Freeman Part 2 #9, Detective Comics #632,
\nHorobi Part 2 #5&6, Justice League America #5, Justice League
\nEurope #28, Oultlanders #29, The Professional: Golgo 13 #2, Venus
\nWars #2.<\/p>\n

2001 NIGHTS #8 — First, on “Night 16: Colony”: This story was
\npredicable, but still an enjoyable read and a pleasure to look
\nat. Still, there’s something that was only glossed over that
\nI wish was explained in more detail: we have a group of women
\nflying in a phallic transport named “Scheherazade”, seemingly
\ncollecting sperm samples in the er traditional manner. Huh?<\/p>\n

I _really_ want to know how _2001 Nights_ #9 finishes. A ship
\nfrom Earth encounters another, unknown ship powered by a laser drive.
\nAs a result of investigating this, they crash on Betelgeuse II
\nand encounter weird flora and fauna, losing a few crewmates.
\nTheir only hope is to find out just who is firing that laser…<\/p>\n

BATMAN #465 — Nice to have a single-issue, non super-villain
\nstory. I do believe I might actually like Tim Drake as Robin
\nas well; he makes more sense, carries a big stick, doesn’t run
\naround in jockey shorts, and is more like Grayson that Todd.<\/p>\n

CAPTAIN HARLOCK #13 — oddly enough, I prefer Tim Eldred’s work
\n(inked by Steve Kreuger) to Ben Dunn’s for this title. I liked
\nBen Dunn’s work, but Eldred seems to be able to handle the range
\nfrom grim to comedic a lot better.<\/p>\n

CRYING FREEMAN PART 2 #9 — This has just gotten ridiculous.<\/p>\n

HOROBI PART 2 #5&6 — The end of #6 is making Horobi look like _Akira_.
\nActually, considering this is a horror comic, it’s amazing how
\nmuch talking and how little action there is. Ninety percent of
\nthis comic is philosophizing, theorizing, power games and anticipation.<\/p>\n

More on the rest later, got to run…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #707, from hmccracken, 399 chars, Sun Jun 9 22:00:35 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 705.
\n————————–
\nI don’t have that issue of _Our Gang_, and I’ll wager it doesn’t
\ncome cheaply, including as it does art by both Carl Barks and
\nWalt Kelly (who did the “Our Gang” feature itself for quite
\na while). Barks’s Barney Bear and Benny Burro stories owe little
\nto the MGM cartoons that vaguely inspired them, but Barks did
\nat least one Droopy story that was quite faithful to the Avery
\ncartoons.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #708, from hmccracken, 495 chars, Sat Jun 22 21:57:51 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: For the record, Harvey comics has revived Baby Huey, who
\nlast had his own regular comic book something close to twenty
\nyears ago. _Big Baby Huey_ #1 (don’t know why they added the
\n“big” to the comic’s name) is now on sale. Only the
\ncover is new; the interior consists of reprints of stories
\nthat may be by Huey’s creator, Martin Taras. Harvey
\nhas also released _Casper and Friends_ #1, in anticipation
\nof the repackaged Casper TV cartoon series that will
\npremiere this Fall.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #709, from hmccracken, 430 chars, Sat Jul 6 17:12:07 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Obituary
\nArt Sansom, creator of the NEA-syndicated comic strip _The
\nBorn Loser_, died on Thursday at the age of 70. Sansom had
\njust recently won a National Cartoonists Society award for his
\nstrip, which at one time was one of the top ten sydicated
\nstrips in this country. _The Born Loser_ will presumably be
\ncarried on by his son, Chip Sansom, who has shared credit with
\nhis father on the strip for some years.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #710, from davemackey, 320 chars, Wed Jul 10 03:23:18 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Obituary: Dr. Nicholas Dallis
\nDr. Nicholas Dallis, 79, creator and writer of the comic strips “Judge
\nParker,” “Rex Morgan, M.D.,” and “Apartment 3-G,” died on Saturday in
\nScottsdale, Arizona.
\n All three strips were not drawn by Dr. Dallis, but by professional
\nartists.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #711, from davemackey, 410 chars, Wed Jul 10 03:23:31 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: A Blondie’s Place is NOT in the home
\nBlondie Bumstead, perennial housewife, is joining the workforce.
\n It has been reported that the longtime comics page staple “Blondie” is
\ngoing to see Dagwood put up a little resistance at first, but will eventually
\naccept his wife’s decision to go to work.
\n “Blondie” is written by Dean Young and drawn by Stan Drake.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #712, from hmccracken, 75 chars, Wed Jul 10 09:15:07 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 711.
\nThere are additional comments to message 711.
\n————————–
\nLet’s all hope that Blondie gets a better boss than Mr. Dithers.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #713, from tsin, 404 chars, Wed Jul 10 11:36:37 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 711.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nEven *I* will comment to this!!!!
\nIt is certainly about time!!!
\nOne small step for Women, One GIANT LEAP for BLONDIE!
\n(personally I am glad those people are not *MY* neighbors!!)
\n(and….why *has* she stayed with Dagwood all this time?)
\n(what *I* really want to know is…..HOW DOES SHE STAY SOOOO BLON
\nat her age???? I need this bit of info for the future! Don’t say “Clairol!”
\n \ud83d\ude42
\n Cynthia<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #714, from hmccracken, 509 chars, Wed Jul 10 14:42:15 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 713.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 713.
\n————————–
\nI’ve always wondered how old Dagwood and Blondie are supposed to
\nbe. They have teenaged kids, so I suppose they’re in their
\nforties or so, but they’re sort of frozen in time. <\/p>\n

The problem I have with Blondie as a character is that she used
\nto be a dizzy blonde; when that sort of humor became unfashionable,
\nthey stripped her of those characteristics without replacing them
\nwith anything else. I hope that Blondie getting a job will spur
\nDrake and Young on to give her a bit more personality…
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #715, from davemackey, 455 chars, Wed Jul 10 21:29:44 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 713.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nMore power to her! I think it’s absolutely great that Blondie’s becoming a
\nworking woman. It’s a way of getting some new blood in there, but also it
\nmakes a good statement about the times — the women no longer necessarily
\nstay home with the kids (if they even have them).
\n As to why she stays so blonde, she dyes her hair only on Sundays, when
\nthe strip is in color! The rest of the week she stays natural! \ud83d\ude09
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #716, from davemackey, 343 chars, Wed Jul 10 21:29:55 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 714.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nBob, kibbitzing at my side tonight, has suggested the first “Blondie goes to
\nwork” strip, and I hope Young is taking unsolicited submissions: Blondie
\nrunning around the house like a maniac getting ready for work, kissing Dag’
\non her way out and KNOCKING OVER THE MAILMAN!!! Funny, huh? Think about it.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #717, from hmccracken, 230 chars, Thu Jul 11 10:23:13 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 716.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 716.
\n————————–
\nGee, I wonder if Dagwood and Blondie will take the trolley to work
\ntogether? Will they both eat in that diner? Who will hold Dagwood’s
\npants for him when he rushes to get ready for work? These are
\nimportant questions.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #718, from bferg, 157 chars, Thu Jul 11 11:03:16 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 717.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 717.
\n————————–
\nI think, perhaps, the household will adapt to Blondie’s working.
\nPerhaps Dagwood will be a little more self responsible and hold
\nhis own pants!<\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Barbara<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #719, from davemackey, 140 chars, Thu Jul 11 19:05:45 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: What’s with Larson?
\n“The Far Side” was a repeat from 1986 today. Larson on sabbatical again?
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #720, from hmccracken, 161 chars, Thu Jul 11 19:25:32 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 719.
\nThere are additional comments to message 719.
\n————————–
\nDave, I think that quite a few Far Sides are reprints; Larson
\nseems to do a Carson-type gig in which the new stuff is
\npadded out with a lot of reruns.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #721, from adunkin, 134 chars, Thu Jul 11 21:25:43 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 719.
\nThere are additional comments to message 719.
\n————————–
\nprobably for a couple of days or weeks … Larson will always need time
\noff to devuldge up some sick things … \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

— Alan Dunkin<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #722, from tsin, 77 chars, Fri Jul 12 11:42:36 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 715.
\n————————–
\nOh YEAH!!! To quote a dear friend, “She’s drawn that way!!”
\nHAHAHA!!
\ncynthia<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #723, from tsin, 411 chars, Fri Jul 12 11:50:52 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 717.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 717.
\n————————–
\nHopefully Blondie will continue to help Dagwood get ready for work..
\nOf course she will…And he in turn will zip her dresses..
\nWith the extra income, they will add another bath…One just for Blonde..
\nThat way no traffic jams in the morning!
\nIf Blonde is smart she will be sure that her job is VERY flex to
\nso that
\nshe can meet Dag for lunch…AND get in a bit of shopping before having
\nto get back!!
\n\ud83d\ude42
\ncynth<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #724, from tsin, 61 chars, Fri Jul 12 11:52:06 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 718.
\n————————–
\nBut helping each other can be soooo
\nuhhhhhh….FUN!
\n\ud83d\ude42
\ncynth<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #725, from davemackey, 967 chars, Sat Jul 13 07:29:35 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Of “Groo” and “Alf”
\nTwo of the better humor titles in the Marvel canon are always referred to as
\n“Groonalf” because they both ship the same week and are always bought
\ntogether, and they both have maintained high standards throughout their run
\nand are worthy of a little spotlight.
\n “ALF,” still in publication despite the demise of the live action and
\nanimated cartoon shows, continues to surprise with its extraordinarily hip
\ngags for a kids’ book. The creative team, writer Michael Gallagher and
\nartists Dave Manak and Marie Severin, have been with the book since issue
\none. Always good for a few chuckles.
\n “Groo” (officially titled “Sergio Aragones Groo The Wanderer”) is in the
\nmiddle of a four part mini series, “The Legend of Thaais,” about a young
\nprincess raised in the jungle. Mark Evanier still continues to do whatever he
\ndoes on “Groo,” thank goodness (his job title changes every issue). {TINAR}
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #726, from davemackey, 481 chars, Mon Jul 15 19:09:39 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: This panel has a Chinaman’s chance of doing well
\nTribune Media Services has begun syndicating an updated version of Henri
\nArnold’s “Ching Chow” panel called “Mister Luckey.” Luckey is less of an
\nethnic stereotype than Ching had been, and Arnold now has ownership of the
\ncharacter, but it’s still the same format — illustrated Chinese proverbs.
\nArnold also continues as artist with writer Bob Lee on that scrambled word
\ngame, Jumble.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #727, from hmccracken, 223 chars, Mon Jul 15 21:00:10 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 726.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWas _Ching Chow_ still running?
\nWow. Am I right in remembering
\nthat that panel was a spinoff
\ndecades ago from _The Gumps_,
\nthe most popular comic strip of
\nthe 1920s? Does anyone care
\nabout this stuff except me?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #728, from davemackey, 313 chars, Mon Jul 15 22:01:39 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 727.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n30 column screen, eh, Harry? \ud83d\ude09 Regardless… I think “Ching Chow” was still
\nrunning, at least in Chicago and New York. I merely think Arnold took
\nadvantage of an opportunity to modernize his strip and make a little $$$ for
\nhimself through self-ownership of the character.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #729, from hmccracken, 211 chars, Tue Jul 16 09:15:08 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 728.
\n————————–
\nYep, due to assorted computer failures I was BIXing on
\na Radio Shack Model 200 when I left that message. Folks
\nwho drop in on tonight’s CBIX will be treated to the
\nsame non-wide screen format from me.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #730, from richard.pini, 1000 chars, Tue Jul 16 09:43:47 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 723.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAnd then, of course, when all of this gets implemented, it won’t be
\n“Blondie” any more. Perhaps more consideration ought to be given to the
\nthought that comics have lifetimes just as do certain technologies. When
\nHerriman died, the syndicate wisely let “Krazy Kat” die with him, knowing
\nthat no one could pick up the reins. Response is mixed on the continuation
\nof “Pogo” and I think that the new “Nancy” is a disaster without Bushmiller’s
\nstrange vision. “Blondie” grew out of the Roaring Twenties and had its heyday
\nin the 40s and 50s, when America was indeed (mostly) the breadwinner and
\nhousewife combination with 2.5 kids. (Please note I use those terms in
\ncontext.) Seems to me that very few cultural icons are capable of making
\nthe transition – successfully – to a different culture, and 1990 America is
\ncertainly different from 1940 America. It seems to be a kind of “heroic
\nmeasure” to keep some strips going… and I am *not* looking forward to
\nSpielberg’s adaptation of Peter Pan, either.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #731, from davemackey, 524 chars, Tue Jul 16 12:54:56 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Marvel on the big board
\nSpider-Man, Captain America, and other characters from the Marvel family of
\nsuperheroes invaded Wall Street today as Marvel Entertainment began trading
\non the New York Stock Exchange. The various characters made an appearance on
\nthe Exchange floor to call attention to the new stock offering.
\n CNN reported that the stock opened at $16.50 a share; by noon, the new
\nstock was the most actively traded for the day thus far and was above the $18
\nmark.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #732, from hmccracken, 1236 chars, Tue Jul 16 15:23:21 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 730.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nRichard, I have mixed feelings about this whole question.
\nIn many ways I am a purist. I’m glad _Krazy Kat_ died
\nwith Herriman. I wish _Pogo_ had been allowed to do so
\nwhen Kelly passed away. I even sometimes shock people by
\nsaying that maybe Disney should have stopped making animated
\nfeatures around 1941, when they were still fresh and full
\nof life and bef — and that the *last* thing today’s Disney should
\nbe trying to do is to recreate the original features.<\/p>\n

OTOH, consider this: it is apparently true that Chic Young
\ndidn’t have that much to do with Blondie from a fm fairly early
\non. If the strip was already being ghosted when Young died,
\nthere was no real reason why it shouldn’t continue.<\/p>\n

More importantly, it’s easy to forget that _Blondie_ was
\nat one time a truly relavant, contemporary strip. In the
\n1930s, Blondie and Dagwood were young marrieds whose
\nlife really did mirror those of the strip’s readers. It’s
\njust that almost sixty years later, the strip has barely
\nmoved in time. If Young and Drake do a good job of it, having
\nBlondie work could really be a return to _Blondie_’s roots
\nin a way — the strip would once again be trenchant, rather
\nthan the pleasant artifact that it’s been for so many years.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #733, from richard.pini, 314 chars, Wed Jul 17 11:49:32 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 732.
\nThere are additional comments to message 732.
\n————————–
\nThe key phrase in your reply being, of course, “If Young and Drake do a good
\njob of it…” I agree. It could be good. But I’m not going to hold my breath,
\nbecause good jobs of it are hard to come by in any milieu anyway, and also
\nbecause the concept of relevancy here in the 90s totally eludes me these
\ndays… \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #734, from bsoron, 515 chars, Sat Jul 20 14:23:42 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 732.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 732.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

I liked Neal Sternecky’s Pogo better than the stuff Kelly’s wife an
\nassistants did after his death; Larry Doyle’s stuff has been pretty
\nuninteresting. Years of reading comic books by former fans have stripped
\nme of the feeling that characters intrinsically belong to their creators
\nand should vanish when the creators lose interest or die. I *do* wish I
\ncould say “For every Pogo there’s a Swamp Thing” (I don’t feel that the
\ndifferent media invalidates the point), but the proportion isn’t nearly
\nso generous.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #735, from bsoron, 226 chars, Sat Jul 20 14:25:31 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 719.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

The weekly Austin Chronicle carries two Far Sides each issue, all of
\nwhich are reprints. Comic Relief doesn’t carry all the Far Sides (they
\nacknowledged once that they just print the funny ones), but most of them
\nare new.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #736, from adunkin, 279 chars, Sat Jul 20 21:43:47 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Spider Man
\nMcFarlane says he’s leaving Spider Man as of #16 (will not be in #15) ….
\nbecause his wife his having the first baby, and he will be away for awhile.
\nMarvel also admitted that Spider Man was to be a Dark Knight Classic-like
\nseries. Sheesh.<\/p>\n

— Alan Dunkin<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #737, from hmccracken, 559 chars, Mon Jul 22 09:12:54 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 734.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nCrockett Johnson’s _Barnaby_, which you’d think would be a tough
\nstrip to continue after its creator left it, was carried on very
\nwell for a while. The first few post-Gould years of Dick Tracy,
\nwhen it was drawn by Rick Fletcher, were good. Dick Moores
\ndid a great job with _Gasoline Alley_. There are examples of
\ngreat strips being carried on successfully, but they’re rare,
\nand I think a lot of them are story strips rather than humorous
\nones. For some reason it’s hard to emulate somebody else’s sense
\nof humor than it is their dramatic sense.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #738, from davemackey, 598 chars, Sun Jul 28 08:21:36 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 701.
\n————————–
\nMaybe a Spoiler…………………………………………………..<\/p>\n

This book has been shipped, and sadly, it’s the last issue of “Archie’s
\nRiverdale High.” Maiden editor Barry Grossman did a pretty good job
\ndistingushing his book from other Archie titles by featuring a different
\nschool each issue and running school spirit features.
\n What is more intriguing to me is the cover feature, in which Archie
\ndates a girl who’s neither Betty nor Veronica. (I won’t say who.) Could this
\nbe a major change in the Archie mythos, or just a passing fancy?
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #739, from davemackey, 949 chars, Sun Jul 28 08:21:56 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Big book o’ Nancy
\nI don’t know why it’s taken so long to find, but I discovered in the comics
\nshop this week a huge book called “The Best Of Ernie Bushmiller’s Nancy” (as
\nopposed to Al Plastino’s Nancy or Mark Lasky’s Nancy or Jerry Scott’s Nancy),
\nby Brian Walker, the son of Mort. It was published by Henry Holt in 1988 but
\nI suspect Kitchen Sink, Nancy’s current-day protector, to have unearthed and
\ndistributed the book anew. Lots of strip reprints spanning Ernie’s entire
\ncareer including the earliest Fritzi Ritz strips. Cartoon buffs might like
\nthe Nancy model sheet from her Terrytoons appearances but will wince at the
\nstatement that “she was never adapted to animation again” — wasn’t Nancy on
\n“Archie’s TV Funnies”?
\n The latest Nancy compilation, “Artists And Con Artists\/Bums, Beatnicks
\nAnd Hippies” includes a membership application for the Bushmiller Society,
\nfor those so inclined.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #740, from hmccracken, 395 chars, Sun Jul 28 11:15:06 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 739.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 739.
\n————————–
\nWOW! I will have to pick up the new Nancy book so I can join the
\nBushmiller Society and make my addiction official. _The Best of
\nErnie Bushmiller’s Nancy_ is the best Nancy compilation; I think
\nKitchen Sink’s policy of collecting the strips by theme is a mistake.
\nBut Nancy in any form is better than no Nancy, and Ernie Bushmiller’s
\nNancy is always better than Jery Scott’s “Nancy!”
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #741, from davemackey, 301 chars, Mon Jul 29 00:30:21 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 740.
\n————————–
\nThere is little, if any, reference made to the fact that “Nancy” is still
\nbeing written and drawn by anybody, be it Jerry Scott or Joe Blow, in the
\nKitchen reprints and books. (At least Jerry Scott does another strip, “Baby
\nBlues,” so he’s not a total cipher.)
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #742, from davemackey, 477 chars, Mon Jul 29 00:30:34 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 737.
\n————————–
\nI think Scancarelli’s “Gasoline Alley” has fallen into the trap of being too
\nself-consciously nostalgic. Almost every week the Sunday page is Walt (he
\nmust be close to 100 by now) or somebody reminiscing about the good old days.
\nThis week it was movies, and he did mention the good old days of cartoons
\nbefore the feature, illustrating Betty Boop and Felix The Cat with his banjo
\n(presumably from the Van Beuren short “Bold King Cole.”)
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #743, from davemackey, 207 chars, Mon Jul 29 00:30:42 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 732.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n> full of life and bef
\n Did you mean “full of life and beef”? I don’t ever recall seeing beef in
\nDisney features of that era. Stromboli, maybe, but never beef! \ud83d\ude09
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #744, from hmccracken, 239 chars, Mon Jul 29 09:24:01 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 743.
\n————————–
\nEr, I believe I was going to say “full of life and before they…
\n(something)” — I did some ctrl-Hs that didn’t register. The
\nmessage had nothing to do with beef (although maybe I should claim
\nI was talking about _Ferdinand_?).
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #745, from hmccracken, 240 chars, Sat Aug 3 15:40:48 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 739.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nYes, Nancy was part of _Archie’s TV Funnies_ and a later show called
\n_The Fabulous Funnies_ that was almost the same, except for the
\nlack of Archie. In fact, there is a videotape out of Nancy cartoons
\nculled from the latter show.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #746, from switch, 764 chars, Mon Aug 12 08:29:48 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: One of those things…
\n…which happens by accident. Paul DiFilippo (an SF author) sent
\nmy roommate (an up-and-coming SF author) a copy of this magazine
\ncalled _Reflex_, which was passed to me. For $2.95 US ($3.50 Cdn),
\nyou get a magazine devoted in part to alternative (read: barely
\nTop 40, no heavy metal, mostly people who pose for weird pictures \ud83d\ude42
\nmusic, and in part to comics. From the two issues I have, there
\nseem to be regular Matt Howarth contributions; the first I have
\nhas a writeup on Frank Miller, the second on Los Bros Hernandez.
\nThe most recent issue (the one with the Hernandez writeup) also
\nhas an interview with Fishbone conducted by Kyle Baker, wherein
\nhe shamelessly plugs _Why I Hate Saturn_. The Fishbone drawing
\nis great.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #747, from davemackey, 338 chars, Tue Aug 13 21:05:54 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Ben-day Peanuts?
\nI saw something weird in today’s Peanuts: ben-day halftone. I never, ever
\nremember Schulz using halftone for shading in 40-some-odd years of the
\nstrip, preferring to render grey tones by cross-hatching or some other
\nartistic device. Is this something new or am I just slow?
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #748, from davemackey, 414 chars, Tue Aug 13 21:06:08 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 746.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nMay I presume Baker did the drawing of Fishbone? I saw them on a repeat of
\n“Saturday Night Live” this past weekend and they have a rather unusual
\napproach to harmony. Plus I’ve never seen a guy throw a baritone saxophone
\nlike that before! He hurled that thing offstage like it was a bundle of
\nlaundry! Did anyone ever tell him how much one of those things costs and
\nweighs?
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #749, from davemackey, 188 chars, Tue Aug 13 21:06:13 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 735.
\n————————–
\nHe did go back to new strips last week, so it was just a temporary hiatus. By
\ncomparison, when’s Watterson due to come back — next February or so?
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #750, from hmccracken, 189 chars, Tue Aug 13 21:15:15 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 747.
\n————————–
\nI think Schulz has being using zipatone from time to time for a
\nwhile now, beginning roughly at the same time that he went from
\na strict four-panel format to a more flexible one.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #751, from switch, 232 chars, Tue Aug 13 21:46:28 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 748.
\n————————–
\nI believe it was a Baker drawing. If you want truly maniacal performances,
\nyou have to see Fishbone live. Angelo is so manic he’s like a
\ncartoon.<\/p>\n

And for some good instrument abuse, watch the keyboardist in Jesus
\nJones. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #752, from davemackey, 323 chars, Tue Aug 20 19:22:55 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 745.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIncidentally, the newest Kitchen Sink Nancy book is out, and it’s called
\n“Nancy’s Pets.” I’ve heard that the “Bums, Beatniks and Hippies” had been
\ndelayed for something like six months and “Nancy’s Pets” is on time, which
\nexplains why these two books are shipping in the same month.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #753, from davemackey, 190 chars, Tue Aug 20 19:23:05 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 717.
\n————————–
\nSome of those important questions are bound to be answered by Dean Young when
\nhe appears as a guest on “Good Morning America” next Friday, August 30.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #754, from hmccracken, 98 chars, Tue Aug 20 22:01:38 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 752.
\n————————–
\nThe “Beatniks” book has actually been out for some months, at least
\nin the Boston area.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #755, from snowbear, 37 chars, Wed Aug 28 02:38:06 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 651.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWhat’s the significance of thatyear?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #756, from snowbear, 96 chars, Wed Aug 28 02:55:21 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 716.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nMaybe Dagwood’s parents will finally forgive him and they can BOTH retire and
\nbecome idle rich!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #757, from hmccracken, 171 chars, Wed Aug 28 09:20:55 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 756.
\n————————–
\nThere’s a piece in the current _Time_ (Yeltsin cover) on Blondie’s
\njob. She’ll be working at home, but hasn’t revealed yet what her
\nexact career choice will be.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #758, from hmccracken, 357 chars, Wed Aug 28 11:44:47 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Sad News
\nThis is an unverified rumor, but I’ve heard that Disney Comics is
\nplanning to cease publication of new material and become an all-
\nreprint line. If that’s true, it’s too bad — both because it’s a
\nshame that not enough kids are reading comics anymore to
\nsustain the line, and because some of Disney’s new material was
\npretty good.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #759, from davemackey, 150 chars, Wed Aug 28 19:08:05 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 755.
\n————————–
\nIt’s about five years since the strip began, which is roughly where Watterson
\nis at with “Calvin and Hobbes.”
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #760, from sje, 582 chars, Wed Aug 28 22:35:12 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 758.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n\tThat rumor seems to go against all the information I’ve gotten to date
\nabout Disney Comics. The word is\/was that there is plenty of material in the
\npipeline both here and by European artists\/writers.<\/p>\n

\tI would not be surprised to see an alternative comics label from
\nDisney similar to the scheme worked out with the Buena Vista and Hollywood
\nPictures groups. This would allow some comics more in line with teenager
\nand adult readers.<\/p>\n

\tIt would be really tough to reprint some of the lines because the
\ncharacters\/settings have anly been in existence for a year or so. — Steve<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #761, from hmccracken, 644 chars, Thu Aug 29 09:28:27 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 760.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThe rumor I’ve heard is very skeletal, Steve, but I take it that if
\nthis came to pass, comics like _Roger Rabbit_ might fold. There’s
\nobviously a huge backlog of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and other
\nclassic character material to reprint. Also, many European countries
\nproduce their own Disney comics which might be reprinted, and
\nI believe Disney produces some comics here primarily for European
\nconsumption.<\/p>\n

As I said, it’s only a rumor at the moment, and one that seems to
\nconflict with the recent introduction of _Roger Rabbit’s Toontown_,
\n_Darkwing Duck_, and other comics that would have to be all-new.
\nLet’s see what develops.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #762, from hmccracken, 127 chars, Thu Aug 29 12:09:33 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 761.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAn update: Disney’s ceasing to print new material is being discussed
\nover on CI$ as fact…I still hope it isn’t so!
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #763, from davemackey, 156 chars, Thu Aug 29 19:30:07 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 762.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI distinctly remember Len Wein, who is the editor-in-chief of Disney Comics,
\nas having a CI$ account at one time…
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #764, from hmccracken, 241 chars, Fri Aug 30 09:34:01 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 763.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI haven’t seen Wein there (at least he isn’t commenting on this
\nissue). More (alleged details): only the duck-related comics
\nwill survive, and they will be all-reprint. _Disney Adventures_,
\nthe digest magazine, will also continue.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #765, from richard.pini, 295 chars, Fri Aug 30 12:43:48 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 764.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nOver on GEnie, this news seems to be much more than rumor. In fact, it
\nappears that a bloodbath has taken place; most of the editorial staff at
\nDisney Comics (in its 4 imprints) have been canned, including Len Wein.
\nOnly reprint stuff, the occasional movie tie-in, and little else, will
\nremain.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #766, from hmccracken, 596 chars, Fri Aug 30 13:54:10 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 765.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThat’s a real shame, and sort of surprising considering that the line
\nseemed to be expanding even when I heard the news about the implosion.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s much of a market for kids’
\ncomics, except for a certain sort of superhero book. Archie will
\nprobably continue to do reasonably well, but I
\nwould be surprised if Harvey exists in its current state
\na year from now. If kids aren’t buying well-done Mickey
\nMouse and Roger Rabbit comics, I can’t see them plunking
\ndown many quarters for mediocre Tom and Jerry comics
\nor nicely-done but rather aged Felix comics.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #767, from sje, 904 chars, Fri Aug 30 22:24:51 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 766.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n\tIf the story turns out to be as bad as reported, then it will be a
\nreal shame. Disney’s comics set an excellent standard for the entire
\nindustry with its paper and print quality along with its (of course!) great
\nstories and artwork.<\/p>\n

\tI’m sure that there were also slow periods for some of the other
\ncomic greats (Action Comics, Detective Comics, etc.), but a long term view
\nsaved the day for many titles. If this (supposed) action is another instance
\nof Disney’s recent proclaimed attraction for the short-term quick gain, then
\nI will be really disgusted.<\/p>\n

\tIf Disney exits, I wonder if Gladstone will be allowed to resume
\npublishing. I am surprised that the Duck titles were to survive; other
\nthan the Banks’ stories and art, these were the weakest of the line. I
\nreally liked _TaleSpin_ and _C+D RR_, both easily demonstated almost
\nalways extensive efforts by all the production crew. — Steve<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #768, from hmccracken, 201 chars, Sat Aug 31 10:32:36 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 767.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThe Donald Duck-related Disney comics have traditionally been
\nthe biggest sellers. They’re also the ones with the biggest
\nbacklog of stories (and new ones being done by the dozen
\nin Europe).
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #769, from sje, 950 chars, Sat Aug 31 11:23:08 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 768.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n\tSome observations on the latest issue (Nov #18) of _DuckTales_:<\/p>\n

\t1) There is the usual full page ad for subscriptions to all ten
\nof the current monthy titles;<\/p>\n

\t2) There is a full page ad for the new title _DarkWing Duck_;<\/p>\n

\t3) There is a full page ad for the upcoming monthly comic title
\n_The Little Mermaid_;<\/p>\n

\t4) Other than two one page ads by Image (for Disney licensed trading
\ncards), there are no third party advertisements;<\/p>\n

\t5) For the first time in memory, there is no “coming next month”
\nteaser paragraph;<\/p>\n

\t6) Also for the first time, there is no monthly message from either
\nLen Wein or Bob Foster;<\/p>\n

\t7) The second class Postal Service application circulation statistics
\nare published: press run 169,371, returns 128,186 (average for past twelve
\nmonths);<\/p>\n

\t8) The local comics store proprietor hasn’t heard anything about a
\nreorganization, but has noted that delivers from Disney have been erratic
\nfor the past several weeks.<\/p>\n

\t— Steve<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #770, from hkenner, 67 chars, Sat Aug 31 11:39:23 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 769.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 769.
\n————————–
\nDoes #7 mean that of 169K copies printed, 128K aren’t being sold??<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #771, from sje, 20 chars, Sat Aug 31 11:49:51 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 770.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 770.
\n————————–
\n\tCorrect. — Steve<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #772, from hkenner, 62 chars, Sat Aug 31 12:07:54 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 771.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWell, if I owned a magazine like that I’d sure close it down!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #773, from sje, 1003 chars, Sat Aug 31 13:49:07 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 772.
\n————————–
\n\tRemember that those figures are just averages for the past twelve
\nmonths. It may be the case that print run and circulation figures have come
\nto be more in agreement in the past several months.<\/p>\n

\tThe item which is most interesting about Disney Comics is the nearly
\ncomplete failure of Disney marketing to get out the word about either the
\ncomic line or the _Adventures_ magazine. They have had plenty of opportunities
\nto spread information about the magazines via the syndicated Disney Afternoon,
\nthe SatAM spots, the Disney Channel, and the Disney Stores. Of all of the
\nabove, I have seen absolutely nothing except some very limited marketing of
\nfirst issue (July 1990) comics in a recent Disney Store promotion.<\/p>\n

\tNo, it’s not the regular staff at Disney Comics that should get the
\naxe; rather, it is the jerks in marketing that failed to give the line even
\njust one-tenth of the support given to advertising crummy fifty-percent sugar
\ncereals that have a Disney tie-in.<\/p>\n

\tI am annoyed. — Steve<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #774, from hmccracken, 434 chars, Sat Aug 31 14:06:41 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 770.
\n————————–
\nHugh, selling only 41,000 copies of a 169,000 copy print run is
\nterrible, to be sure — but somewhat less so in light of the
\nfact that newsstand magazines (especially comics) always print
\nvastly more copies than are actually sold to readers. I think
\nthat selling around 40% of the print run is perfectly normal.
\nYou distribute most of the print run to dealers, but a huge
\nnumber don’t get sold, and are returned for credit.
\n –Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #775, from hmccracken, 354 chars, Sat Aug 31 14:10:04 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 769.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, Steve, but I think Disney comics have run
\nvery few outside advertisements except for a few Disney-related
\nproducts. I don’t know much about the economics of comics
\npublishing, but it seems to be one of the few areas of magazine
\npublishing that’s reader-supported rather than primarily
\nsupported by advertising revenue.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #776, from sje, 288 chars, Sat Aug 31 17:04:12 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 775.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n\tThe line has had several ads from totally non-Disney related items over
\nthe past year and a half. True, not as many as when Gladstone or Dell did the
\npublishing, but still some nonetheless.<\/p>\n

\tAnd _Disney Adventures_ magazine has had a whole slew of non-Disney
\nadvertisements. — Steve<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #777, from hmccracken, 268 chars, Sat Aug 31 20:23:10 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 776.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 776.
\n————————–
\nI guess _Disney Adventures_ is more of a magazine-with-comics
\nthan a comic, which explains its greater ad content. Still,
\nthe relative lack of advertising in comics (Disney especially,
\nbut comics in general) must have some effect on their
\nprofit potential.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #778, from sje, 1501 chars, Sat Aug 31 22:31:29 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 777.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n\tTrue enough; however, comics have a recycling capability second to none
\nthat would allow them to reduce artist\/writer costs in a way not available for
\nany other genre. Some of Disney’s comic artwork has been through the presses
\nso many times that they have forgotten who the original artists were.<\/p>\n

\tEven the stuff that is no longer Politically Correct in the United
\nStates still gets a shot at being published. Last year Ehapa (European
\npublisher of Disney comic lines) reprinted a Mickey Mouse (auf Deutsch: Micky
\nMaus) serial from 1937. The title was something like “Adventures among the
\nGorillas” and featured an African treasure hunt. You can imagine the various
\nstereotypes. Reprinted in German, one can still make out the English labels
\nfound in the artwork (e.g., “mustard” overwritten with “senf”).<\/p>\n

OLD CURMUGEON COMMENT BEGIN<\/p>\n

\tThe real reason that comics are not as successful among kids as they
\nwere in the old days (1960s) is that too many of today’s kids are just too
\nstupid, too lazy, and too engrossed in television\/video games to do reading
\nthat isn’t forced into them by the pitiful daycare known as public education.
\nPoor marketing by comics producers doesn’t help much, either. Quality comics
\ncan be done; look at Japan where there is a comics renaissance among all ages
\nwith 256 page glossy color comics being commonplace in a society with a
\nliteracy rate that makes the US (and most other countries) look like bumkins.
\nI am annoyed.<\/p>\n

OLD CURMUGEON COMMENT END<\/p>\n

\t— Steve<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #779, from dcolton, 272 chars, Sat Aug 31 23:00:42 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 778.
\nThere are additional comments to message 778.
\n————————–
\nManga are not marketed to kids in Japan but to all demographic
\naudiences. My gloss on your posting would be to suggest that
\nthe decline of comics and animation too is that marketing departments
\nare limiting their analysis of a potential comic\/animation
\nproject to “kids.”<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #780, from hmccracken, 900 chars, Sun Sep 1 12:05:59 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 778.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 778.
\n————————–
\nI must be an old curmudgeon myself, Steve, since I agree
\nwith you to some extent. Comics were tremendously popular
\nuntil the mid-1950s, when the decline began — at the
\nsame time TV became widespread. The continuing decline
\nin the popularity of “funny” type comics parallels the
\ngrowth of video games, cable TV, and other effortless
\nentertainers.<\/p>\n

Now, children’s *books* are bigger than ever today —
\nbut children’s books are usually bought by parents,
\nwhereas comics are purchased by the kids themselves.
\nIf schools right now are anything like the ones I
\nattended, part of the problem may be that the books
\nteachers push kids to read are usually so bland,
\nprissy, and uninteresting; worse yet, a lot of teachers
\nactively discourage kids from reading anything with a slightly
\ntrashy flavor to it (like most comics and other
\nthings a not-already-interested-in-reading child might
\npick up).
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #781, from richard.pini, 44 chars, Sun Sep 1 13:02:33 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 778.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThis old curmudgeon concurs wholeheartedly.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #782, from hkenner, 701 chars, Sun Sep 1 13:23:49 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Japanese comics
\nThe Jap comic books–for anyone who hasn’t seen one-=-- tend to be at least
\n1\/2″ thick, with firm covers. It is an education to ride the subway in
\nOsaka, as I did for 8 weeks this past summer. You see men with briefcases
\nstraphanging with one hand, holding a Manga book ith the other, and
\nconcentrating fiercely.<\/p>\n

Much subway reading goes on, in my experience rather little *newspaper*
\nreading. Typical to see an intent girl pondering a Japanese\/English
\nphrasebook. But the *bulk* of the rading matter, for all ages, seems to
\nbe comics. I almost never saw a kid reading comics. But then the supply
\nof kids on the subway (at the times I travelled) wasn’t plentiful.
\n–HK<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #783, from richard.pini, 333 chars, Sun Sep 1 13:37:04 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 782.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 782.
\n————————–
\nI was delighted to discover that, in addition to the ones Hugh mentions,
\nthere are manga that look for all the world like 60s fanzines – in that they
\nare printed on the cheapest paper imaginable with ditto masters, or
\nmass equivalent, but are as thick as phone books. Sales are in the millions
\nof copies per *week* for many titles.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #784, from davemackey, 197 chars, Sun Sep 1 16:30:16 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 780.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI must remind you with tongue firmly planted in cheek that since you are
\nthree years younger than I am, Harry, you hardly qualify as an “old”
\ncurmudgeon! \ud83d\ude09
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #785, from hmccracken, 127 chars, Sun Sep 1 16:37:16 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 784.
\n————————–
\nI know, Dave, but nobody *ever* talks about “young curmudgeons.”
\nKind of like how you never hear about “old scamps.”
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #786, from dcolton, 114 chars, Sun Sep 1 18:37:26 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 783.
\n————————–
\nYes, but the profits only come from the re-packagings. The margins
\nfor most publishers on a title are razor thin.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #787, from switch, 96 chars, Mon Sep 2 12:53:15 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 782.
\n————————–
\nGee, Hugh, I shoulda asked you to pick
\nup some Ranma volumes for me \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Emru (still on the C64)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #788, from morganfox, 36 chars, Mon Sep 2 18:39:53 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 781.
\n————————–
\nAnd he is a true expert also…..:)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #789, from hmccracken, 300 chars, Thu Sep 5 09:53:16 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 776.
\n————————–
\nUnfortunately, the rumor reported here turned out to be true: Disney
\nComics has let go of most of its staff and will be reduced to a
\nsmall line of Donald Duck comics made up of reprints and European
\nmaterial. All the other Disney comics are apparently history, at
\nleast for the time being.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #790, from hmccracken, 584 chars, Fri Sep 6 11:08:27 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Sad News
\nCarol Kalish, a vice president of Marvel Comics who was instrumental
\nin the company’s successful marketing of comics to the direct market
\n(I don’t have her exact title handy) passed away yesterday, long
\nbefore her time. While I didn’t know her, I feel the loss somewhat
\npersonally, as I followed her career from a very early stage:
\nin the 1970s she was a comics fan who hung around the same Boston
\narea comics stores as I did; later, she became editor of _Comics
\nFeature_ magazine, and then went on to a very successful career at
\nMarvel. She will be missed.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #791, from richard.pini, 503 chars, Fri Sep 6 11:23:40 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 790.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 790.
\n————————–
\nI got the news yesterday, and was knocked speechless for the day. We knew
\nCarol and Rich Howell, her S.O., since about 1970 when they worked in a
\nlittle hole in the wall comics shop in Cambridge called “The Million Year
\nPicnic.” The shop is still there, but quite different now. Carol was one
\nof the few nice aspects of Marvel Comics for the last several years, a real
\ndynamo, and one of the most pleasant people I’ve ever known. Maybe too much
\nof a dynamo – she was 37 when the heart attack hit. DAMN!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #792, from hmccracken, 169 chars, Fri Sep 6 12:05:33 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 791.
\n————————–
\nIt’s a real loss. I was delighted when Carol and Richard (who used to
\nsit behind the desk at the MYP drawing endlessly) became such
\nsuccesses in the industry.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #793, from davemackey, 432 chars, Fri Sep 6 22:58:00 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 790.
\nThere are additional comments to message 790.
\n————————–
\nI am very sorry to hear this. Carol Kalish (who I think I ran into only once
\nat a Creation con years ago) probably did as much for industry acceptance of
\nthe direct market from the publishing end as the late Phil Seuling did from
\nthe distribution end.
\n And to hear it was a heart attack, and only 37… that makes it all the
\nmore hard to fathom. My condolences to her family and friends.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #794, from bcapps, 63 chars, Sat Sep 7 18:11:23 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 790.
\n————————–
\nAw damn! That is sad news indeed. Rest in peace, Carol.<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #795, from hmccracken, 340 chars, Mon Sep 9 13:02:41 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Blondie’s Job
\nWell, it looks like the at-home job that Blondie will take will
\nbe her own catering service, judging from today’s strip. If nothing
\nelse, it should open up a new avenue for gags. I’ll be interested
\nto see how the story develops, especially since _Blondie_ hasn’t
\nreally had a continuing storyline in decades.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #796, from davemackey, 761 chars, Mon Sep 9 19:07:42 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Hirschfeld on Stamps
\nNoted caricaturist Al Hirschfeld has designed a series of United States
\npostage stamps featuring some of our great comedians, including Laurel and
\nHardy, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, Jack Benny, Fanny “Baby Snooks”
\nBrice, and Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.
\n An ad in the color section of the September 14 TV Guide illustrates the
\nstamps as well as Hirschfeld and Postmaster General Anthony Frank. The ad
\nalso shows the stamps and notes that Hirschfeld has indeed hidden his
\ndaughter Nina’s name in the artwork of the stamps.
\n The use of a well-known comic artist is a repeat of an experiment a few
\nyears ago when Jack Davis of “Mad” fame designed a stamp honoring letter
\ncarriers.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #797, from hmccracken, 339 chars, Mon Sep 9 19:18:45 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 796.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIncidentally, the use of Hirschfeld to do the Laurel and Hardy
\nstamp caused quite a controversy within the ranks of the
\nSons of the Desert, the Laurel and Hardy appreciation society.
\nSons co-founder Al Kilgore did some excellent L&H caricatures
\nmany years ago that many Sons wanted to see used instead
\nof the Hirschfeld drawing.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #798, from richard.pini, 275 chars, Thu Sep 12 20:14:15 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Memorial service
\nFor anyone interested, a memorial service for Carol Kalish will be held
\nat the Hyatt at 42nd and Park, Ballroom B, from 3-5:30 this coming MOnday
\nafternoon (the 16th). All are welcome, and please spread the word if you
\nknow of anyone who wants to go.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #799, from hmccracken, 56 chars, Thu Sep 12 21:22:18 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 798.
\n————————–
\nThanks for letting us know about it, Richard.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #800, from davemackey, 229 chars, Wed Sep 18 22:49:35 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: One more trip into Hell
\nThanks to the good folks at HarperCollins, there’s a new Matt Groening
\ncollection of his “Life In Hell” comic strip. This one is called “How To Go
\nTo Hell.”
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #801, from hmccracken, 247 chars, Thu Sep 19 13:52:46 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 795.
\n————————–
\nUpdate on Blondie’s catering business: today, she and Dagwood are
\ntrying to decide on a name for it. I suspect a reader contest
\n(in the tradition of the contest held eons ago to name Blondie’s
\nbaby, which generated millions of entries).
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #802, from davemackey, 847 chars, Wed Oct 2 07:16:45 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Get A Life Dept.
\nActual letter in the New York Daily News, October 1 edition.
\n“…I found the Sept. 18 ‘Calvin And Hobbes’ offensive. The artist\/writer
\nseems to have some sort of hostility to children. What, may I ask, is amusing
\nor ‘comic’ about a teenage girl, who was entrusted with the care of a group
\nof children in and around a swimming pool, menacing with a wet towel a little
\nboy less than half her size? I repeatedly get the feeling that Calvin’s baby
\nsitter, parents and teachers simply do not want him around and that their
\nambition in life is to crush him at every turn. –C.A. O’Connor”
\n And this in a newspaper whose lead story is about a five-year-old girl
\nbeaten by her mother and stepfather. Kinda makes complaining about comic
\nstrips seem pointless by comparison, right?
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #803, from davemackey, 794 chars, Thu Oct 3 05:44:03 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 797.
\nThere are additional comments to message 797.
\n————————–
\nAnd now I understand some politician in New York is upset that no black
\ncomics of the day were included, but one made of wood (Charlie McCarthy) was.
\nHer suggestions were on the order of Moms Mabley and Pigmeat Markham, but no
\nmention seemed to be made of perhaps the likeliest candidate for the stamp
\nseries — Amos ‘n’ Andy, perhaps because their radio personas were created
\nand performed by white men. (I think what she should do is get in touch with
\nthe Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, who solicit requests from the
\npopulace about possible stamp subjects and pass their recommendations along
\nto the Postal Service.)
\n The stamps are also noteworthy because of their use of hidden messages,
\nwhich is usually frowned upon by the Postal Service.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #804, from davemackey, 315 chars, Sun Oct 6 18:59:59 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 797.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAnd more on the subject of cartoony stamps… Antigua & Barbuda has issued
\neight stamps and two souvenir sheets depicting gags from covers of Archie
\ncomic books, drawn by Dan DeCarlo. Philatelists say this is the first time
\none-panel comic gags have ever appeared on stamps.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #805, from hmccracken, 184 chars, Sun Oct 6 20:33:45 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 804.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 804.
\n————————–
\nI don’t think these would be the first one-panel gags on stamps —
\nsome of the Disney stamps from small countries (such as Grenada)
\ndepict gags. Humorous situations, anyway.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #806, from bcapps, 1145 chars, Sun Oct 6 23:35:35 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 805.
\n————————–
\nNow, are these gags with word balloons? That, I think, would be a first
\nseeing that the Disney stamps (which are beautiful and quite numerous)
\nare primarily “posed” gags, much like their comic covers, but no text,
\nunless to quote the film or short from which a scene was reprinted
\n(Bambi, Snow White, etc.). I was on a subscription service for them
\nand while I have a lot, I just didn’t have the time to care for them,
\nalthough, they are safely tucked away. TINAR and all that. The dealer
\nthat handled the subscription was Linden, I believe. I’d have to go
\nback home and check this weekend. They handled a lot of the colonial
\nand territorial stamp issues and a lot of topicals, so it seems likely
\nthat if you want the Archie stamps and the local stamp dealers aren’t
\ncarrying them, you could try Linden (I think there’re in NY). Be
\nforewarned, they also got lots of advertising that they send out on
\nJewish, UN, topicals (fish, Disney, space, dead rock stars…).
\nTINAR.<\/p>\n

Bob
\n(p.s. right now, I believe that there are a couple of thousand of
\nDisney stamps, so there are a lot of them. Many cheap, but some are
\nworth a few dollars.)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #807, from hmccracken, 198 chars, Mon Oct 7 09:17:51 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 804.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAnother question relating to these stamps: has anyone in Antigua and
\nBarbuda even *heard* of Archie, prior to the stamps? Or is this
\njust an attempt to sell stamps to American collectors?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #808, from hkenner, 20 chars, Mon Oct 7 12:04:04 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 807.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 807.
\n————————–
\nYou old cynic, you!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #809, from hmccracken, 267 chars, Mon Oct 7 16:24:28 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 808.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI’m cynical, yes, but it’s because I once believed that
\nGrenada put Mickey Mouse on its stamps as an expression
\nof national reverence for all things Disney. I had to have
\nit pointed out to me that they did so merely
\nto sell stamps to American collectors…
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #810, from morganfox, 122 chars, Mon Oct 7 20:30:01 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Tumbleweed
\nWhat has happened to this comic strip? Is that the ugliest typeface possible?
\nIt really hurts my eyes!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #811, from hmccracken, 145 chars, Mon Oct 7 22:43:21 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 810.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI haven’t seen _Tumbleweeds_ lately, Morgan (although at its
\nbest it used to be one of my favorite strips). What are you
\nreferring to?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #812, from tsin, 58 chars, Mon Oct 7 22:50:36 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 809.
\n————————–
\nhey! who said you could be cynical?
\n cyn<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #813, from morganfox, 177 chars, Mon Oct 7 23:07:08 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 811.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nRecently, the typeface used for the lettering in the balloons changed. It looks
\nlike an old IBM Daisy wheel typeface. Mind you, the lettering within the strip
\nhas not changed.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #814, from bcapps, 910 chars, Tue Oct 8 04:25:09 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 807.
\nThere are additional comments to message 807.
\n————————–
\nIn my opinion, to sell as many stamps as possible to American stamp\/comic
\ncollectors. You have to realize that a large number of these stamps are
\nsold mint (never used, perfect\/near perfect condition) or are put on first day
\ncovers (envelopes with special artwork, embossing, etc. relating to the stamp(s),
\nwhich are cancelled, usually with a special postmark). Not too many of these
\nstamps make it into the used stamp market (unlike here). Well, I guess I should
\nqualify that in regards to condition of the stamp to make it desirable. I have
\nseen prices for used Disney stamps that are higher than prices for mint stamps.
\nThis isn’t for all issues though. Using collectible stamps is akin to storing
\nyour collectible comics in an inner-city library reading room. Serves its
\npurpose, shared by more than just one person, but doesn’t do anything to improve
\nits worth in most collectors’ eyes. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #815, from hmccracken, 540 chars, Tue Oct 8 17:35:16 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 813.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWell, unless Tom K. Ryan has started typing out his lettering on an
\nold IBM daisy wheel typewriter, it sounds like maybe he has a new
\nassistant with an odd lettering style (or lost his old assistant
\nand is doing the lettering himself). I’ll try to dig up a paper
\nthat carries _Tumbleweeds_.<\/p>\n

Speaking of _Tumbleweeds_ and assistants, interesting trivia tidbit:
\nJim Davis was Ryan’s assistant on _Tumbleweeds_ for several years
\nbefore selling _Garfield_ to the syndicate. I’ve often seen a hint
\nof Ryan’s drawing style in Davis’s.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #816, from davemackey, 433 chars, Tue Oct 8 18:51:28 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 807.
\n————————–
\nThere apparently is a firm that tries to get celebrity and other licenses for
\nstamps that can be issued in foreign countries. That way the country gets
\nstamp subjects it couldn’t afford to depict itself. But you would probably
\nnever see something like Archie Comics gracing a U.S. Postage stamp — heck,
\nit’s tough enough trying to get Elvis on a stamp as it is, never mind comics
\ncharacters.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #817, from hmccracken, 484 chars, Tue Oct 8 21:58:33 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 815.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nGee, I bought a copy of the _Middlesex News_ to check out _Tumbleweeds_,
\nand Morgan wasn’t kidding: the lettering does indeed seem to be done
\nwith an unusually clunky typewriter. It looks terrible, and I wonder
\nwhy it’s being done this way. (One of the few other comic strips to
\nuse mechanical lettering was the late, lamented _Barnaby_, which
\nused typeset dialogue — Crockett Johnson, the strip’s creator, said
\nhe could fit more dialogue into each word balloon that way.)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #818, from morganfox, 78 chars, Wed Oct 9 10:07:00 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 817.
\n————————–
\nDownright, mean ugly, ain’t it? Honestly, it really spoils the strip for me.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #819, from hmccracken, 425 chars, Wed Oct 9 15:36:40 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: _The Heart of Juliet Jones_…
\nis a long-running soap opera comic strip that for most of its
\nlife was beautifully drawn by Stan Drake. I recently saw the strip
\nfor the first time in a while, and Drake has left it; it’s now
\ndrawn by Frank Bolle (who also does _Winnie Winkle_). Presumably,
\nDrake, who is about 70 and also draws _Blondie_, decided to lessen
\nhis workload a bit by retiring from _Juliet Jones_.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #820, from davemackey, 654 chars, Fri Oct 11 22:34:48 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Mad: The Coffee-table Book
\nIn the humor section of your local book store is a coffee-table history of
\nMad Magazine, from its formation as a color comic to its current incarnation
\nas black-and-white satire magazine, and lots of page illustrations in color
\nand black-and-white. I forget the title (it’s “The (something-or-other) Mad”)
\nand the last name of the author (Maria something). There are thumbnail
\nsketches of almost every Mad writer and artist you can name, even some of the
\nlesser-known ones like Max Brandel. And in typical Mad fashion, the inner
\njacket notes the book’s price as “$39.95 (Cheap)”.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #821, from hmccracken, 853 chars, Tue Nov 5 13:48:23 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Trudeau Unmasked
\nYesterday’s _Boston Globe_ had a short tidbit confirming something
\nthat’s been rumored for years (and which I believe I’ve mentioned
\nhere in the past): Garry Trudeau does not draw _Doonesbury_.
\nTrudeau apparently roughs out a draft of how he wants each strip
\ncomposed, which he faxes to Don Carleton, a Kansas City artist,
\nwho actually draws the strip. This has been going on for twenty
\nyears.<\/p>\n

Now, Trudeau is hardly the first cartoonist to sign his name to
\nthe work of a ghost artist, nor the first to do so for work he
\nprobably couldn’t do on his own. (This revelation explains the
\nmiraculous and oft-praised improvement in Trudeau’s art over
\nthe years.) I do find this dirty little secret amusing, though;
\nall of Trudeau’s smirking over the hypocrisies of various public
\nfigures seems a little, well, hypocritical.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #822, from hmccracken, 333 chars, Tue Nov 5 22:52:06 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 821.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThe current _Entertainment Weekly_ has the article from which
\nthe _Globe_ piece on Trudeau was apparently taken.<\/p>\n

Just as a further thought on this (and possible springboard for
\ndebate): should Trudeau’s Pulitzer be revoked, since he seems
\nto have accepted it for work that was in a very real sense that
\nof another artist?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #823, from mscoville, 363 chars, Thu Nov 7 21:26:17 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Bud Plant
\nJust received the new Bud Plant catalog and it is filled with many great comics as well as books. I don’t know how reli
\nable he is, but the catalog is filled with a lot of goodies. Also, I noted that the prices were full retail and not
\n marked down like a lot of catalog sales are. He does have a special section with sale items. mscoville<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #824, from bcapps, 196 chars, Fri Nov 8 02:10:33 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 823.
\nThere are additional comments to message 823.
\n————————–
\nTINAR, but he does stock a number of unusual and hard-to-find items. I have
\nordered from him in the past (got a nice Cerebus porcelain, I did I did!)
\nand was quite pleased with the service.<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #825, from davemackey, 408 chars, Fri Nov 8 07:35:58 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 822.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 822.
\n————————–
\nI don’t know, but Trudeau seems to be in the news for another reason: Vice
\nPresident Dan Quayle is upset with the current continuity, in which
\naccusations are made that he took drugs. Some newspapers have dropped
\n“Doonesbury” as a result.
\n You think Dan Quayle, of all people, could take a joke, since he is
\nthe target of lots of them. But even he has his limits.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #826, from hmccracken, 152 chars, Fri Nov 8 10:07:32 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 825.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIf I were Quayle and could draw, I’d start my own rival strip about
\nan acclaimed cartoonist and satirist who has someone else draw his
\nstrip.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #827, from hmccracken, 313 chars, Fri Nov 8 10:08:51 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 823.
\n————————–
\nPlant has been around for more than twenty years and has come through
\nevery time I’ve ordered anything from him. His catalog is a great
\nplace to find rarities and oddities, often at discount prices.
\nCall it the Whole Toon Catalog of the comics world (and I can’t
\nthink of any higher praise than that).
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #828, from bferg, 40 chars, Sat Nov 9 07:03:23 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 826.
\nThere are additional comments to message 826.
\n————————–
\nIs it “Quayle” season yet?<\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Barbara<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #829, from davemackey, 145 chars, Sun Nov 10 01:04:46 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 826.
\n————————–
\nWith these “Doonesbury” revelations, one begins to wonder who really fathered
\nJane Pauley’s children! \ud83d\ude09
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #830, from davemackey, 979 chars, Sun Nov 10 01:05:06 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: 50 years of Gallo’s Humor
\nThe New York Daily News continues on, despite the death this week of
\npublisher Robert Maxwell (see message 638). The paper honors its longtime
\n(fifty years!) sports cartoonist Bill Gallo, a frequent NCS award winner,
\nwith a special commemorative section of the newspaper tomorrow. Besides his
\ncartoons which feature such characters as Basement Bertha, Yuchie and
\nGeneral Von Steingrabber (parodying New York Yankee owner George
\nSteinbrenner, a character I once complained about to the paper, a letter
\nwhich was printed), Gallo is also a boxing columnist.
\n Gallo remains in top form, as demonstrated by the cartoon he ran the day
\nafter Magic Johnson announced his retirement from basketball due to the HIV
\nvirus. A basketball sits unused on the pavement of the schoolyard, and an
\noff-panel voice says “No! Not Magic!”; a sign on the fence urges children to
\nask parents or teachers about AIDS education.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #831, from hmccracken, 224 chars, Sun Nov 10 14:51:04 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 830.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nYou’re a Steinbrenner fan, Dave?
\n(Speaking of Robert Maxwell, let it be known that among his
\nholdings, last time I checked, were a number of British
\ncomic weeklies, including the long-lived _Whizzer and Chips_.)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #832, from davemackey, 199 chars, Sun Nov 10 19:39:40 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 831.
\n————————–
\nBy no means, but the joke just got old after a while and whatever comedic
\neffect Gallo had intended when he started doing this character dissipated
\nwith time.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #833, from davemackey, 268 chars, Sat Nov 16 03:42:39 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 820.
\n————————–
\nNever let it be said that we leave you hanging. The current issue of Spy has
\nan ad for “Completely Mad” by Maria Reidelbach, published by Little, Brown
\nand Company. The ad features some marginal-type artwork by Sergio Aragones.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #834, from hmccracken, 329 chars, Thu Nov 21 11:45:14 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: _Calvin and Hobbes_ revamped?
\nBill Watterson’s vacation is nearing its end, and Calvin and
\nHobbes will return to all-new material before long. Rumor has
\nit that the strip will undergo some interesting changes in its
\nnew form. Is Calvin 17? Does Hobbes have a family? Who knows!
\nIt’ll be interesting to find out.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #835, from hmccracken, 290 chars, Thu Nov 21 11:46:53 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 822.
\n————————–
\nAccording to Bill Amend, the guy who does the _Foxtrot_ strip,
\n_Entertainment Weekly_ totally misrepresented the process by
\nwhich _Doonesbury_’s art is done. Don Carleton, the assistant,
\nmerely inks and letters the strip; it’s pencilled by Trudeau.
\nI withdraw everything I said.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #836, from hmccracken, 783 chars, Thu Nov 21 11:51:52 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Sally Sallying Backwards
\nI don’t know if any of you read the _Sally Forth_ comic strip, but
\nit’s undergone some weird changes lately. For years, writer\/artist
\nGreg Howard drew the strip in a style that was amateurish but somehow
\npart of the strip’s personality. Recently, an artist who signs his
\nwork “Mac” took over the art, drawing Sally and her family in an
\nodd style that gave them semi-realistic bodies topped by what looked
\nlike shrivelled versions of the Greg Howard versions of their heads.<\/p>\n

Apparently, reader reaction to the change has been so ferocious that
\nthe old style will return in December, although someone other than
\nGreg Howard will be doing the art. The change was made in the first
\nplace because Howard wasn’t happy with his own drawing style.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #837, from hkenner, 135 chars, Thu Nov 21 19:22:45 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 836.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nYes, Mac is a Sally Forth disaster. Odd, most people who take over a
\nstrip are meticulous apers of the creator’s style. Cf. Blondie.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #838, from davemackey, 406 chars, Thu Nov 21 22:48:51 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Black cartoonists
\nThis week’s “Time” has an article about some of today’s leading black
\nsyndicated cartoonists. Among those prominently featured is Ray Billingsley,
\nthe 34-year-old creator of “Curtis.”
\n A saddening statistic: Morrie Turner’s “Wee Pals,” which was in my local
\npaper when I was growing up, is now in only about fifty newspapers
\nnationwide.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #839, from hmccracken, 296 chars, Thu Nov 21 22:58:59 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 837.
\n————————–
\nI don’t know all the details here, but apparently Mac was brought
\nin to change Sally Forth’s style, with creator and writer Greg
\nHoward’s blessings. The only situation at all similar — and it’
\nisn’t, really — is when Nancy was completely revamped after the
\ndeath of Ernie Bushmiller.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #840, from switch, 78 chars, Sat Nov 23 18:10:06 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 838.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAnd whatever happened to Brumsic Brandon Jr. over the last two
\ndecades?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #841, from hmccracken, 333 chars, Sat Nov 23 19:55:21 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 840.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nHis strip, _Luther_ was discontinued a few years ago. I think it
\nwas probably the longest-lived strip ever carried by the Los
\nAngeles Times Syndicate, a syndicate with a terrible record in
\nthe area of comic strips (its strips have included _Star Trek_,
\n_Hello Carol_, _Sherman on the Mount_, _P.J. McFey_ and other
\nflops).
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #842, from davemackey, 131 chars, Sun Nov 24 00:28:14 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 841.
\nThere are additional comments to message 841.
\n————————–
\nAnd I believe that’s his daughter who’s one of the cartoonists profiled in
\nTime this week.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #843, from switch, 54 chars, Sun Nov 24 11:17:05 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 841.
\n————————–
\n“A few years ago”? How long ago would that be?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #844, from olson, 250 chars, Sat Nov 30 06:33:20 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: An old, mad “old MAD” fan…
\nAny hyperspace humans out there ever met Harvey Kurtzman? Not my
\nfavorite cartoonist, but one of my all-time favorite gag-writers.
\nDid he ever write for tv? Is he still living? Last I hrd he was
\nteaching in sf.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #845, from davemackey, 521 chars, Sat Nov 30 08:54:53 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 844.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIf Kurtzman died, I certainly would have heard of it. Those first
\ntwenty-some-odd issues of the color comic book Mad were as twisted as the
\nhumorous comic format ever got (Marvel’s Not Brand Ecch ranked a close
\nsecond).
\n I think Kurtzman (with Bill Elder) still does “Little Annie Fanny” for
\nPlayboy, but it appears only once in a great while, not like in the 60’s and
\n70’s when it was in almost every issue. That strip had lots of the visual and
\nhumorous flavor of early Mad.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #846, from hmccracken, 325 chars, Sat Nov 30 15:12:28 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 845.
\n————————–
\nKurtzman is alive, but (I am told) not well. I believe _Little
\nAnnie Fanny_ has been officially retired for some years.
\nRecent and current Kurtzman projects include a newly-published
\nhistory of comics books (_From Argh! to Zap!_, with Michael
\nBarrier) and a revival of his _Two-Fisted Tales_ war comic
\nbook series.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #847, from hmccracken, 590 chars, Tue Dec 17 17:24:34 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: William Randolph Hearst, Patron Saint of Comics
\nI always knew that Hearst was a big comics fan, and a big _Krazy
\nKat_ fan in particular, but an article on Dr. Seuss in the current
\n_Comics Journal_ reveals that he was an even bigger fan than I
\nhad thought. From 1932 to 1935, no paper is known to have
\nrun _Krazy Kat_, even though Herriman was busy at work
\ndoing the strip all that time. W.R. Hearst enjoyed reading
\nit in the weekly syndicate proofs, and that was good enough.
\n(Dr. Seuss did a strip for Hearst for a while, which is
\nwhy the subject came up in the article.)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #848, from davemackey, 259 chars, Thu Dec 19 10:07:19 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Sotheby’s comic auction
\nHighlight of yesterday’s comic book auction at Sothebys: a fine copy of
\nDetective Comics #27 (first appearance of Batman) went for $50,000. Few of
\nthe other lots approached those heights.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #849, from mscoville, 87 chars, Thu Dec 19 21:35:35 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 848.
\n————————–
\nDid the other comics meet their estimates or were they below those numbers?
\nmscoville<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #850, from bcapps, 1009 chars, Fri Dec 27 00:50:05 1991
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: C & H noise
\nSeems that a dozen or so newspapers don’t want to carry the newer, bigger
\nCalvin & Hobbes when it starts new strips in February. Bill Watterson, C & H
\ncreator, wants a larger Sunday format for bigger, uglier aliens. Some of
\nthe editors out there don’t want to give up valuable Sunday comics real estate
\nso that C & H can be bigger. This is according to the USA Today 12\/27. If
\nit were up to me, I’d tell the Sunday editors to go stick it! I’m far too
\nannoyed by many areas of the country having their Sunday pages 1 short since
\nsome electronics firm had too much ad money to spend and nowhere else to
\nspend it! (or furniture or hardware or whatever!) In the Washington Post
\n(syndicator of _Doonesbury_) there are 2 Sunday sections with the second
\nsection having 4 pages and a MiniPage insert, and most weeks out of the year
\nthe last page is an ad. Other times when it isn’t an ad, Ziggy shows up and
\na couple of other. Strips that you _think_ they’re paying for. Ah phooey!<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #851, from kermitwoodall, 169 chars, Fri Dec 27 20:45:54 1991
\nThis is a comment to message 850.
\n————————–
\nHooray for Bill Watterson! Finally, a comic artist with the nerve to stand
\nup against editors to bring comics back to the size they were designed for!<\/p>\n

Kermit Woodall<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #852, from dnagamine, 593 chars, Sat Dec 28 03:48:48 1991
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Far Side Gallery Books<\/p>\n

The first Far Side Gallery collection by Gary Larson mentions that it
\ncontains cartoons from three other books: The Far Side, Beyond the Far
\nSide, and In Search of the Far Side.<\/p>\n

Does anyone know whether it contains _all_ of the cartoons found in those
\nbooks. I have the same question about the other Gallery collections.
\nBasically, I’m trying to get all of the reprinted cartoons in the easiest
\nway (buying three big books instead of nine little ones).<\/p>\n

Any hints on which titles I would need to get a complete collection would
\nbe appreciated.<\/p>\n

Daryl Nagamine<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #853, from davemackey, 432 chars, Thu Jan 2 21:33:30 1992
\n————————–
\nTITLE: New years resolution for the comics industry
\nI would like to resolve to the comic syndicates that they send out their
\nfirst strips of the new year with the correct copyright dates, or for artists
\nto at least properly date their strips so that there can be no question as to
\nthe exact publication date. Art collectors and historians would thank you, and
\nso would I because I would have one less pet peeve. –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #854, from hmccracken, 1022 chars, Wed Jan 15 15:48:37 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Trudeau vs. _WSJ_
\nThe controversy over Garry Trudeau’s role in _Doonesbury_’s artwork
\ncontinues…sort of. A recent article in _Editor and _Publisher_
\ndiscusses a _Wall Street Journal_ editorial which criticized
\nTrudeau for taking complete credit for his strip’s artwork when
\nhis assistant really did most of the work. (As discussed here, it
\nturns out that Trudeau really does draw the strip; his assistant
\nmerely inks it, a not-uncommon practice.)<\/p>\n

Apparently, Trudeau was so incensed over the _Journal_ editorial
\nthat he threatened a lawsuit unless a retraction was printed.
\nThe _Journal_ did print such a retraction, but an awfully snide
\none which commented on Trudeau being able to dish it out but not
\ntake it. <\/p>\n

Before the _Journal_ printed the retraction, it demanded that
\nTrudeau’s syndicate release copies of a _Doonesbury_ strip
\nin both Trudeau’s penciled form and finished, inked form.
\nThat would have cleared up the question once and for all, but
\nthe syndicate declined to release such copies.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #855, from ianl, 92 chars, Wed Jan 15 15:57:09 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 854.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

Any bets on whether Trudeau finds a way to lob a few barbs at WSJ in future
\nstrips? \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #856, from hmccracken, 338 chars, Mon Jan 27 15:27:46 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The Countdown Begins
\nNew epsodes of _Calvin and Hobbes_ begin this Sunday, February 2nd.
\nIn my neighborhood, the Sunday comics and ads arrive at the newsstands
\non Friday or so and are kept in a corner to be supplemented with the
\nrest of the paper on Sunday…I’m tempted to sneak a peak at _Calvin_
\nas early as possible!
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #857, from adunkin, 177 chars, Mon Jan 27 20:10:30 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 856.
\nThere are additional comments to message 856.
\n————————–
\nIn the paper last week it stated that Watterson wanted his comics to bee
\na HALF page in length, and people who can’t allocate that much space won’t
\nget it. <\/p>\n

— Alan Dunkin<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #858, from switch, 69 chars, Mon Jan 27 22:15:48 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 856.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIn this neck of the woods, we get ’em on Saturdays! Great! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #859, from hmccracken, 99 chars, Mon Jan 27 22:23:47 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 858.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nYou..you…you *Canadians*, you! Sunday comics on Saturday are
\npositively…un-American!
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #860, from switch, 174 chars, Mon Jan 27 23:34:36 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 859.
\nThere are additional comments to message 859.
\n————————–
\n Actually, the Montreal Gazette now does your Saturday
\nb&w comics and part of the Sunday colors on Saturday, and the
\nremainder of the color comics on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #861, from ianl, 250 chars, Tue Jan 28 00:05:16 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 859.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

Here in Denver, we typically get the part of the Sunday paper I call the
\n“fluff” section on Saturday. It includes the comics, ads, classifieds,
\nand a few sections of semi-real news that’re written early in the week, like
\nthe entertainment news.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #862, from sharonfisher, 162 chars, Tue Jan 28 11:00:55 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 861.
\n————————–
\nI can pick up the entire San Francisco Sunday paper by about 10 am on Saturday.
\nWhen I lived in Sunnyvale, the San Jose Sunday paper was *delivered* on
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #863, from adunkin, 520 chars, Tue Jan 28 23:35:16 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Comics
\nI was looking through a recent comic I had bought recently, and in it was
\na cost guide for back issues to buy, in good\/semi-good\/mint etc.<\/p>\n

I saw the Spider-Man [McFarlane – New] #1 Platinum-Cover limited addition
\nwas worth $1000 mint. I wonder, just what does this cover look like? It
\nIs it like a regular comic book, no hardcover or anything? I have this issue,
\nwith the silver webbing and red\/blue spider man. Is this the one? Or am
\nI confused with another version of the cover?<\/p>\n

— Alan Dunkin<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #864, from switch, 72 chars, Wed Jan 29 00:08:13 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 863.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThe silver-webbing cover is the “platinum” edition, last I heard.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #865, from adunkin, 126 chars, Wed Jan 29 20:34:10 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 864.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nSo therefore, my issue, #1, in it’s plastic bag in the box, supposedly is
\nworth a thousand dollars? Hmm..<\/p>\n

— Alan Dunkin<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #866, from hmccracken, 201 chars, Thu Jan 30 10:09:25 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 865.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAlan, is your copy the Platinum Cover Limited Edition or just the
\nPlatinum Cover? I think the Limited Edition was available only in
\nsmall quantities and cost an arm and a leg from the start.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #867, from adunkin, 278 chars, Thu Jan 30 22:02:11 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 866.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWhat’s the difference between the Platinum Cover Limited Edition and the
\nPlatinum cover? The only thing I have to go buy is the “1st Collectors
\nEdition” on the top of the cover, which I don’t think means much since I
\nthink all the 1st issue covers had that.<\/p>\n

— Alan Dunkin<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #868, from hmccracken, 100 chars, Fri Jan 31 09:25:39 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 867.
\n————————–
\nI’m not sure what the difference are; the Limited Edition may be
\nnumbered and\/or signed.
\n – -Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #869, from davemackey, 288 chars, Tue Feb 4 23:05:19 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The new “Calvin And Hobbes”…
\n… doesn’t look too terribly different than the old, except in my local
\npaper (Asbury Park Press) the strip takes up an entire half page of a
\nbroadsheet on Sundays. Oh yeah, the strip is now (C) by Watterson.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #870, from ianl, 430 chars, Wed Feb 5 02:05:45 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 869.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

Yeah, I liked the first of the new strips, because it wasn’t vastly different
\nfrom the old ones, and I liked the old ones, and also I liked the nice big
\npanels. I wish more artists would put their foot down and demand a similar
\ndeal, and then comics would all look like they should. (Doonesbury and Zippy
\nare so small on Sundays now that I *know* I’m missing good sight gags in the
\nbackground because I can’t even see them.)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #871, from hmccracken, 354 chars, Wed Feb 5 09:14:06 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 870.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 870.
\n————————–
\nI don’t think that Watterson is the kind of guy who’d suddenly make
\nwholesale changes in his strip, at least not without thinking it
\nover very carefully. In fact, _Calvin and Hobbes_ has changed very,
\nvery little from when it first appeared in the mid-1980s. Only a few
\nnew characters have been introduced, none of them very important at
\nall.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #872, from morganfox, 207 chars, Wed Feb 5 12:03:15 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 871.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI certainly liked the new strip and was personally, glad not to see sweeping
\nnew changes. But, I thought he was making a bit bolder use of color and
\nbackground detail. But Calvin is sure still Calvin! :]<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #873, from davemackey, 193 chars, Wed Feb 5 19:27:09 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 872.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI don’t blame him one bit for attempting to bring back the majesty of the
\nSunday comics page as it existed in the heyday of Winsor McCay and Hal
\nFoster.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #874, from switch, 98 chars, Thu Feb 6 00:01:45 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 870.
\n————————–
\nCalvin & Hobbes was the same half-page format it’s always been
\nin the Gazette. Oh, well \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #875, from hmccracken, 343 chars, Thu Feb 6 09:19:33 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 873.
\n————————–
\nThe new format is great and I’d love to think it will influence
\nother cartoonists to make the same demand. Unfortunately, very
\nfew have the clout of a Watterson, and I suspect that the
\nunique format of the Sunday _Calvin_ will end up like the
\noversized _Doonesbury_ dailies — a refreshing exception
\nto the rule, but no trendsetter.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #876, from hmccracken, 283 chars, Mon Feb 17 15:33:38 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Wither Pogo?
\nAs of yesterday, _Walt Kelly’s Pogo_ is gone from the _Boston Globe_,
\nreplaced by something called _Non Sequitur_. I’m wondering if _Pogo_
\nhas been cancelled, or whether the _Globe_ just dropped it. Has
\nanyone seen _Pogo_ strips for yesterday or today?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #877, from hmccracken, 1116 chars, Mon Feb 17 15:41:48 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Comics Heaven
\nWhile searching for a Sunday paper late yesterday night, I found
\nsomething much more interesting in a local convenience store.
\n_Strips_ is a weekly tabloid paper that carries no less than
\n*sixty* current comic strips — everything from _Peanuts_ and
\n_Beatle Bailey_ to _On the Fastrack_ and _Luann_ to _Popeye_,
\n_Bringing Up Father_, and _Tarzan_. The selection is quite incredible,
\nand the main gap is the lack of strips from Universal Press (home
\nof _Calvin and Hobbes_, _Doonesbury_, and Foxtrot_.) The other
\nsignificant flaw is that they run the strips too small (for
\nthe most part, the layout consists of a week’s worth of two
\ndifferent strips to a page — just dailies; the only Sunday they
\ncarry is _Outland_).<\/p>\n

_Strips_ is a companion paper to _The National Forum_, a similar
\npaper that collects syndicated columns. A third paper, _The
\nNational Gallery of Cartoonists_, collects editorial cartoons.
\nSubscriptions to any of the three papers are $48\/year from
\nAssociated Features, PO Box 7099, Fairfax Station, VA 22039.
\n$68 will buy you a year’s worth of all three papers.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #878, from ianl, 365 chars, Mon Feb 17 17:26:24 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 876.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

Our paper (the Denver Post) has been dropping and readding Pogo at random
\nfor the past couple months. I think they really intend to not carry it
\nanymore, but the service bureau that prints that funnies for them keeps
\ngetting it wrong. In its place, we’ve got a piece-o-junk called
\n_Sherman’s Lagoon_, which is really lame. I’d rather have Pogo, personally.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #879, from ianl, 376 chars, Mon Feb 17 17:30:07 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 877.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

If you like editorial cartoons, a good tabloid is _The Santa Cruz Comic News_.
\nIt’s only $20\/yr, I can find and post the address if anyone’s interested.
\nIn addition to a wide selection of editorial cartoons each week, they also
\nhave a editorial writeup (done by their own staff, mostly liberal-minded),
\ntwo full pages of Far Side, and two full pages of Calvin and Hobbes.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #880, from hmccracken, 285 chars, Tue Mar 3 19:07:23 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 878.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nUpdate on Pogo’s status in the _Boston Globe_: the possum is back,
\nafter a couple of weeks’ absence. The _Globe_ got more than 100
\ncomplaints about the strip’s disappearance, and so brought him
\nback yesterday. He replaces, unfortunately, Doug Marlette’s
\nnifty _Kudzu_ strip.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #881, from adunkin, 147 chars, Tue Mar 3 20:30:51 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 880.
\n————————–
\nEver since the Times Herald died I haven’t been able to get any Pogo. <\/p>\n

Apparently the Morning News does not want to carry it.<\/p>\n

— Alan Dunkin<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #882, from hmccracken, 720 chars, Tue Mar 24 09:35:50 1992
\n————————–
\nTITLE: _Pogo_ goes all in the family
\nAs of yesterday’s installment of _Pogo_ artist\/writer Neal Sternecky
\nappears to have left the strip. His replacements are Pete and Carolyn
\nKelly, who happen to be children of the late Walt Kelly, creator of
\nPogo. I don’t know yet if Pete is drawing and Carolyn is writing,
\nor if Carolyn draws and Pete writes, or if it’s another
\nform of collaboration. It’s also too early to tell how
\nsuccessful their version of _Pogo_ will be.<\/p>\n

Long-time Pogo fans may remember that Pete and Carolyn aren’t
\nthe first Kelly relatives to work on the strip: Walt’s widow,
\nSelby, drew it at one point after his death, and his son
\nSteve worked on the writing on some of the post-Walt episodes.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #883, from davemackey, 270 chars, Sun Apr 5 14:24:50 1992
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The collected “Crankshaft”
\nAndrews & McMeel has released the first collection of the “Crankshaft”
\ncomic strip. The adventures of this irascible old school bus driver are
\nconcocted by Tom Batiuk and Chuck Ayers.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #884, from switch, 281 chars, Sat Apr 11 15:53:26 1992
\n————————–
\nTITLE: When…
\nyou get tomorrow’s _Calvin and Hobbes_, could some kind soul out
\nthere do me the favor of mailing me a (crisp, unfolded) copy?
\nI want to blow up and laminate the last two panels, but the one
\nwe’ve got here in the _Montreal Gazette_ has badly registered
\ncolor.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #885, from davemackey, 315 chars, Fri Apr 17 19:07:06 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Brooke’s “Starr”-ing role…at last
\nThe perpetually-delayed “Brenda Starr” movie which stars Brooke Shields in
\nthe title role is finally getting big-screen exposure after years on the
\nshelf: It is starting an exclusive engagement in a New York City theatre on
\nSunday.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #886, from dcolton, 70 chars, Sat Apr 18 18:16:19 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 885.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAccording to Headline News, the movie’s nationwide gross was $500.00.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #887, from hmccracken, 207 chars, Sun Apr 19 14:03:27 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 886.
\n————————–
\nFive hundred bucks? Poor Brenda! I saw a few clips on TV, and it looked
\nlike it might be OK. They did a nice job of making Brooke Shields
\nlook like she was drawn by Dale Messick, Brenda’s creator.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #888, from davemackey, 400 chars, Mon Apr 27 20:37:15 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: New strip…
\nUnited Features Syndicate has begun distributing the comic strip “Guy Stuff.”
\nThis strip is the humorous adventures of three pals, all single. The strip is
\nwritten and drawn by a gentleman named Jim Ryan (not the same Jim Ryan of
\nanimation writing fame), who writes from his own experiences as a 31-year-old
\nbachelor living in Hoboken, NJ.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #889, from hmccracken, 141 chars, Wed Apr 29 12:23:23 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 888.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 888.
\n————————–
\nJim Ryan is, however, the same Jim Ryan whose work has been seen
\nin various underground\/independent comic books for several years.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #890, from davemackey, 191 chars, Wed Apr 29 21:19:08 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 889.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAnd, quite naturally, The Hudson Dispatch (the local paper in Hoboken) wrote
\na big feature article about Mr. Ryan’s success and is carrying the strip.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #891, from hmccracken, 136 chars, Thu Apr 30 09:40:53 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 890.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nYou’ll have to report on the strip here, Dave, since you’re the closest
\nthing to a 31-year-old Hoboken bachelor that we have!
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #892, from davemackey, 132 chars, Thu Apr 30 19:20:09 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 891.
\n————————–
\nWell, I’m 31, I’m a Bachelor, and I work in Hoboken. Maybe Ryan and I should
\ncompare notes!
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #893, from hmccracken, 489 chars, Mon May 4 17:41:38 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: B.C. and The Wizard of Id
\nWhile talking to my father the other day, he mentioned that these
\ntwo comic strips, both written by the great Johnny Hart, have been
\ndealing with religious topics lately. I remember the odd religiously-
\nthemed B.C. in the past, but not any religious material in Wizard.
\nOf course, with the exception of Peanuts, religious isn’t often
\ndiscussed in comics (unless you count all those insipid Family Circus
\ntableaux of dead grandparents in heaven).
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #894, from ianl, 761 chars, Thu May 7 04:53:12 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 893.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 893.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

No religion in comics??? Oh, would that that were the case!<\/p>\n

There’s religion (too much of it, IMAO) in Family Circus, Rose is Rose,
\nB.C. (as of late, as you mentioned), Hi and Lois, on a regular basis. In
\nother strips, it shows up occasionally. (Sometimes it’s as simple as the
\nfamily going to church, but that’s enough to annoy a non-christian, at
\nleast this one.)<\/p>\n

I’ve put B.C. on my “automatically skip it because even though it’s funny
\nsometimes it offends my sensibilities” list. Previously, this list was
\noccupied only by Andy Capp (arguably the worst strip ever that is occasionally
\nfunny despite the badness).<\/p>\n

(Those other religious strips don’t need to be on the list, because they’re
\nso rarely funny that they don’t bear reading anyway.)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #895, from davemackey, 132 chars, Fri May 8 22:19:09 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 894.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 894.
\n————————–
\n“One Big Happy” is another strip that seems to have strong moral values, if
\nnot overtly so.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #896, from hmccracken, 479 chars, Sat May 9 18:56:58 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 894.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWell, I guess there’s a fair amount of religion in comics if you
\ncount families going to church, depiction of angels, etc. I was
\nthinking of less generic, more explicit religious commentary…
\nwhich is fairly unusual. B.C.’s recent religious forays are likely
\nto strike a raw nerve in a lot more folks than the Family Circus’s
\nbland depiction of heaven (and wouldn’t be great if Bil Keane did
\na Sunday page about the old folks who ended up in Hell instead
\nof Heaven?).
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #897, from ianl, 416 chars, Sat May 9 23:35:45 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 895.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

“One Big Happy” is sometimes moralistic, but rarely religiously so. (It
\ncan’t be too religious, I read, and enjoy, it.)<\/p>\n

Really, there’s nothing wrong with “old fashioned American values”, as it
\nwere, in comic strips. It’s just when it’s overtly religious that I don’t
\nlike it. (Especially because the religion is always christianity. Why are
\nthere no jews in comicland? No muslims, hindus, etc. ::sigh::)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #898, from davemackey, 104 chars, Sat May 9 23:54:41 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 896.
\nThere are additional comments to message 896.
\n————————–
\nNo, Harry. Hell is where Not Me and Ida Know are going ::grin::
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #899, from davemackey, 456 chars, Sun May 10 01:26:08 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 893.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nOf course, if you extend this discussion into comic books, Archie and his
\ngang pop up quite a lot in Christian comic books (which were usually written
\nand drawn by Al Hartley, who was a regular Archie artist and a Christian
\nhimself since the mid-1960’s). I find it a little hard to reconcile the
\nregular Archie and the Christian Archie. They may look like the same
\ncharacter, but their motivations are not the same.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #900, from bcapps, 612 chars, Sun May 10 01:56:32 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 896.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 896.
\n————————–
\nWhat’s also interesting to see is some of the sideline stuff that Schultz
\nhas worked on, such as “Whatever Happened to Ol
\n(nurtz!) Ol’ Phaoroh?” and “The Gospel According to Peanuts” plus several
\nsequels to the last one. As to Johnny Hart’s stuff, typically he’s done
\na Christian-religion based strip on or around the various holidays, usually
\nWiley scripting some witty poem on a clay tablet. But that has been about
\nthe extent of it, to my knowledge. I haven’t been able to keep up with it
\non a regular basis lately. As far as other religions in strips, didn’t
\nWee Pals have a Jewish character in it?<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #901, from davemackey, 340 chars, Sun May 10 07:56:10 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 900.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 900.
\n————————–
\nI remember the book “The Gospel According To Peanuts” (I had it in fact) and
\ncan tell you that Schulz had nothing to do with that, since it was written by
\na theologian whose name was (I think) Robert Short. He used examples from
\nboth Scripture and Schulzture to illustrate various religious points.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #902, from switch, 34 chars, Sun May 10 12:16:51 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 896.
\n————————–
\nThat’s Gary Larson’s job \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #903, from switch, 169 chars, Sun May 10 12:17:52 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 900.
\n————————–
\nWee Pals had just about everyone represented in it \ud83d\ude42 I forget the name of
\nthe kid, though. I’m not near my books (I’m at my parents’), so I couldn’t
\ntell you…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #904, from hmccracken, 245 chars, Sun May 10 16:28:10 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 901.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThat’s right — Schulz’s only contribution to Short’s book was the
\nreprinted Peanuts strips. But Schulz and Short are good friends,
\nand in recent years Schulz himself has authored at least one
\nbook similar in content to Short’s tomes.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #905, from hmccracken, 263 chars, Sun May 10 16:30:06 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 897.
\n————————–
\nThere aren’t a lot of Jews in comics anymore (is Mel Lazarus’s
\nMomma Jewish?), but in the Golden Age of newspaper strips the
\nfunnies overflowed with Jewish characters — Harry Hershfeld’s
\nAbie the Agent and most of the work of Milt Gross, for instance.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #906, from davemackey, 416 chars, Wed May 13 19:20:48 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: “Cathy” and Cathy take a breather
\nCathy Guisewite is taking her comic strip “Cathy” on hiatus for the next
\neight weeks beginning May 18.
\n Cathy (as opposed to “Cathy”) has decided to adopt a baby, and she needs
\na little time off to get her affairs in order. Only the daily strips will be
\nin repeats during her time off, with fresh Sunday pages continuing as usual.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #907, from morganfox, 135 chars, Wed May 13 19:39:06 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 906.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 906.
\n————————–
\nGee, I wonder if “Cathy” will make the same sorta life decision or maybe
\nIrving will finally do something like “pop the question”? \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #908, from davemackey, 489 chars, Wed May 13 20:34:10 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 904.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nSort of reminds me of another non-Peanuts project of Schulz… back in the
\n1950’s Art Linkletter compiled a book of his “Kids Say The Darndest Things”
\nsegment from his CBS television series “House Party”, and Schulz did the
\nillustrations for the book… some of the characters looking suspiciously
\nlike Peanuts understudies, and perhaps the only time Schulz has ever done
\ndrawings of adults… It’s worth seeking out if you are a Schulz completist.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #909, from davemackey, 781 chars, Wed May 13 20:34:26 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 899.
\n————————–
\nMy brother, the Archie expert, noted that no, the regular Archie and the
\nChristian Archie did not look quite the same. He reports that on the Spire
\nbooks, Al Hartley inked his own work and did a pretty bad job of it. Usually,
\nhis work for the mainstream books was inked by either Rudy Lapick or Jon
\nD’Agostino, two artists who could make anyone’s art look halfway decent
\n(especially D’Ag, who still has a very clean line after I don’t know how many
\nyears in the business.). He also notes that as recently as a few years ago,
\nHartley was still appearing sporadically in the Archie books, mainly the
\ndigests (which seem to be the stomping grounds for the likes of Hartley and
\nBob Bolling and Samm Schwartz and other old-timey Archie artists).
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #910, from switch, 58 chars, Wed May 13 22:06:48 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 908.
\nThere are additional comments to message 908.
\n————————–
\nI’ve got that book lurking around here somewhere…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #911, from davemackey, 582 chars, Thu May 14 00:05:53 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: What happened to the DeCarlo Brothers?
\nSince I’m not a CBG reader, I have totally lost touch with the world of
\ncomics. Until I read an article about veteran Archie artist Dan DeCarlo
\nin something called “The Best Of Betty And Veronica Summer Fun” by Mary
\nSmith, I was not aware that his twin sons, Dan Jr. and Jim had both passed
\naway. Dan in October 1990, Jim in August 1991. Meanwhile, the elder Dan
\nis still drawing covers and stories for the Archie books at the age of 72.
\nDan Jr. was a penciller and Jim inked his dad’s artwork.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #912, from davemackey, 90 chars, Thu May 14 05:58:14 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 907.
\n————————–
\nIn the strip, “Cathy” has decided to adopt a dog.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #913, from hmccracken, 536 chars, Thu May 14 09:56:26 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 908.
\n————————–
\n_Kids Say the Darndest Things_ has another attraction for cartoon fans:
\nit has an introduction by Walt Disney.<\/p>\n

Schulz has drawn adults here and there in several places over the
\nyears, if you count teenagers: he illustrated a book on teens
\ncalled _Two by Fours_, did a series of religious comic panels about
\nteens that was collected into at least three books, and for some
\nyears did a second syndicated strip called _It’s All in the Game_
\nwhich was about game-playing grownups (and was actually ghosted, so
\nit may not count).
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #914, from hmccracken, 52 chars, Thu May 14 09:57:30 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 911.
\n————————–
\nHow sad! I wasn’t aware of that, either.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #915, from davemackey, 293 chars, Mon May 25 19:04:37 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 906.
\n————————–
\nThe repeated continuity for at least the first week of “Cathy” repeats
\nconcerned Cathy’s never-ending struggle to fit into a swimsuit. Were
\nGuisewite doing new strips at this time, I’m inclined to think that she’d be
\ndoing the same exact types of gags.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #916, from hmccracken, 659 chars, Tue May 26 15:22:09 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Calvin and Hobbes
\nOne thing that has kind of bothered me since Calvin and Hobbes returned
\nto new strips after Bill Watterson’s vacation is that Calvin has usually
\nbeen a philosophy-spouting, reflective little thirty-year-old rather
\nthan a little boy. (There’s nothing wrong with adult-like little kids
\nin comics — I love _Peanuts_ and _Miss Peach_ — but C&H has always been
\nat its funniest when Calvin was more-or-less realistic little kid.)<\/p>\n

This is why I was especially delighted by last Sunday’s
\nstrip, with Calvin and Hobbes in their treehouse. It had Calvin
\nbeing his old childlike self, and I’m hoping it’s a sign of
\nthings to come.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #917, from ianl, 91 chars, Tue May 26 19:30:25 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 916.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

Hmmm, I guess you can’t please everyone. I prefer the cynical adult-like
\nCalvin. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #918, from switch, 47 chars, Tue May 26 19:56:36 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 917.
\nThere are additional comments to message 917.
\n————————–
\nMe, I like both. So what can you do? \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #919, from hmccracken, 319 chars, Wed May 27 10:50:51 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 917.
\n————————–
\nFunny, I always consider the more cynical Calvin to be more genuinely
\nchild-like than the one who rhapsodizes over the simple pleasure of
\na Summer’s Day, asks metaphysical questions, etc. I know some
\n*very* cynical little kids, but not too many pint-sized, philosophy-
\nspouting devotees of the pastoral life.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #920, from davemackey, 441 chars, Wed Jun 3 14:50:46 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Obituary: William M. Gaines
\nWilliam M. Gaines, 70, founder and publisher of Mad Magazine and EC Comics,
\ndied today in New York City.
\n Gaines, a second-generation comics publisher (his dad was Max C. Gaines)
\nfounded Mad as a comic book in 1952; after 23 issues it went to large
\nblack-and-white magazine format, as it is today. Gaines’ company also
\npublished horror and space fantasy comics.
\n –Dave Mackey<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #921, from hmccracken, 238 chars, Wed Jun 3 16:21:52 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 920.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nOh, NO! He will be missed. Anyone who ever read Gaines’ biography, _The
\nMad World of William M. Gaines_, by Frank Jacobs, will have a real
\nfondness for Gaines. And anyone who was ever a 12-year old MAD reader
\nhas lost a friend.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #922, from switch, 57 chars, Wed Jun 3 20:30:12 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 921.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 921.
\n————————–
\n*snif* such as I. I loved reading _MAD_ reprints.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #923, from davemackey, 814 chars, Wed Jun 3 23:44:04 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 921.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nDamn right… I almost considered calling up the Mad office and would have
\nexpressed my deepest condolences.
\n Mad is run more like a close-knit family than a magazine; the artists
\nand writers have been (for the most part) a staunchly loyal bunch over the
\nyears, and every so often Gaines would take them on group vacations all
\naround the world. And Gaines helped to foster lots of that camraderie. Gaines
\nwas also quite fond of food and drink, as anyone could tell you.
\n Credit him, too, with finding a way for his company to survive as his
\nbread-and-butter line of horror comics was being all but taken away from him
\nby the Werthams of the world.
\n Without Mad’s guiding spirit, we’ll see if Alfred E. Neuman, after all
\nthese years, finally has reason to worry.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #924, from hmccracken, 444 chars, Wed Jun 3 23:54:37 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 923.
\n————————–
\nMost of the Madmen *were* very loyal, although in recent years several
\nkey contributors — not the least among them Don Martin — have defected
\nto Cracked magazine.<\/p>\n

Gaines sounds like he must have been a very paternal boss, but a very
\ngood one as well. The MAD trips (in which the entire staff would take
\na an extended trip to a foreign country together on Gaines’ nickel)
\nhas to be the greatest fringe benefit in corporate history.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #925, from hmccracken, 824 chars, Fri Jun 5 23:37:19 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 922.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nUnfortunately, an “appreciation” of Gaines in yesterday’s _Boston
\nGlobe_ repeatedly criticized Gaines for paying his artists and
\nwriters “slave wages.” While I’m not up-to-date on what MAD’s
\ncurrent page rate is — it may not have kept pace with the rest
\nof the industry — for many years it paid vastly more than any
\nother American comic magazine. MAD is also the only U.S. comic
\nthat pays its writers the same page rate as its artists. The
\n_Globe_ article also said that MAD’s contributors were “overworked” —
\nhow freelancers could be overworked, I’m not quite sure.<\/p>\n

Gaines should also be praised for running writer and artist credits
\nin the E.C. line of comics starting in the early 1950s, years before
\nit was standard practice anywhere else. Hardly a sign that this man
\nwas an abuser of his creative talent.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #926, from davemackey, 538 chars, Sat Jun 6 08:53:06 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 925.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nSounds to me like you should submit a rebuttal, Harry. The point I vehemently
\ndisagree with is that the Mad “usual gang of idiots” are overworked, because
\n(a) Mad only publishes eight times a year, and (b) each writer or artist
\nmaybe contributes six pages tops each issue.
\n I don’t think they’d have the time for their moonlighting projects (for
\nexample, Aragones’ “Groo”) if they were overworked, but the fact that they
\ntake on these jobs may validate the Globe’s claim about Mad’s page rate.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #927, from hmccracken, 553 chars, Sat Jun 6 11:29:48 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 926.
\n————————–
\nWell, I don’t know of many eight-time a year freelance jobs that would
\nbe enough to make a nice living all by themselves. Let’s say that
\na MAD artist does one six-page feature at $600\/page (a figure I’m
\nmaking up for the sake of argument) per issue. That’s $3600 per story,
\nor less than $29,000 a year. But $600 a page would be a terrific page
\nrate in comparison to the industry. I think the Globe was confused
\nabout a different, legitimate complaint — that Gaines retained the
\ncopyright and, I believe, the original art of the MAD material.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #928, from morganfox, 205 chars, Tue Jun 9 23:09:35 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: New Elfquest
\nGee, Elfquest just went full color as a bi-monthly comic. Wowzers!
\nI think it looks great. Wendy’s colors are pretty neat and I like her
\ntechnique. Anyone else seen it? Wha cha think?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #929, from switch, 3134 chars, Thu Jun 11 07:55:14 1992
\n————————–
\nIt’s been so long since I’ve done this, you’ve probably all forgotten
\nI collect comics \ud83d\ude42 So here we go, the beginning of my weekly
\ncapsules of my latest buys. People who were reading these capsule
\nbefore will probably notice a shift in my reading material: the only
\nBig Two titles I read regularly anymore are _Batman_ and _Akira_
\n(if you can call the Epic imprint one of the Big Two, and if you
\ncan call _Akira_ regular); the amount of Japanese translations I
\nread has dropped since Viz made their shift to color, muddying the
\nartwork and astronomically raising the prices; there’s been a recent
\nincrease in the number of _Batman_ titles.<\/p>\n

This week’s capsule has no less than four Batman titles, with
\nonly two other entries. So let’s get those two out of the way
\nfirst, shall we?<\/p>\n

DEADLINE #39: This is not the Dark Horse release, _Deadline USA_.
\nThis is the original British _Deadline_, which precedes the Dark
\nHorse release by a couple of months. I find the Brit _Deadline_
\nmore interesting because it has quite a few color pages, and is
\nabout twice the size of the American release. For those who don’t
\nknow, _Deadline_ is a comics and music magazine. The comics are
\nmostly shorts or serials by primarily British artists, and the
\nmusic discussed is mostly alternative.<\/p>\n

This issue comes with a 40-minute tape labelled “Tape Fear”,
\ncontaining nine tracks by Carter USM, Senseless THings, Kingmaker,
\nMega City Four, Natural Life, Sheep on Drugs, Airstream, The Heart
\nThrobs, and Scorpio Rising. Since we’re not the ‘music’ conference,
\nI’ll move on to the Jamie Hewlett cover, which features Tank
\nGirl, sporting an inverted mohawk and a gun to her head. Hmmmn.<\/p>\n

“Bubble Up and the Sideshow Freak” is sort of your typical post-
\napocalyptic callous violence and drug trip. Well-drawn though.<\/p>\n

Next: a Milk and Cheese two-pager. _Milk and Cheese_ is a series
\nof one or two-page stories with two anthropomorphized characters:
\na carton of milk and a chunk of cheese. Dairy products gone bad,
\nevery episode is some new brand of psychotic mayhem, as the two
\ndestroy anything and anyone in their path. This one, however,
\nis a bit different. “Milk and Cheese Vomit” is vile enough that
\nI felt queasy just seeing it in black and white. Best to move
\non…<\/p>\n

“Hot Triggers” is a strip created, and usually written and drawn
\nby Philip Bond. The setting is some tropical, out of the way
\nplace, with an air force pilot (Major Milhous Milton) and his
\nfour young, lovely, nubile, and wacko assistants: Chocho, Suki,
\nHonda, and . These are usually one-shot stories, quite
\nsilly in nature. Although this issue’s instalment is written
\nby Spiro T. Tretchikoff and drawn by Glyn Dillon, it’s still very
\nmuch in keeping with the original flavor. (I do miss Bond’s work,
\nthough – you’ve gotta love his wide-eyed girls.)<\/p>\n

(Gadzooks, I’m only a third of the way through the magazine.
\nI’ll just highlight the points that struck me the most, then.)<\/p>\n

Philip Bond interviews himself. Milk and Cheese are pretty funny
\nin “Flee Market”. Tank Girl does Kerouac. Sorta.<\/p>\n

(Whoops. It’s time for work. Finish off later. Ta.)<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #930, from switch, 1299 chars, Sun Jun 14 20:40:32 1992
\n————————–
\nTITLE: More thoughts from the week’s comics
\nBATMAN & DRACULA: RED RAIN: Finally! After being out in a very
\nnice-looking (and expensive) hardcover for months, this has
\nfinally made it to prestige format. Weighing in at just over 90
\npages, this is a comic that is meant to be savored in one lengthy
\nsitting. The artwork and the story come together for a truly
\nfantastic tale. Being a fan of Batman, vampires, and settings of
\nextreme urban decay, I consider this a must-read.<\/p>\n

EPIC #2: A bit of a disappointment. I used to love _Epic_
\nmagazine, but with the exception of _Stalkers_, this issue didn’t
\ndo anything for me. This episode of Clive Barker’s “Nightbreed”
\ndidn’t do all that much for me; “Wild Cards” is an adaptation of
\na series of comic book-like novels, which really need more space
\n(a series of their own?) to get anywhere – these little vignettes
\nread like excerpts from _X-Men_. “Sleeze Brothers” was mildly
\nhumorous, but I’ll leave it at that. Frankly, I had more fun
\nwith _Epic Lite_.<\/p>\n

BATMAN: RUN, RIDDLER, RUN #2: Hey, this is _fun_! “Former”
\nNazis, urban renewal, lesbian activists, the Riddler, bad jokes,
\ngreat dialogue, great pacing, artwork that flip-flops between
\ngritty and cartoony without losing us, and the guy with the ears
\nand cape. Can’t go wrong here.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #931, from hmccracken, 109 chars, Mon Jun 15 22:28:36 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 928.
\n————————–
\nI haven’t seen the color _EQ_ yet, but will be looking for it the
\nnext time I visit a comics shop!
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #932, from hmccracken, 382 chars, Mon Jun 15 22:35:17 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 888.
\n————————–
\nI’ll be able to follow _Guy Stuff_ from now on — the _Boston Herald_
\nrecently picked up the strip, dumping _Annie_ (which is out of Boston
\npapers for the first time in more than 60 years as a result). The
\nHerald, which had made no changes to its comics page in five or more
\nyears until now, also picked up _Ernie_and something called _Bound and
\nGagged_ at the same time.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #933, from switch, 1271 chars, Mon Jun 15 23:14:07 1992
\n————————–
\nTITLE: More comics comments<\/p>\n

Still going through the pile…<\/p>\n

DETECTIVE COMICS #646: The conclusion to the three-part “Electric
\nCity”. The best I can say is, “eh.” The story and the art were
\nfunctional, at best. The art and coloring seemed more suitable
\nto a typical superhero slugfest comic.<\/p>\n

BATMAN #482: I find it hard to believe this is written by the
\nsame person who pulled off RED RAIN. Then again, the pressures
\nof getting several comics scripted monthly don’t allow for the
\nkind of refining you can do on an extended project like RED RAIN.
\nJim Aparo’s art is doing less and less for me as the years go by,
\ntoo. It seems the newer Batman titles are doing better art and
\nstorywise than the two old standbys. I hope there’s a change
\nsoon.<\/p>\n

VENUS WARS II #1: Now this is a nifty idea. VENUS WARS II takes
\nplace at the same time as VENUS WARS, only the story’s being told
\nfrom the other side. It’s kind of nice to see that both sides
\nhave their good points and their flaws. Other series in various
\nmedia attempt this sort of thing, but they rarely give us equal
\ntime for both sides, and we’re often told we’re supposed to be
\nrooting for one side or another. From the looks of things, VENUS
\nWARS II will let us make our own choices.<\/p>\n

More to come…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #934, from davemackey, 395 chars, Sat Jul 11 11:13:42 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Another strip to watch out for…
\n…collected in book form for the first time is “Big Nate,” a daily by
\nLincoln Peirce about your typical average sixth-grader whose escape from
\nthe world is by drawing cartoons about the people around him.
\n Topper Books has published “Add More Babes! Awesome ‘Big Nate’ Comics”
\nat $7.95 (ISBN 0-88687-682-6).
\n Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #935, from hmccracken, 408 chars, Sat Jul 11 17:52:44 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 934.
\n————————–
\nGee, what a coincidence! Just got back from a shopping trip
\nduring which I bought a copy of that very book.<\/p>\n

_Big Nate_ isn’t carried in either of the Boston papers, so it’s
\ngood to have the book as a source for what is a pretty good
\nstrip. From time to time, it kind of resembles an answer to
\nthe question “What would Calvin be like if he reached the sixth
\ngrade?,” but it’
\ns still worth reading.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #936, from davemackey, 476 chars, Wed Jul 22 06:39:40 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: London off “Popeye”, so he says
\nCartoonist Bobby London says he has been fired as writer and artist of the
\nKing Features comic strip “Popeye,” over a sequence that depicts Olive Oyl as
\npro-choice.
\n London submitted a sequence in which Olive was given a baby Bluto doll,
\nand she tells two priests that she doesn’t want it because it’s her right to
\nchoose.
\n King Features would neither confirm nor deny the London firing.<\/p>\n

–Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #937, from switch, 180 chars, Sat Jul 25 11:40:01 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 936.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI’m a a week behind in _Popeye_ – I only read it in _Strips_ –
\nbut really liked the way it was running. That King would would
\nfire London over it seriously burns my butt…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #938, from ianl, 220 chars, Sat Jul 25 14:21:25 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 937.
\nThere are additional comments to message 937.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

Especially since, as London mentioned on CNN, there was no direct reference
\nto abortion rights at all in the strips in question. It was, he said, an
\nallegory, and the excerpts that CNN showed seemed to back that up.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #939, from davemackey, 1677 chars, Sat Jul 25 16:57:27 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 937.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThe Asbury Park Press had an interview with London yesterday which reprinted
\nthis snatch of dialogue from the strips, between Olive and Sea Hag:
\n S.H.: “Well, Ms. Oyl, this is a surprise. What’s your problem? Want me
\nto turn Popeye into a toad?”
\n O.O.: “Well, uh… there’s this baby, Missus Sea Hag. Sort of. It was
\ntotally unplanned.”
\n S.H. (to the reader): “They always come to me during a Republican
\nadministration.”
\n S.H. (to Olive): “Ms. Oyl, for centuries the good clergymen of
\nSweethaven have been trying to burn me at the stake for helping women take
\ncontrol of their own lives and babies…”
\n O.O.: “But.. but…”
\n S.H. (putting on gloves): “Good thing I belong to a union.”
\n O.O.: “Missus Sea Hag! Those rubber gloves! You’re not going to… to..
\noperate!”
\n S.H.: “Ms. Oyl, it’s only fair to warn you that abortion has been
\nillegal in Sweethaven since 1680. I should know. I was there.”
\n (A bomb, thrown by the clergymen, crashes through the window.)
\n S.H.: “And things haven’t changed much since.”<\/p>\n

London said of his six-year tenure on Popeye, “It’s a total surprise
\nthat they decided to dismiss me. But then, I felt I was living under the
\nthreat of dismissal during my entire tenure.”
\n Though London says he’s received his 30 days notice from the syndicate,
\nKing Features still will not confirm nor deny his firing.
\n Popeye has been reported to have run in less than 2 dozen newspapers,
\nincluding the Daily Southtown Economist of Chicago, which did run the barred
\nstrips. A few years ago some of London’s work on the strip was collected in a
\nbook called “Mondo Popeye.”
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #940, from ianl, 371 chars, Sat Jul 25 19:24:16 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 939.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 939.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

It should be noted that Olive is talking about a doll somebody gave her,
\nnot a real live human baby. Other characters misunderstand what she’s on
\nabout. (At least, that’s how I understood it from the CNN story.)<\/p>\n

Still, I didn’t realize there were such direct references to abortion in
\nthe strips in question. That is pretty controversial stuff for Popeye strips.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #941, from davemackey, 116 chars, Sun Jul 26 01:51:51 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 940.
\n————————–
\nI wonder where KFS was six months ago when London did a Roe v. Wade gag…?
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #942, from hmccracken, 391 chars, Thu Jul 30 00:42:16 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 939.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 939.
\n————————–
\nIf those are genuine excerpts from the work London got fired for, he’d
\nhave to be pretty out of it if he’s surprised that King Features is
\nupset. Of course, long before London did Popeye, he was an underground
\ncartoonist and did far more controversial stuff than that.<\/p>\n

My big question is: did King Features release these strips and
\n*then* sack London? (And who will replace him?)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #943, from switch, 131 chars, Thu Jul 30 09:54:37 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 942.
\n————————–
\nPicked up this week’s _Strips_ – the cartoon still deals with,
\nquote: “The ‘A’ Word”, but it’s a different sestet of strips.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #944, from hmccracken, 1505 chars, Mon Aug 3 21:29:32 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: R.I.P. Joe Shuster
\nJoe Shuster, co-creator of Superman, died last week at the age
\nof 78. A native of Toronto, Shuster moved to Cleveland, Ohio
\nas a child, where he met Jerry Siegel. They formed a team,
\nwith Siegel writing and Shuster drawing, and began selling stories
\nto the newly-born comic book industry. Among their creations
\nwas Superman, a character whom many publishers turned down until
\nD.C. Comics took a chance on the character in 1938. <\/p>\n

Siegel and Shuster sold their creation to D.C. for a few
\nhundred dollars, and so made no money from it other than their
\npayment for the stories they worked on. Artist Shuster suffered
\nfrom eyesight problems which led to his untimely retirement
\nin the late 1940s, after which he did almost no artwork
\nfor publication. Despite having created the most famous
\ncomic-book character — and thus having launched an industry —
\nShuster took a job as a delivery boy, and on
\none delivery carried a package to the offices of D.C. Comics.
\nIn the late 1970s, an unsuccessful lawsuit by
\nSiegel against D.C. led to a public outcry, and Superman’s
\ncreators were given a pension which was enough to ensure
\nthat they wouldn’t die in poverty.<\/p>\n

Most discussions of Joe Shuster’s career focus on its
\nunfortunate aspects, so it’s easy to forget that he
\nwas one of the best of the early superhero artists. His art
\nwas crude but full of vitality and humor, qualities
\nlacking from the work of the many ghosts and
\nsuccessors who have drawn Superman over the years.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #945, from mwillmoth, 138 chars, Tue Aug 4 06:36:54 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: COMICON
\nAnyone going to ComiCon in San Diego? Trade show is Aug 11-13
\n(oops should be 11-12) with the regular convention Aug 13-16<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #946, from hmccracken, 133 chars, Tue Aug 4 11:28:04 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 945.
\n————————–
\nI *wish* I was going! The two I’ve been to have been fantastic.
\nUnfortunately, it’s on the wrong coast from my standpoint.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #947, from hmccracken, 662 chars, Tue Aug 4 11:31:19 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 939.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThe current issue of _Strips_ has the Popeye abortion sequence, so I
\nguess King Features released the strips before they decided to fire
\nLondon. (Seems to me that once the syndicate puts the work before
\nthe public, it’s equally responsible for it with the artist —
\nbut it’s not uncommon for columnists to get in trouble with newspapers
\nfor stuff that’s already been published, and I guess this is the
\nsame thing.)
\nSpeaking as a Popeye fan of long standing, the fact that London drew
\nan abortion sequence and King Features accepted it (at least initially)
\nis bizarre. Especially since K.F.S. has traditionally been the most
\nconservative of syndicates.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #948, from davemackey, 444 chars, Tue Aug 4 19:20:17 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 947.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI often wonder what old man Hearst himself, or Cap Patterson (former KFS
\nhead) would have to say about all this…
\n London was noted for falling over backwards trying to inject
\ncontemporary themes and gags into his Popeye (such as casting Olive as a punk
\nrock follower, or Sea Hag as a ruthless 80’s businesswoman\/condo queen), but
\nat least he returned to a drawing style closely resembling Segar’s.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #949, from hmccracken, 381 chars, Wed Aug 5 00:09:39 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 948.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nSmall correction, Dave: Captain Patterson was the head of the Chicago
\nTribune\/Daily News Syndicate, home of Dick Tracy, Moon Mullins,
\nLittle Orphan Annie and others. The most famous editor associated
\nwas probably Sylvan Byck (though Heast himself was very much
\ninvolved with the syndicate’s comics lineup and personally
\napproved every acquisition through Beetle Bailey.)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #950, from davemackey, 49 chars, Wed Aug 5 23:44:30 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 949.
\n————————–
\nOops. \ud83d\ude09
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #951, from davemackey, 222 chars, Wed Aug 5 23:44:39 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 944.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI wonder if Joe Shuster was related to the Canadian entertainer Frank
\nShuster, who was half of Wayne And Shuster (and whose daughter is comedy
\nwriter Rosie Shuster of “SNL” fame)…
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #952, from hmccracken, 187 chars, Thu Aug 6 16:57:22 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 951.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nYes, they are related — not sure exactly how. But Rosie worked on
\nthe Superman 50th anniversary show of a few years back, and an
\narticle I read noted that she was kin to Joe.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #953, from hkenner, 729 chars, Thu Aug 6 20:50:10 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 952.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nFascinating. I knew Frank Shuster slightly (we were in the same class
\nat U. of Toronto in the early 40’s) and never heard of a US connection.
\nIncidentally, Wayne and Shuster are underrated in the US. They were
\naccorded a US network show back in the ’50’s or early ’60’s, which
\nbombed thru failure on the network’s part to realize that they were
\nwriters much more than performers. Their Canadian TV profited from
\nrazor-exact knowledge of what they could depend on the audience knowing.
\nIn an age when just about everyone had at least a year of Latin, they did a Spillane parody laid in ancient Rome. The
\nsleuth nestles up tp the bar.
\n“Gimme a martinus.” Bartender: “Martini?” Sleuth: “When I want two
\nI’ll ask for them.”<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #954, from hmccracken, 346 chars, Mon Aug 17 20:26:26 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 953.
\n————————–
\nI have since learned that Frank and Joe Shuster’s relationship
\nwas that of cousin. Another piece of trivia: in the earliest
\nSuperman stories, the paper that Clark Kent worked for was
\nnot the Daily Planet but the Daily Star, named after the
\nToronto Star. So the Man of Steel’s origins are really just
\nas much Canadian ones as U.S. ones.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #955, from davemackey, 295 chars, Tue Sep 1 08:45:49 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Take this job and shove it, Dithers
\nHeard a report on the radio this morning that say that in the comic strip
\n“Blondie”, Dagwood is going to finally tell Dithers what he can do with
\nhis job, and go to work for his wife’s catering business instead…
\n Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #956, from hmccracken, 66 chars, Tue Sep 1 09:20:49 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 955.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 955.
\n————————–
\nNO! Say it ain’t so, Dave! Does tradition mean nothing?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #957, from davemackey, 250 chars, Wed Sep 2 05:47:16 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 956.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nNot at King Features, Harry… ::grin:: Times change, and so do the comics.
\nNext thing we know, Beetle Bailey will be court-martialed and will have to
\nadjust to civilian life after 40 years in the military! \ud83d\ude09
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #958, from hmccracken, 1543 chars, Thu Sep 3 22:26:11 1992
\n————————–
\nTITLE: _Pogo_ Volume 1: Thumbs Up!
\nAfter a *very* long delay, Fantagraphics Books has published the first
\nvolume of what should be a several-dozen-volume project to reprint
\nthe entire daily run of Walt Kelly’s _Pogo_ newspaper strip. While
\nI’m dubious that any of us will live long enough to see Fantagraphics
\ncomplete this project, this $9.96, 65 page book is a good start.<\/p>\n

Volume 1 covers two different runs of the strip: Kelly began by
\ndoing several months of it for the New York _Star_ in 1948 and
\n1949. After the _Star_ folded, _Pogo_ was picked up for syndication
\nby the Hall Syndicate, and Kelly redrew and reworked the _Star_
\nmaterial for the early months of the run. None of the strips in
\nthis book rank among Kelly’s best work — which, for me, was to
\ncome from around 1953 to 1960 or so — but they’re all fine and funny.,<\/p>\n

The book begins with a preface by R.C. Harvey which includes some good
\nmaterial, but spends far longer on the history of _P.M._ (a predecessor
\nto the New York _Star_ that _Pogo_ didn’t even run in) than on the
\npre-_Star_ history of Pogo (the character was created for comic books
\nin the early 1940s and was quite popular before he ever appeared in a
\nnewspaper). Harvey also makes the very questionable assertion that
\nthere are few clues of Kelly’s experience at the Disney studios that
\nshow up in his Pogo work — for me, _Pogo_ looks very Disneyesque, and
\nit’s evident that Kelly was especially influenced by Fred Moore and
\nWard Kimball, two Disney artists he worked closely with at the studio.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #959, from morganfox, 721 chars, Thu Sep 3 22:53:44 1992
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Well..
\nI have it! The new issue of Elfquest…I think. That is the first issue of
\nElfquest: New Blood.<\/p>\n

As Richard as given us to wonder in the past…here we have it; EQ
\ninterpretted and drawn by other artists. Ands it looks great! I have only
\nflicked through the pages, but Hey, Looks good! I love the John Byrne
\nstuff (did I get that name right?) and I love how others go for it! I
\nknow surely I will not so patiently await the “to be continued-s” as much
\nas I did Wendy and Richard’s!<\/p>\n

And for your “what-evers” I saw the original art of some of this, especially
\nsome of the back burner stuff…and Print, just don’t cut the mustard in
\nrepro of the original! Hot damned!<\/p>\n

Buy it! IMHO and all that jazz!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #960, from davemackey, 154 chars, Fri Sep 4 19:25:47 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 957.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAnd speaking of life changes for comics characters, what’s this I hear about
\nSuperman dying in an upcoming issue?
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #961, from hmccracken, 121 chars, Sat Sep 5 09:31:56 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 960.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nHe’s going to, apparently. It’s a multi-issue event. Wanna bet reports
\nof his demise turn out to be premature?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #962, from grekel, 133 chars, Sat Sep 5 09:36:53 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 961.
\nThere are additional comments to message 961.
\n————————–
\nYeah — he’s gonna don a hood and become…<\/p>\n

SPA-A-A-A-ACE GHO-O-O-O-O-OST!<\/p>\n

(voiced by Gary Owens, of course)
\n(oops, wrong topic!)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #963, from switch, 207 chars, Sun Sep 6 09:41:02 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 961.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nNo, he’ll just come back to life somehow. Or they’ll bring back
\neither the Golden Age Superman or the Earth-Prime Superboy from
\nAlex Luthor’s alternate dimension (remember CRISIS ON INFINITE
\nEARTHS?)<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #964, from bcapps, 539 chars, Sun Sep 6 23:07:28 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 963.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWell, rumor has it that the big “S” will be on ice for approx. 6 months
\nand that there will be reports of a “shadowy” figure zipping around. The
\nother heroes will be filling in for him in Metropolis for awhile, it seems
\naccording to the newspaper story here in D.C. What will be telling, is
\nwhether or not, any of the current titles will be cancelled if low sales
\nis indeed the problem. Course, it’s not Superman’s fault that today’s
\nkids need blood ‘n gore ‘n guts to believe in superheroes. Wait’ll they
\nmeet the real world…<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #965, from ianl, 550 chars, Sun Sep 6 23:30:11 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 964.
\nThere are additional comments to message 964.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

> today’s kids need blood ‘n gore ‘n guts to believe in superheroes.
\n > Wait’ll they meet the real world…<\/p>\n

Actually, I hope I’m well insulated from the real world when these youngsters
\nhit it. It’s a scary thought that they don’t believe a problem can be
\nresolved or justice served without some mayhem, and without strewing guts all
\nover the scenery. It’s a worrisome thought that they find Superman to be
\n“corny” (as they said in CNN interviews) because he delivers criminals to
\nthe justice system instead of blowing them away on the spot.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #966, from hmccracken, 100 chars, Mon Sep 7 11:10:04 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 964.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nMaybe if Superman comes back to life, he can take Dagwood’s old job
\nat Mr. Dithers’ shop.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #967, from hmccracken, 552 chars, Mon Sep 7 11:13:56 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 966.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAgreed. I’m no puritan, but I think DC Comics, especially, is being
\nirresponsible in publishing a line of comics that consists so
\nheavily of stories of “heroes” who dismember bystanders, bite the
\nheads off animals, etc. Most of what I’ve seen in the DC Line is
\nmuch worse than the infamous EC Comics of the 1950s ever were
\nin terms of violence, and seems uterly lacking in humanity.
\nDC Publisher Jeanette Kahn has come along way since she was the
\ncreator of well-done kids’ magazines like _Kids_, _Dynamite_, and
\n_Bananas_ in the mid-1970s.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #968, from switch, 171 chars, Tue Sep 8 14:01:20 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 967.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWait a minute. Which “heroes” do these things? Lobo? Lobo isn’t
\na hero – he’s been decidedly villanous since his introduction in
\nOMEGA MEN back in the early 80s.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #969, from hmccracken, 305 chars, Tue Sep 8 15:27:15 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 968.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nHeroes? Villains? The distinction seems to be fading. From what I
\ncan tell (and correct me if I’m wrong), Lobo has his own comic,
\nis featured on merchandise, etc. I don’t see any evidence that
\nthe kids are supposed to root against him. Is he anything more
\nthan Wolverine taken one step further?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #970, from switch, 376 chars, Wed Sep 9 21:39:14 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 969.
\n————————–
\nWolverine we were at least supposed to be feeling a bit sorry for. He
\nwas trying to control his animal nature. Lobo just kills – and if he’s
\nstaying true to form, he kills largely on assignment. If anything, he’s
\nderivative of James Bond, any James Coburn character, Mel Gibson, et al.<\/p>\n

Heck, we’ve always had heroes that kill. And kids have always rooted
\nfor them.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #971, from switch, 300 chars, Sun Sep 13 23:38:57 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: For Better or For Worse
\nSpeaking of FBoFW (over in boob.tube), how many people think this
\nnew Candace character is going to be a candidate for either anorexia
\nnervosa or bulimia?<\/p>\n

Boy, it’s scary seeing little Elizabeth becoming interested in boys.
\nIt almost makes me feel old. Almost.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #972, from davemackey, 334 chars, Thu Sep 17 10:12:12 1992
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Real-life Lacey passes on
\nMention must be made here of the death yesterday of former Rep. Millicent
\nFenwick (R-NJ), since she was the model for the “Doonesbury” character
\nLacey Davenport.
\n Fenwick was perhaps best known for her tough attitude, punctuated by
\nher ever-present pipe.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #973, from ghurst, 421 chars, Sun Sep 20 22:07:35 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Galactus
\nI bought a copy of Epic years ago which turned out to be the last issue of this
\nmagazine. In it, there was the first installment of “the last Galactus story”.
\nI am wondering if there has ever been a conclusion to this story in some
\nother magazine or a replay of the whole thing. I can’t remember who drew it,
\nbut it was somebody with quite a reputation. I’ll have to look for it and
\nfind out.<\/p>\n

ghurst<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #974, from switch, 222 chars, Sun Sep 20 22:57:13 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 973.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIt was John Byrne, and I was wondering about the same thing…<\/p>\n

I’m cleaning out my comic boxes to determine what to get rid of.
\nSome great stuff in there, and some ludicrous stuff. Anyone remember
\nDial H For Hero?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #975, from ghurst, 425 chars, Sun Sep 20 23:14:21 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 974.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 974.
\n————————–
\nWell, who does John Byrne do work for these days. I intend to write a letter
\nand find out what is going on. Gads, I waited too many years for Gilligan to
\nget off that stupid island. I am not waiting any longer. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Dial H for Hero. Ah, of course! I have many issues of that wrapped up in the
\nattic somewhere.<\/p>\n

Say, did anybody else enjoy the graphic novel, Judgement on Gotham? I was
\npretty pleased with it.<\/p>\n

ghurst
\n\/<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #976, from ghurst, 125 chars, Sun Sep 20 23:17:07 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 974.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nBTW, was there ever an origin of Galactus story? Or was this same Byrne story
\nsupposed to take care of that as well?<\/p>\n

ghurst<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #977, from hmccracken, 297 chars, Mon Sep 21 17:39:18 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 955.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI’ve been out of touch with _Blondie_, but I did read yesterday’s strip,
\nin which Dagwood appears to be meekly asking Mr. Dithers for his job
\nback. So I guess he had submitted his resignation and gone to work
\nfor Blondie’s catering serves in the days leading up to that.
\ncan fill us in?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #978, from morganfox, 232 chars, Mon Sep 21 19:51:24 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 975.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 975.
\n————————–
\nJohn Byrne did a story for the new Elfquest comic “New Blood”. You should be
\nable to find this at your local vendor now. I liked it LOTS! Now, I am
\nstarting to ask myself, “who is John Byrne? And where has he been all this time?”<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #979, from davemackey, 363 chars, Mon Sep 21 22:00:34 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 977.
\nThere are additional comments to message 977.
\n————————–
\nAll I know is what I’ve read in “Strips” — which is pretty much what you’ve
\ntold us. They threw Dagwood a going away party, and Dagwood seems to be
\nenjoying his new job because it brings him closer to food. Of course what
\nhappens when it’s time to lay out platters of cold cuts? Dagwood could make
\nthe biggest sandwich ever… \ud83d\ude09
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #980, from davemackey, 614 chars, Mon Sep 21 22:00:46 1992
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Comics Museum: benefactor?
\nWhen last seen, Mort Walker packed up the collection of the Museum Of Cartoon
\nArt, which had been in Rye Brook, NY, and moved it south to Boca Raton, FL.
\nHe plans on opening an International Museum Of Cartoon Art down there. A
\nsmall matter of $8.8 million dollars stands in the way.
\n If Jim Davis has his way, Walker will see his dream realized. Davis, the
\ncreator of “Garfield,” has vowed to help Walker raise the necessary funds.
\n(Doesn’t Garfield make that much in a year from merchandising and license
\nfees from the television show alone?)
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #981, from switch, 352 chars, Mon Sep 21 22:18:48 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 975.
\n————————–
\nByrne seems to be freelancing these days, but I’m not sure. He
\nbipped from Marvel to DC, and then I think to Marvel again for
\na short while. He recently co-wrote a Green Lantern story with
\nLarry Niven (“Ganthet’s Tale” — Niven wrote the story, Byrne
\nscripted it). He’s also doing his own comic, Next Men, I think
\nunder the Dark Horse banner.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #982, from switch, 198 chars, Mon Sep 21 22:19:42 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 978.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 978.
\n————————–
\nHe’s been around. He’s probably best known to longtime comics fans
\nfor his long stint on X-Men. Or if they haven’t been around that
\nlong, Fantastic Four. He started on X-Men around 1980…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #983, from switch, 216 chars, Mon Sep 21 22:26:23 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 976.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nNo… there was a one-shot (it looked to be the first of a series,
\nbut nothing ever came of it) under the banner “Super-Villain Classics”,
\nwhich featured Galactus’ origin. It came out in the mid-80s, I
\nthink.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #984, from switch, 69 chars, Mon Sep 21 22:26:56 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 977.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIn a recent Blondie, Dagwood mentioned that Blondie fired him.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #985, from ghurst, 34 chars, Mon Sep 21 23:08:10 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 983.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nSo what *was* his origin?<\/p>\n

ghurst<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #986, from morganfox, 419 chars, Tue Sep 22 20:35:10 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 982.
\n————————–
\nI was so impressed as to how well J. Byrne was able to make a truly *great*
\nEQ story. Let’s face it….the idea of others doing Wendy Pini’s elves
\nhas been a taboo subject area in the mind of fans for a long time. JB
\nenetered the world and made a very nice niche. Not only the art, but the
\nintensity of the story.<\/p>\n

Elfquest: New Blood is all stories and art by folks other than Wendy and
\nRichard. IMHO….check it out.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #987, from switch, 236 chars, Tue Sep 22 21:40:03 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 985.
\nThere are additional comments to message 985.
\n————————–
\nI’ll tell you when I get to that comic; I’m afraid I’m only on
\nthe “J” titles now; it’ll be about two days before I get even close
\nto the “S”es, and there are a *lot*. (All those “Super-” adn
\n“Star-” and “Space-” titles… urk!)<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #988, from davemackey, 95 chars, Thu Sep 24 01:40:41 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 984.
\nThere are additional comments to message 984.
\n————————–
\nFor eating the Swedish meatballs? What a way to lose your job.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #989, from davemackey, 414 chars, Thu Sep 24 01:40:51 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 971.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI finally tracked down the continuity with Candace (I was hopelessly
\ninfatuated with a girl named Candace all through high school, so I have no
\nsmall partiality to the name); she does seem a tad obsessed with her weight.
\nBut then, all women do. One of my co-workers said yesterday she was going on
\na diet. This woman is not fat by any means, and if she needs a diet I can’t
\nsee it.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #990, from davemackey, 303 chars, Thu Sep 24 01:40:58 1992
\n————————–
\nTITLE: New Groening in stores
\nOne more descent into Hell for Matt Groening. HarperCollins has just
\npublished “The Road To Hell,” in the same format as his other books,
\nreprinting his “Life In Hell” strips from “The Village Voice” and other
\nnewspapers around the country.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #991, from morganfox, 112 chars, Thu Sep 24 20:15:57 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 989.
\n————————–
\n“But then, all women do.” Please, stereotyping is hard enough to counter
\nwithout it being enforced and nutured.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #992, from bcapps, 460 chars, Fri Sep 25 01:41:21 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 978.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIf you’ve been reading Superman for a number of years, you would know that
\nJohn Byrne was one of the principal artists behind the revitalization of
\nthe Big “S” a few years back. But then, if more people had been reading
\nSuperman’s books, they wouldna had ta kill him!<\/p>\n

Also, to the original post here, I thought that they finished that storyline
\nin Epic. I could be wrong tho. I mainly picked it up for the little
\nCerebus stories. Those were good.<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #993, from switch, 123 chars, Fri Sep 25 18:01:38 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 992.
\n————————–
\nNope, the Last Galactus Story was to be concluded elsewhere, and
\nsoon. I vaguely remember reading that somewhere…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #994, from switch, 3019 chars, Fri Sep 25 18:04:01 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Trading card mania
\nSince I dropped out of the world of mainstream comics a few years back,
\nI’ve largely ignored what’s been going on in the shops. Most of the time
\nI walk past stores that specialize in mainstream comics, and the few that
\nI pop into either don’t cater to the trading card\/collector mentality or
\nI’m in and out so fast I don’t see a thing.<\/p>\n

Well, last week my roommate got this interesting little package in the
\nmail. He publishes a magazine by name of Edge Detector, and he’s somehow
\ngotten on the mailing list of this distributor who thinks he’s a retailer.
\nIn the package is a cover letter for this distributor (Victory Sports
\nPromotions), explaining their whole trading card distributor biz. But
\nenough about the cover letter – let’s see what’s lurking in here.<\/p>\n

Hmn – a bunch of sample playing cards, comprised of:<\/p>\n

– a Batman Returns card, with a picture of the Penguin on one side
\n and some fluff prose on the other;
\n – a Valiant promotional card, featuring all of the Unity-related
\n characters (looks like something Barry Windsor-Smith knocked off
\n one afternoon when he was bored);
\n – a bunch of sports cards and a Harley-Davidson American Vintage
\n Cycles card.<\/p>\n

Let’s see, what about the promo flyers? Let’s look at a few:<\/p>\n

– FernGully trading cards (“90 full-color trading cards of all the
\n lovable characters from the hit movie!” Huh? “Environmentally
\n friendly! Printed on recycled paper, using vegetable-based inks
\n and water-based varnish”);
\n – Barbie collector cards (BARBIE?!??);
\n – the Elvis Collection;
\n – hockey, basketball, etc.;
\n – Wolverine trading cards (Wolverine trading cards?);
\n – Fangoria collector horror cards (the horror! the horror!);
\n – a Marvel Universe Series III card checklist (I remember organzing
\n my cards on finding the gaps myself; I must have been an
\n aberration);
\n – Marvel Universe super-heroes (why is Thanos here?)
\n – and last, but not least: Punisher Guts and Gunpowder, scratch-and-
\n sniff trading cards.<\/p>\n

Ladies and gentlemen, the fanboy-collector obsessiveness I witnessed as
\na lad pales in comparison to the outright marketing mindset these cards
\nare promoting. There doesn’t even seem to be the pretense of buying the
\ncards in order to look at them; they’re all touted as “collectible” or
\n“collector’s items”, are now varnished in order to last longer, and –
\nmost importantly – the images are only slighly smaller than a business
\ncard! Why reduce a frame from, say, Spider-Man, with its obsessive
\ndetail work (the sign of a “good” comic artist) to seven square inches?
\nWhy, in order to sell of course. The kids recognize Spider-Man so
\nthey snarf it up, seal it, and prepare to put it away from future resale.
\nIt’s the Marvelization of the trading (ha! who trades ’em?) card
\nindustry.<\/p>\n

Emru
\nP.S. Y’know, if these kids put half the money they “invest” in comics
\n and cards into a bank and let it gain interest, they could help pay
\n their way through college.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #995, from bcapps, 370 chars, Sun Sep 27 04:17:08 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 994.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nYeah, it’s sad, alright. We’re gleefully leading these young minds down
\nIvan Boeschky’s philosophical path: Greed is good! Now go out and buy
\nsome more stuff! People need jobs and businesses need the revenue!<\/p>\n

Auggghh!<\/p>\n

(Though I have to admit, the True Crime cards from Eclipse are informative!
\nThey, at least, try to make those young-uns learn something!) <\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #996, from switch, 109 chars, Sun Sep 27 13:06:27 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 995.
\n————————–
\nYeah, and they were the subject of immediate backlash before anyone
\nhad even seen the things. Sheesh.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #997, from davemackey, 409 chars, Mon Oct 5 19:07:40 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 984.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAnd more recently it seems that Dithers has given him his old job back. I
\nguess this makes it easier for KFS comic editors to pull old strips in case
\nStan Drake breaks his arms or somesuch.
\n In a related development, the letters page of today’s Newark Star Ledger
\ncarried a missive that queried how Dagwood stays so thin at his age and with
\nall the big sandwiches he eats.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #998, from hmccracken, 393 chars, Mon Oct 5 20:06:34 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 997.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nMy guess is that they never really intended for Dagwood to leave
\nhis job with Dithers permanently. I mean, three-quarters of the
\nstrip’s jokes relate to Dagwood either working or getting ready
\nto go to work. Presumably, the publicity when Blondie started up
\nher business was so great that they thought they could reap some
\nmore with this development (even if it was only temporary).
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #999, from switch, 275 chars, Tue Oct 6 21:28:17 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: If you’re interested…
\n…the latest issue of Details (with Nicolas Cage on the cover)
\nshows the final two panels of the strip that got Bobby London
\nfired. It’s pretty blatantly pro-choice, and I suppose interesting
\nto see what the syndicate deems unsuitable.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1000, from hmccracken, 278 chars, Tue Oct 6 21:57:05 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 999.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nDid they release the strip with those two panels to newspapers?
\nAt the very least, they got far into the abortion sequence before
\npulling the plug on London. Seems to me that once they released
\nthe strips to papers, they lost the moral right to fire London
\nover them.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1001, from davemackey, 165 chars, Tue Oct 6 23:09:39 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 998.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIt also makes it easier for KFS editors to pull inventory strips from stock
\nin case Drake breaks his drawing hand or something… \ud83d\ude09
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1002, from davemackey, 850 chars, Wed Oct 7 19:03:40 1992
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The next controversial comic…
\n…is going to be next week’s “Luann.” In the strips, written and drawn by
\nGreg Evans, Luann’s older brother Brad is going to take his date to a movie.
\nWhen he reaches into his pocket for his wallet, a condom falls out.
\n Evans claims this is the first time the subject of condoms has been
\nbroached on the funny pages. Previously, “Doonesbury” featured a character
\ncalled Dr. Whoopee selling condoms, but Evans considers that op-ed page
\nmaterial not targeted to younger readers.
\n The strip, which last year featured Luann going through the trials of
\nher first menstrual period, runs in about 250 papers, including The New York
\nPost and The National Forum: Strips.
\n This week’s continuity deals with Brad deliberating as to whether to ask
\nDiane out in the first place.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1003, from switch, 120 chars, Thu Oct 8 00:08:45 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 1000.
\n————————–
\nI don’t think they released those two; then again, I only get
\nStrips reprints. I do agree with your assessment.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1004, from switch, 546 chars, Fri Oct 9 22:13:22 1992
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Superman to die at the hands of a politically-correct bad guy
\nThere’s an article in the paper today that says that the National
\nAlliance for the Mentally Ill and other advocacy groups were miffed
\nwhen they discovered that Superman was to die at the hands of a
\n“straitjacketed escaper from a cosmic insane asylum”, as it gives
\nan “insensitive and derogatory” portrayal of the mentally ill.
\nDC bowed down and the words “lunatic”, “straitjacket”, and “lunatic
\nasylum” won’t be used.<\/p>\n

Sheesh. I wonder if these groups ever read Batman?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1005, from davemackey, 67 chars, Tue Oct 13 19:09:01 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 1001.
\n————————–
\nHey, I said that already. ::grin::
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1006, from switch, 1596 chars, Sat Oct 24 00:49:20 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 985.
\n————————–
\nOkay, I finally got to the “S” section in my comics. (Actually,
\nI passed the “S” section a week ago, and just finished cataloging
\n90% of my comic books a few hours ago, but I just got around to
\nreading the comic in question.)<\/p>\n

Before the universe as we know it existed, there existed another
\nuniverse, which was nearing its end. On some Exceedingly Advanced
\nPlanet, a Brilliant Scientist and Adventurer searched in vain for
\na way to save his great race, the inhabitants of the planet known
\nas Taa. When no solution was found, he and a handful of others
\ndecided to go out in a blaze of glory by plunging their rocket ship
\ninto the heart of their dying sun. Our hero survived the cosmic
\nray bombardment while his friends died, and he felt himself changing.
\nWhen he did plunge into the sun, he came into contact with a being
\nof Unimaginable Power, a Primal Force of the Universe. This entity
\ngave our hero the power to live on after the destruction of his
\nuniverse, to fulfill his mission (which is not made clear).<\/p>\n

Shortly thereafter, their universe ends, and ours is created. Our
\nhero crashlands on a moon, coincidentally near a Watcher, who
\nobserves what transpires and, naturally, talks to himself. Our
\nhero regains consciousness, and with his new cosmic powers fashions
\na suit. He lifts off, and then creates Taa II, his new home (that
\nfunky ship Galactus had until recently.) We learn that his feeding
\non planets is not a desire, but a need, and that he must survive
\nuntil the last days of the universe, when he must (paraphrase)
\n“give back to the universe what he has taken”.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1007, from switch, 425 chars, Sat Oct 24 00:51:33 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Magazines
\nIn the most recent Mondo 2000, it’s said that Details’ Wild Palms
\nwill be made into a TV series… yikes!<\/p>\n

But that’s beside the point. The latest reflex mentions that
\nthe E.C. Segar Popeye introduced new words to the English language,
\ntwo of which were “jeep” and “goon”, according to the OED. Hmmmn.
\nPerhaps Hugh could scan to see if there are other Popeye-derived
\nwords lurking around in the OED?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1008, from davemackey, 51 chars, Sun Oct 25 13:03:05 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 1007.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1007.
\n————————–
\nHow about “wimpy”?
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1009, from hkenner, 199 chars, Mon Oct 26 08:27:22 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 1008.
\n————————–
\nThe OED has separate entries for Wimpy, slang for hamburger or
\nthings pertaining thereto, and wimpy, dull & sluggish. It derives
\nthe former from Popeye but offers no derivation for the latter.
\n–HK<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1010, from hmccracken, 376 chars, Tue Oct 27 15:26:22 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 1007.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI’ve never seen any definitive proof that Segar originated the
\nterms Jeep, Wimpy and Goon (nor any that he didn’t, actually).
\nIn any event, the cartoonist who contributed the most to
\nthe language was probably Billy DeBeck, creator of Barney Google,
\nwho came up with “Heebie Jeebies,” “Great Balls of Fire,” and
\nabout a million other phrases I can’t recall just now.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1011, from hkenner, 277 chars, Tue Oct 27 17:17:01 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 1010.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWhat proof do you need, Harry? I’m old enough to remember when the
\nJeep (big-nosed yellow animal with spots, name of Eugene) turned
\nup in the strip; also the Goon, white, humanoid, perhaps 8′ tall,
\nmauve-spotted as I recall, name of Alice. They are both from the
\n’30’s.
\n–HK<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1012, from hmccracken, 332 chars, Tue Oct 27 23:25:44 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 1011.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nDefinitely, Hugh. I just wasn’t sure if Segar coined the
\nterms, or used existing ones. Do you recall Jeep, Goon or Wimpy
\nbeing part of the language before Segar’s use
\nof them?<\/p>\n

(In the case of Jeep, I’ve heard that it’s short for
\nGeneral Purpose Vehicle — but that doesn’t mean
\nthat it’s not also a reference to Eugene.)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1013, from hkenner, 221 chars, Wed Oct 28 08:00:24 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 1012.
\n————————–
\nGeneral Purpose Vehicles (GP) came well after Eugene. The story
\nis that people started pronouncing ‘GP’ as ‘Jeep’, and the spelling
\neventually followed suit. <\/p>\n

There seems no doubt that Segar made up the words. <\/p>\n

–HK<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1014, from hmccracken, 226 chars, Sun Nov 1 20:00:47 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Well, That’s a Big Relief Dept.
\nThe radio news this morning reported that DC Comics has called an
\nemergency meeting to see if there isn’t *some* way that Superman’s
\ndeath can’t be averted or reversed somehow.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1015, from switch, 82 chars, Sun Nov 1 22:12:57 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 1014.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1014.
\n————————–
\nHmn. Wonder why?<\/p>\n

Doesn’t matter anyway – he can always come back after…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1016, from hmccracken, 422 chars, Mon Nov 2 13:53:58 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 1015.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1015.
\n————————–
\nI think it’s all a Barnumesque publicity stunt. What do you think
\nthe chances are that DC would kill off the most profitable thing
\nthey own? If they ever did, it’s entirely possible that Warner stockholders
\nmight sue them! The death of Superman, if it was permanent, would be
\nakin to Heinz deciding not to make ketchup any more, or Coke deciding
\nnot to make Coke (whoops, that *did* happen briefly, didn’t it?).
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1017, from davemackey, 206 chars, Mon Nov 2 19:26:59 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 1015.
\n————————–
\nThis is actually being discussed at the DC annual enclave, this year being
\nheld in Rye, NY. They hold these strategy meetings every year, if I remember
\nmy DC lore correctly.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1018, from switch, 89 chars, Tue Nov 3 21:30:41 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 1016.
\n————————–
\nYup, they did — and they changed their minds afterward, much as
\nI expect DC will.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1019, from davemackey, 666 chars, Fri Nov 6 19:06:04 1992
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Election Week in “Doonesbury”
\nAmazing how inventive cartoonists can get, especially in an election year.
\nWith a three-way race that theoretically could have gone any-which-way within
\nthe space of a syndicator’s deadline, Garry Trudeau dealt with the possible
\nelection results in a rather entertaining manner: in this week’s “Doonesbury”
\nstrips, he provided check boxes in sections of dialogue that provided
\nalternate scenarios depending on who won the election. Example:<\/p>\n

Reporter: “Mr. Clinton, what’s next for you?”
\n Bill Clinton: “[ ] I’m going to Disneyland!
\n [ ] I’m going to The White House!”
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1020, from bcapps, 374 chars, Sat Nov 7 02:33:05 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 1014.
\n————————–
\nWell, only a few issues after the “Funeral for a Friend” storyline, Supergirl
\nlooks to see who’s in Superman’s tomb. And guess what? It’s empty. Also,
\nthe recent CBG shows all of the covers for the storyline and the last one
\nshows what looks to be Pa Kent lying face down in the middle of the field
\nwith Ma running towards him. Another tie back to the first movie?<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1021, from davemackey, 851 chars, Wed Dec 16 11:55:29 1992
\n————————–
\nTITLE: “Mad” art at auction
\n“This is one of the funniest sales I’ve ever put together,” says Joshua Arfer
\nof Christie’s East in New York City of the auction of original art from Mad
\nMagazine which is currently previewing and will go on the block on Friday.
\n Pieces range from Antonio Prohias “Spy Vs. Spy” originals to complete film
\nsatires drawn by Mort Drucker and covers by the late Norman Mingo. Most all of
\nthe Usual Gang Of Idiots will be represented.
\n The auction house is on East 67th Street next to Channel 5 in New York,
\nand Arfer has provided chairs in the exhibition area for those who want to
\nspend more time with the artwork (i.e. to read the satires). “Half the fun
\nis coming and looking,” says Arfer, who is also responsible for heading the
\nAnimation Art department at Christie’s East.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1022, from davemackey, 489 chars, Tue Dec 29 21:20:18 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Obituary: Pierre “Peyo” Culliford
\nPierre Culliford has died in Brussels of a heart attack at the age of 64. The
\ncartoonist, who was professionally known as “Peyo”, created the Smurfs in the
\n1950’s.
\n It wasn’t until the late 1970’s that the Smurfs caught on here, first
\nthrough figurines and recordings, later a feature film called “Smurfs And The
\nMagic Flute”, and, beginning in 1981, in a highly-successful Hanna-Barbera
\nseries that ran on NBC.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1023, from hmccracken, 268 chars, Tue Dec 29 22:00:12 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 1022.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n…And this is as good a place as any to note that at least one wire
\nservice obitiuary of the artist got confused by the European tradition
\nof calling books of comics “albums,” and reported that Peyo created
\n*recordings* about the Smurfs, rather than comics.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1024, from davemackey, 346 chars, Wed Dec 30 11:22:55 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Obituary: Ted Shearer
\nTed Shearer, creator of the comic strip “Quincy,” died on December 26 in Mt.
\nKisco, New York.
\n The cartoonist, who was 73, collaborated with his son John on the “Billy
\nJo Jive” books, later adapted for use as animated segments on “Sesame Street”.
\n “Quincy” was syndicated by King Features for 16 years. –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1025, from hmccracken, 139 chars, Wed Dec 30 16:19:31 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 1024.
\n————————–
\nThat’s too bad! Quincy was always a well-drawn strip that reminded me
\nin some ways of Percy Crosby’s classic kid strip _Skippy_.
\n – Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1026, from cconroy, 241 chars, Wed Dec 30 23:06:21 1992
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Comics for sale..?
\nI have a bunch of old DC comics (circa 1960) and some Marvel comics
\nfrom the mid-70’s that I recently “discovered” at my parent’s house.<\/p>\n

I’m looking for help selling them – I’d like to sell them as a set.<\/p>\n

Cconroy<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1027, from davemackey, 206 chars, Thu Dec 31 03:14:09 1992
\nThis is a comment to message 1023.
\n————————–
\nBut there were Smurfs albums, too, so the writer was partly correct. These
\nrecords (such as “Best Of Friends”) pre-dated the television series and were
\nin the Chimpunk mold.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1028, from hmccracken, 394 chars, Fri Jan 1 22:49:43 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1026.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWell, there are several ways to go about selling old comics (that
\nis, unless someone here on BIX reads your message and is interested).
\nThe easy way is to sell them to a dealer. The harder way is to
\nsell them to collectors through a periodical like _The Comics Buyers
\nGuide_ — but you can probably get more money for them that way.<\/p>\n

Just out of curiosity, what titles do you have?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1029, from cconroy, 199 chars, Sun Jan 3 17:11:31 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1028.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nHarry,<\/p>\n

Mostly mid-70’s Marvel – SpiderMan, Iron Man, Hulk, Avengers, etc..
\nI Also have some early 60’s Action Comics, World’s Finest, and others..<\/p>\n

If you’re interested, I can send you a list
\nChris<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1030, from hmccracken, 425 chars, Mon Jan 4 22:36:55 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1029.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1029.
\n————————–
\nIf you’d feel like posting a list of the titles here, Chris,
\ngo ahead! Are they in good condition?<\/p>\n

Finds like this are neat, but they always get me remembering
\nthat my mother’s collection of vintage early 1940s comic books
\n, disposed of by my Grandmother sometime in the 1950s, would
\nbe worth a mint today (and would be full of fun comics like
\n_Captain Marvel_, _Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories_, and the
\nlike).
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1031, from hmccracken, 741 chars, Sat Jan 23 20:32:09 1993
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Trudeau Stung By Baird Brouhaha
\nThe current sequence in _Doonesbury_ has Joanie Caucus being
\ninterviewed by Zoe Baird for a Justice Department job. While
\nTrudeau works much closer to publication than most cartoonists,
\nit’s obvious this material was done before the <\/p>\n

Baird nomination ran intro serious trouble and was eventually
\nwithdrawn. And it’s interesting to note that other strips
\nweren’t run in these ones’ place; you’d think Trudeau would have
\nplans for that in case of totally unexpected events such as
\nthis one.<\/p>\n

This also raises the question: why can’t Trudeau — just about the
\nonky comic-strip cartoonist who does truly topical material these
\ndays — work as close to publication as editorial cartoonists do?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1032, from ianl, 603 chars, Sat Jan 23 21:37:13 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1031.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1031.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

> why can’t Trudeau work as closse to publication as editorial cartoonists<\/p>\n

Perhaps because “the funny pages” part of a newspaper is almost always
\nproduced offsite and delivered to the local newspaper way ahead of time?
\n(Whereas an editorial toonist is generally onsite, and even if not, his
\nwork is received via fax or whatever and printed onsite as part of the
\neditorial or op-ed page.) <\/p>\n

If Trudeau miss-guesses, a bajillion copies would have to be reprinted
\nnationwide and reshipped to the local papers. An editorialist can just
\nfax out a new panel right up to the local printing deadline.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1033, from hkenner, 219 chars, Sat Jan 23 22:04:57 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1032.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1032.
\n————————–
\n>>copies printed and reshipped …
\nHey, aren’t you thinking of color supplements?
\nTrudeau’s daily strips aren’t printed elsewhere & added in. They are
\nprinted in the same press run that produces the rest of the paper.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1034, from hmccracken, 718 chars, Sat Jan 23 22:40:17 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1032.
\n————————–
\nThe daily comics are indeed provided to newspapers way ahead of time,
\nbut I wonder if it has to be that way. (As opposed to Sunday comics,
\nwhich are printed in advance, often by someone other than the paper
\nitself — making early deadlines essential.)<\/p>\n

I don’t see why Trudeau’s deadlines couldn’t be the same as those of
\na Herblock or MacNelly, whose syndicated editorial cartoons see
\nprint in papers within a day or so of being drawn. Especially in
\nthis day of electronic transmission, it’s possible to get material
\nfrom artist to paper very quickly….And wouldn’t be exciting if
\nTrudeau, or any comic strip cartoonist, could be commenting on
\n*today’s* (or at least yesterday’s) events, as they happen?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1035, from ianl, 236 chars, Sun Jan 24 00:41:22 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1033.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

Oh, right. I haven’t seen a daily (non-Sunday) issue of a newspaper in
\nabout 20 years, so I didn’t think of that. To me, newspapers come in two
\nflavours: Sunday, and the 6 fluff\/advertising editions that come between
\nSundays. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1036, from cconroy, 347 chars, Sun Jan 24 19:52:11 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1030.
\n————————–
\nHarry,
\nI’ll send you a list of the issues I have. I know what you mean about
\ngiving up comics. My uncles had given all of their comics to me
\nwhen I was younger – I know that I had a complete set of all the DC
\nstuff from the early 60’s. But we left them lying around, and my
\nmother got upset, and they went out in the trash.. Sigh…<\/p>\n

Chris.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1037, from cconroy, 225 chars, Sun Jan 24 19:53:46 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1031.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nHarry,<\/p>\n

I may be mistaken, but I don’t believe that editorial cartoonists
\nput out a cartoon each day. I think that the quality of the
\nstrip would suffer if a cartoonis had to crank out the stuff in
\nsuch a timely fashion…<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1038, from hmccracken, 370 chars, Sun Jan 24 20:07:26 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1037.
\n————————–
\nThat’s true — I don’t think any editorial cartoonist does seven cartoons
\na week. (On the other hand, a number of them *do* do both several
\neditorial cartoons a week, plus a comic strip — Mike Peters (_Mother
\nGoose and Grimm_ and Doug Marlette (_Kudzu_) come to mind.
\nJeff MacNelly does editorial cartoons, a comic strip (_Shoe_), and
\na panel (_Pluggers_).)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1039, from mholcomb, 1137 chars, Thu Jan 28 00:16:59 1993
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Questions and Answers
\nI would like to discuss comics, DC and Marvel stuff mainly, and just get some
\ngeneral activity on the topic so I will try by asking some questions hoping
\nfor some speedy answers!<\/p>\n

1. What issue did Silver Surfer first appear in? (MARVEL)
\n2. What issue did Bucky die in? (Bucky is Captain America’s sidekick)
\n3. Who published Marvel Comics No. 1? (It is NOT Marvel Comics Group)
\n4. How many different origins are there for Batman? (Comic based only, not
\n the movie versions)
\n5. What artist drew Spiderman #1, Fantastic Four #1, Davedevil #1 and Captain
\n America #100? (All MARVEL Titles)
\n6. How many types of Kryptonite are there?
\n7. What is the name of the city Braniac stole from Krypton?
\n8. Who lives in that city? (Referring to question 7)
\n9. Why did Spiderman become a crime fighter?
\n10. Who is Aquaman’s wife?<\/p>\n

I don’t promise to be able to answer all of these off the top of my head so
\nI will need some help from you comic collectors out there!<\/p>\n

Hope this starts some activity around here. I would also like to just
\ndiscuss things like the Death of Superman books (which I notice I missed)<\/p>\n

MAR.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1040, from hmccracken, 287 chars, Thu Jan 28 09:37:24 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1039.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1039.
\n————————–
\nWell, a lot of those questions are beyond my realm of knowledge, but
\nhere’s a shot at some of them:
\n3) Timely Comics
\n5) Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Bill Everett, Jack Kirby
\n7) Kandor
\n8) Nightwing and Flamebird
\n9) Because a crook killed his Uncle Ben<\/p>\n

Anyone else have any guesses?
\n – Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1041, from davemackey, 197 chars, Thu Jan 28 19:26:43 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1039.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1039.
\n————————–
\n1. The Silver Surfer first appeared in Fantastic Four #48, cover-dated March
\n1966.
\n10. Aquaman married Mera in issue #18 of his comic, dated November-December
\n1964.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1042, from davemackey, 411 chars, Thu Jan 28 19:26:57 1993
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Strip artists on Joan Rivers
\nNo, not strippers. (Thank goodness.) Today’s syndicated Joan Rivers show
\nplayed host to four of the more popular comic strip artists: Jim Davis
\n(Garfield), Lynn Johnston (For Better Or For Worse), Mike Peters (Mother
\nGoose & Grimm) and Chris Browne (Hagar The Horrible). It was quite an
\nentertaining hour with those four very creative people.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1043, from switch, 612 chars, Thu Jan 28 21:19:41 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1039.
\n————————–
\n1. Errr…
\n2. Errr…
\n3. Timely Comics.
\n4. Now this depends. They’re all essentially the same (parents gunned down
\n by an unknown assailant after a movie) but the particulars (which movie,
\n the identity of the assailant, the assailant’s employers) change from
\n time to time…
\n5. Jack Kirby.
\n6. Ummm, red, green, gold.
\n7. Kandor
\n8. Kandorians. There’s Van-zee and (mumble), who have secret identities
\n analogous to Batman and Robin (this is all pre-Byrne Superman, of course.)
\n9. His uncle Ben was shot by an unknown assailant.
\n10. Errrr….<\/p>\n

That said, where were you during our trivia CBIX? \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1044, from hmccracken, 549 chars, Sun Jan 31 13:11:23 1993
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Changes for _Dick Tracy_
\nTribune Media Services, the syndicator of _Dick Tracy_, has not renewed
\nthe contract of Max Allan Collins, the crime novelist who has written
\nthe strip since creator Chester Gould’s retirement in 1977. (Gould
\nand Collins have been the strip’s only writers throughout its more
\nthan sixty years.)<\/p>\n

No replacement has been named for Collins, and artist Dick Locher
\nwill remain (and apparently may take over the writing end). The
\nsyndicate has enough Collins material on hand to last into March of
\nthis year.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1045, from switch, 133 chars, Sun Jan 31 16:32:26 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1044.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1044.
\n————————–
\nGeez, and I was enjoying Dick Tracy just the way it is! Here’s
\nhoping the new Tracy won’t be anything like the new Popeye…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1046, from mholcomb, 275 chars, Mon Feb 1 20:21:41 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1029.
\n————————–
\n[From cconroy #1029]
\nI am interested in the Marvel titles listed.
\nSpiderman, Iron Man, Daredevil are the ones I have near complete collections
\nfor but the others I would be interested in too.<\/p>\n

If you have a whole list send it, else just the titles I asked for.
\nThanks!<\/p>\n

MAR.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1047, from davemackey, 217 chars, Tue Feb 2 19:06:53 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1044.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nMax Collins gave “Dick Tracy” whatever bite it’s had in recent years.
\nHopefully this will give him more time to pursue other projects… like doing
\n“Ms. Tree” on a regular basis again.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1048, from hmccracken, 186 chars, Tue Feb 2 21:58:21 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1047.
\n————————–
\nCollins will forever have the gratitude of at least some hard-core
\n_Tracy_ fans for killing off Moon Maid, which he did shortly after
\nassuming his duties on the strip in 1977.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1049, from jwiede, 466 chars, Sun Feb 14 04:57:23 1993
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: John Byrne’s Next Men<\/p>\n

An interesting book, that’s quite captured my interest. Anyone
\nelse out there who’s read and been taken by this?<\/p>\n

The subtle depth on some of the characterizations is impressive.<\/p>\n

Currently, I suspect that Jazz\/Nathan and Jack\/Bethany might be
\nsafer for all parties. B)<\/p>\n

Anyways, it was enough of an interesting read that having read three
\nof em (6, 8 and 10) that I went out and bought 1,3,4,7 and 9. I couldn’t
\nfind 2 or 0 locally.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1050, from switch, 23 chars, Sun Feb 14 11:19:44 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1049.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1049.
\n————————–
\nWhat’s it about?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1051, from hmccracken, 325 chars, Sun Feb 14 20:55:29 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1049.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI’ll have to check out the series, John. I’ve heard about it, but
\nhaven’t actually seen. it. In fact, I haven’t read any Byrne comics
\nsince his Superman revamp issues of a few years ago. (Welcome to
\nthe conference, by the way — and feel free to introduce yourself
\nand your interests in the “characters” topic!)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1052, from jwiede, 408 chars, Mon Feb 15 17:31:02 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1051.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nHowdy!<\/p>\n

I’ll try and do the “characters” thang when I get a free moment to
\nfigure out precisely what my interests are. B)<\/p>\n

I would definately recommend taking a look at the series as the
\nstory is quite well-done. As for Emru’s question regarding the
\nprecis of the book, well, gimme a little time, it’s not that easy
\na story to characterize quickly (they’re not particularly deep into
\nthe series yet).<\/p>\n

John<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1053, from jwiede, 2225 chars, Fri Feb 19 02:25:03 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1052.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nHmm…describing Byrne’s Next Men is far harder that I’d thought it
\nwould be.<\/p>\n

I could say it’s a human and more-constrained version of X-Men but
\nthat wouldn’t give a real depth to it. Byrne’s made it clear that
\nhe limited them to “reasonable” abilities as a goal, and did a pretty
\ngood job of meeting that goal (where I can plausibly believe that a
\nperson could be basically indestructible ala Bethany with the constraints
\nthey’re making clear on indestructibility affecting senses). This is
\na rather stark contrast to say Storm or Phoenix in X-Men which, while
\nplausible requires a far greater suspension of disbelief.<\/p>\n

The humanity aspect of the characters is nice. In particular, you get
\na real feel that these people have additional abilities which they neither
\nunderstand nor have a clear control over, which to me is far closer to
\nreality than the “learn you’re a mutant and control the world” rampant
\nin the plethora of X-Books.<\/p>\n

You really need to read it to get a better feel. People get hurt, and
\nhurt badly. They react to that. Continuity is a very strong theme to
\ndate. Furthermore, they don’t have the basic acceptances of implausibility
\nrampant in other comics.<\/p>\n

Example: Jack has great strength. As his strength has grown, his control
\n over it has diminished proportionately. This to the point where
\n he has to wear a restraining harness to avoid “demolishing
\n everything he comes in contact with” (slight paraphrase). He does
\n NOT like this condition, and it is portrayed as having a very real
\n effect on his personal life, but without the trite self-pity aspect
\n too often applied in other comics.<\/p>\n

You get a strong sense of believable people dealing with real situations.
\nThis is a stark contrast to the demi-god aspect too prevalent in the X-books
\nand other comic books of late.<\/p>\n

Byrne also does better without the Comics Code. He doesn’t belabor the
\nintimacy of characters, but it can be used at times to portray very distinct
\nchanges in the inter-relationships between the characters.<\/p>\n

Byrne admits much of Next Men came from a novel he gutted. It shows. This
\nis much closer to a novel with pictures than a comic book with depth, IMO.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1054, from jwiede, 699 chars, Fri Feb 19 02:32:21 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1053.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nHaving said that, am I the only one here reading this series?<\/p>\n

I’m looking for idle speculation on the events in #’s 10 and 11, and what
\nthe end result will be. We’re close to a nuke on them, and while Bethany
\nmight survive one, she’s just not much of a solo series. B)<\/p>\n

Also, Jazz and Nathan makes for interesting dynamics when Jack finds out.
\nOf course, one can’t help but notice that Bethany is a better pairing for
\nJack than Jazz. Hidden tragic aspect?<\/p>\n

I’m still lost as to the what’s going on with Jorgenson’s mutates, but I
\nhave a strong suspiscion that the “large skulled” person seen squatting
\naround might be the sixth Next Man, Gillian, as Byrne hinted in a letters
\ncolumn in #2 or #3.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1055, from jwiede, 238 chars, Fri Feb 19 02:34:53 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1054.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1054.
\n————————–
\nBTW, getting #0 and #2 tomorrow, then I’ll be caught up. Nothing in
\nthere will be particularly unexpected, but might as well go for karmic
\ncompletion (I have X-Men #100 and 101 too, not to collect, just to know
\nwhere Phoenix came from).<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1056, from switch, 120 chars, Fri Feb 19 10:50:26 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1054.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1054.
\n————————–
\nHmn. Well, I guessed it to be an X-Men knockoff, so I never bothered
\npicking it up. Maybe I’ll have a look-see.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1057, from davemackey, 267 chars, Mon Feb 22 14:29:34 1993
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Home shopping for comics…
\nThe cable channel Home Shopping Network will present comics-related items this
\ncoming Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. Eastern time. The in-studio guest will be
\nveteran Marvel Comics artist Sal Buscema.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1058, from davemackey, 388 chars, Tue Feb 23 10:33:18 1993
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Obituary: Harvey Kurtzman
\nHarvey Kurtzman, the creator of “Mad” magazine, has died in Mount Vernon,
\nNew York, at the age of 68. Cause of death, which occurred Sunday, was not
\ndisclosed.
\n Kurtzman’s other credits include “Hey Look”, “Humbug”, “Help!” and
\n“Little Annie Fanny” (a collaboration with Will Elder for Playboy magazine).
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1059, from hmccracken, 554 chars, Tue Feb 23 14:12:52 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1058.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1058.
\n————————–
\nAw, gee! Kurtzman was one of the greats (and I’m glad I got to meet him
\na couple of times at 1970s comic-cons). There’s no doubt that _Mad_’s
\ninfluence on modern humor was tremendous, and while Kurtzman’s funny
\nstuff is probably what he’ll be most remembered for, he did some
\nexcellent, serious war comics as well. I’ve heard that Kurtzman had
\nbeen ill for some time, but he was working on a new war series at
\nthe time of his death.<\/p>\n

How sad that he and Bill Gaines, the other guy behind _Mad_, should die
\nwithin a few months of each other.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1060, from switch, 187 chars, Tue Feb 23 18:58:33 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1058.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1058.
\n————————–
\nOh, my goodness. Kurtzman always struck me as sort of immortal,
\nand incredibly energetic. I couldn’t imagine him even having a
\ncold. Another legend I’d like to have met, gone…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1061, from davemackey, 973 chars, Tue Feb 23 19:17:18 1993
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The tradition continues
\nWhen Tina Brown took over the editorship of “The New Yorker” a while ago,
\npeople shuddered in horror as to what she would do to the magazine’s mascot,
\nEustace Tilley. (Some envisioned Eustace naked and pregnant, in homage to
\nBrown’s most notorious Vanity Fair cover that so pictured Demi Moore.) Tilley
\nhas appeared on the cover of the late February issue every year since the
\n1920’s.
\n Well, the “Eustace” issue has made its annual appearance, and while the
\ntraditional cover graphic of Eustace peering through the monocole has not
\nbeen tampered with (thank you Tina), inside there are a variety of
\ninteresting re-realizations of Eustace from such cartoonists as Art
\nSpiegelman, Roz Chast, and Ronald Searle. (One speculates that Ms. Brown
\ncommissioned these paintings for possible cover use, but anticipated the
\npublic outcry if one of these radical versions were used instead of the old
\nfamiliar image.)
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1062, from hmccracken, 595 chars, Tue Feb 23 21:30:25 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1061.
\n————————–
\nI was disappointed by the re-interpretations of Eustace. Rather boring,
\nfor the most part — I’d have liked to see something more radical
\n(although *not* as a replacement for the Rea Irvin cover).<\/p>\n

Since Brown became editor, the NY has become a lot more innovative in
\nits use of comic art in general, with interesting contributions from
\nFeiffer, Art Spiegelman, and others, and a greater emphasis on topical
\ncartoons. Also worth noting was this year’s Valentine’s Day cover,
\na Spiegelman painting of a Hassidic Jew kissking a Black woman that
\nstirred up a fair amount of controversy.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1063, from davemackey, 248 chars, Thu Feb 25 19:28:17 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1060.
\n————————–
\nAnd if your local newspaper carries the syndicated column by Jeff Greenfield,
\nlook for a recent one (which ran today in the New York Post) that wonders why
\nKurtzman’s death didn’t receive the respect it should have.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1064, from davemackey, 99 chars, Mon Mar 1 19:10:10 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1058.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1058.
\n————————–
\nAccording to Time, Kurtzman died of complications of liver cancer.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1065, from bcapps, 127 chars, Thu Mar 4 01:43:25 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1058.
\n————————–
\nOh man! I didn’t even hear about this one! Boy, now I’m really down. The
\nworld just keeps getting poorer and poorer…<\/p>\n

Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1066, from hmccracken, 491 chars, Thu Mar 4 18:08:40 1993
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Most Unusual Use of a Comic Character in an Ad Department:
\nA new ad for Visa Gold (or is it MasterCard Gold?), aimed at retailers,
\nhas a bar graph with two bars: one for the purchasing power of the
\ncard’s users, the other for the purchasing power of American Express
\ncardholders. What’s clever about the graph — and makes it worth
\nmentioning here — are that the two bars are two Daddy Warbucks
\n(Warbuckses?): a short one for Amex, and a very tall one for the
\nother card.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1067, from jwiede, 149 chars, Fri Mar 5 04:12:44 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1054.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI take it there are no other Next Men readers present?<\/p>\n

Shame, Byrne’s really crafting something nice in it, and I’d love
\nto disucss it with others.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1068, from switch, 60 chars, Fri Mar 5 12:08:52 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1067.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1067.
\n————————–
\nI’m hoping to be able to check some out this weekend.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1070, from lwherrman, 432 chars, Sun Mar 7 12:23:46 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1067.
\n————————–
\nNo, there is another Next Men reader here. I have only just recently
\nstarted to read it and had to acquire some back issues to understand
\nwhat was going on. After having read all of them (including 0), I now
\nunderstand what is going on, though Santhas’ role still confuses me a
\nbit. I like the way Byrne has developed their abilities, much more
\nrealistic than “Wow, look what I can do” without any errors along the way.<\/p>\n

LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1071, from hmccracken, 431 chars, Wed Mar 24 09:27:02 1993
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Kurtzman in _The New Yorker_
\nHarvey Kurtzman fans should rush out and buy the current _New Yorker_,
\nfor a four-page tribute to the late creator of _Mad_ magazine that
\nincludes a painting by Will Elder, a 2 1\/2-page comic strip by
\nArt Spiegleman, and a prose piece by Adam Gopnik. It’s one of the
\nmost impressive examples of the magazine’s heightened interest in
\ncomic art since Tina Brown assumed the editorship.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1072, from davemackey, 469 chars, Thu Mar 25 10:27:56 1993
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Obituary: Alden McWilliams
\nAlden McWilliams, artist for the comic strip “Dateline: Danger”, died on
\nMarch 19, in Stamford, CT, at the age of 77. Mr. McWilliams and writer
\nJohn Saunders paired a black and white reporter for the strip, much in the
\nstyle of “I Spy” — not coincidentally, Mr. McWilliams was the artist for
\nthe comic book version of “I Spy.”
\n He received the NCS award for Best Story Cartoonist in 1978.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1073, from davemackey, 293 chars, Wed Apr 14 19:16:12 1993
\n————————–
\nTITLE: “Supes” editor visits The World’s Greatest Store
\nMichael Carlin, editor of the Superman comics for DC, will be appearing at
\nMacy’s Herald Square on Friday, April 16 at 1 p.m. The visit is part of a
\n“Salute to Superman” promotion that the store is doing.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1074, from lwherrman, 215 chars, Wed Apr 14 20:59:14 1993
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Dark Horse Presents
\nAre there any DHP readers out there? Any comments on _The Madwoman of Sacred
\nHeart_?
\nAlso are there anymore of us “out there” people who read _Cheval Noir_ on BIX?<\/p>\n

LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1075, from switch, 71 chars, Thu Apr 15 11:48:46 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1074.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI’m still an avid Cheval Noir reader, though I’m a bit behind \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1076, from lwherrman, 330 chars, Thu Apr 15 20:34:42 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1075.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI am a recent arrival to the _Cheval Noir_ readership. I have acquired all
\nbut two of the entire series-#’s 1 & 27. I’m sure I’m going to have a
\ndifficult time finding number one \ud83d\ude42 41 has some neat stuff. I just picked
\nit up today.
\n Anthologies-the way to expand your horizons and tastes.
\n LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1077, from switch, 263 chars, Thu Apr 15 22:07:33 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1076.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1076.
\n————————–
\nYeah \ud83d\ude42 For me, Cheval Noir is occasionally a nice way to relive
\nmy childhood, as CN occasionally reprints things I read years ago,
\nin the original language (the Jacques Tardi stuff, for instance —
\nI read their first Tardi story when I was 9, In French.)<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1078, from lwherrman, 251 chars, Fri Apr 16 00:04:04 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1077.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI like the Tardi stories. Je parle francais, un peu. It’s nice to see some
\naction in this topic again. I also enjoyed La Tour, and Fever in Ubricand.
\nIt’s a bit of a conceit on Dark Horse’s part when the named the book “Dark
\nHorse” \ud83d\ude42
\n Link<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1079, from switch, 204 chars, Fri Apr 16 00:38:16 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1078.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI liked La Tour and Fever in Urbicand as well. I’m hoping to pick
\nup DH’s collections when I get the $$$. I liked the play on the
\nname as well, but it’s fairly obvious to everyone in this town \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1080, from lwherrman, 449 chars, Fri Apr 16 20:04:30 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1079.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nActually I think NBM is putting out the collections. I rember seeing the add
\nin the back of CN or was is DHP? :: shrug :: “The Great Power of Chinkel”
\nhad many aspects that I liked. My favorite is when he recieves the prophesy
\nat the island and the means he has to go to get it. I found the twist of
\nthe prophet having to be in a state of ecstasy to prophesize amusing,
\nespecially considering her true form \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1081, from switch, 407 chars, Fri Apr 16 23:13:01 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1080.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nEh. I can’t afford the collections yet anyway. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Yeah, Chninkel was pretty fun. It skewered a lot of fantasy conventions, and
\nfantasy’s a genre I’ve gotten pretty tired of, so I enjoyed it immensely \ud83d\ude42
\nThe state of ecstasy thing is old hat if you’ve been following anime and manga
\n(smile), but I found the whole shape-changing thing hilarious.<\/p>\n

Gee, guess I’ll have to go re-read the thing now…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1082, from lwherrman, 269 chars, Sat Apr 17 00:44:25 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1081.
\n————————–
\nUnfortunately one of the issues I’m missing has an episode of “Chinkel” in it.
\nI have withing the past 8 months gotten back in to comics much to my wallet’s
\nsuffering \ud83d\ude42 I haven’t sample much magna or anime, but am willing to try new
\nthings.
\n LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1083, from lwherrman, 254 chars, Sun May 2 19:52:15 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1076.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nMy local comic retailer pulled a small miracle…. He found me Cheval Noir #1
\nwith the Dave Stevens cover. BTW: He’s Mark Brown of Prairied Dog Comics in
\nWichita KS. I also found #27 so my collection is now complete (at least of CN)<\/p>\n

LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1084, from switch, 87 chars, Mon May 3 08:27:59 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1083.
\n————————–
\nThat is a small miracle. I wonder whose soul he had to sell to pull
\nthat off \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1085, from davemackey, 180 chars, Mon May 3 17:58:50 1993
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Obituary: Manuel Gonzales
\nManuel Gonzales, 80, artist of the “Scamp” comic strip for the Disney studios,
\ndied on March 31 of cancer in Van Nuys, CA. –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1086, from hmccracken, 301 chars, Tue May 4 01:14:43 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1085.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nGonzales may have drawn the Scamp strip, but he should probably be
\nremembered more for his work on the Mickey Mouse newspaper strip;
\nhe drew the Sunday version for more than thirty years (second only
\nto Floyd Gottfredson, who did the daily Mickey strip for an incredible
\nforty-five years).
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1087, from davemackey, 197 chars, Tue May 4 02:12:32 1993
\nThis is a comment to message 1086.
\n————————–
\nYou are correct, Harry. His obituary in Variety did mention his work on the
\nMickey Mouse newspaper strip; thank you for reminding me that I forgot to
\ninclude it. \ud83d\ude09
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1088, from davemackey, 409 chars, Mon May 17 19:55:46 1993
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Comic art on “Broadcasting” cover…
\nFor the first time since they changed their cover policy to editorial rather
\nthan advertising, “Broadcasting And Cable” has an illustrated front cover
\ninstead of a photo. The caricature of Howard Stern, Larry King and Rush
\nLimbaugh (the three foremost names in syndicated talk radio) is provided by
\nMad Magazine regular Sam Viviano.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1089, from hmccracken, 599 chars, Sun Jun 6 19:14:01 1993
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Kudzu and its critics
\nSee today’s New York Times for an interesting article on Doug Marlette’s
\n_Kudzu_ comic strip, which often makes fun of faddish therapy programs.
\nA group organized to combat those who make light of mental illness in
\nthe mass media complained to Marlette about the strip’s references to
\ndepression, and Marlette revealed to them that the subject was one that
\nhit home with him (his mother suffered from it for many years).
\n<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1126, from kipw, 353 chars, Fri Jan 21 19:37:56 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1120.
\n————————–
\nVerbeek was a twisted genius. I’ve seen examples of his work over the
\nyears and can’t fathom how he could do that every week (even with some
\ntricks he used). Dutch artist Joost Swarte did a modern-day version of
\none of these in an underground called DUTCH TREAT that was okay, but
\nnothing like the sustained strangeness of Lovekins and Muffaroo.
\n–Kip<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1127, from kipw, 734 chars, Fri Jan 21 19:44:31 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1123.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI like to imagine my own Family Circle strips (sorry, circles), with
\nDolly topping herself for the weakest non-pun cute-kid saying (“Mom,
\ncan I play ‘Intendo’?” “MTV is showing that new video by Scoop Doggy
\nDoo.” and so on), or implying a disfunctional family (“Billy hit
\nJeffy with a Tuba Floor!”). I also try to bring the strip up to the
\npresent by imagining the family, still together because the kids just
\nwon’t leave home. In this scenario, we find the father slain, and the
\npolic (weary of questioning a surly, unshaven Billy) say they just don’t
\nknow who did it. “Ida Know” and “Not Me” are somewhat dismayed to see
\nthemselves joined by a newcomer, “F–k You, I was Drunk.”
\nWell, late at night, these things seem funny.
\n–Kip<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1128, from kipw, 426 chars, Fri Jan 21 19:47:14 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1124.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWell, I planned out one last Sunday strip with Billy’s route home,
\nwhere Billy is near school and a black van pulls over, then we follow
\nthe path of the van as Billy is assaulted and kicked out, then we follow
\nBilly as he tries to drag himself home. Here’s the spot where Barfy tries
\nto play with the weakening tot. Then Dolly comes in to deliver the cute
\nlaugh line, “Mom, Billy’s not movin’!”
\nMaybe I need a vacation.
\n–Kip<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1129, from switch, 49 chars, Fri Jan 21 20:48:49 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1128.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1128.
\n————————–
\nOr professional help. Or an inking brush.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1130, from robairmackey, 285 chars, Fri Jan 21 21:19:29 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1127.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1127.
\n————————–
\nBarnes and Noble bookstores carry about 50 different Family Circus
\npaperback books, and only about 3 Peanuts books. Hmmm.
\n I wonder if they sell extra-strength refrigerator magnets to
\nstick the entire book on the door.
\n –Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1131, from robairmackey, 517 chars, Fri Jan 21 21:22:49 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1128.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThis is similar to what I used to do, which was write alternate captions
\nfor the Dennis the Menace strips that were risque, dirty or just plain
\nweird. I still have many of these lying around and perhaps my muse will
\nstrike again. It’s easy to do: Get some Avery labels that will cover the
\ncaption perfectly, and write your own strange captions. Make a party
\nout of it! But do NOT use rare first edition Gold Crest paperbacks.
\nThis desecrates valuable paper.
\n –Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1132, from hmccracken, 250 chars, Fri Jan 21 22:56:50 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1131.
\n————————–
\nI’m too in awe of Hank Ketcham’s drawing skills to tamper with his
\nhumor. I do, however, fondly remember a Nat’l Lampoon _Dennis_
\nparody — Dennis, brandishing a skull and telling his father, “Hey!
\nLook what I found in Mr. Wilson’s head!”
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1133, from sharonfisher, 125 chars, Sat Jan 22 18:50:29 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1127.
\n————————–
\nI have heard of such a thing as the Dysfunctional Family Circus; I
\nforget whether it’s on the Internet or is a zine or what.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1134, from davemackey, 635 chars, Tue Jan 25 19:05:25 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Falseheart?
\nThat comic-strip detective, Dick Tracy, and his wife, Tess Trueheart, may be
\nheaded to divorce court.
\n Writer Richard Killian, who took over those duties a few years ago from
\n“Ms. Tree” creator Max Allan Collins, notes that many police wives are
\nconcerned that their husbands are married to their job and they get
\nneglected, so Mrs. Tracy is going to serve her husband with divorce papers on
\nthe strip being published on February 7.
\n Asked by radio interviewer Maureen Langan of WBBR New York if there was
\nhope for reconciliation, Killian said it was not out of the question.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1135, from hmccracken, 51 chars, Tue Jan 25 20:04:49 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1134.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWHAT? Who’s next — Blondie and Dagwood?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1136, from robairmackey, 266 chars, Tue Jan 25 22:23:07 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1135.
\n————————–
\nOr that happy little family in that panel WITHOUT CORNERS!
\n“Dolly, why is Mommy in the milkman’s truck?”
\n(Bil Keane’s use of topical humor strikes again. He takes the
\nnext week to explain what a milkman is)
\n –Bob<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1137, from linkster, 1715 chars, Sat Jan 29 22:56:05 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: some news
\nI read in Comics Buyers Guide #1055 February 4, 1994 that…<\/p>\n

Mike Richardson, founder and president of Dark Horse Comics, named
\nLou Bank to the position of vice president of of marketing and sales.
\nHe begins at Dark Horses headquarters in Milwaukie, OR in early
\nFebruary. Bank was director of sales at Marvel. <\/p>\n

Innovation closed its doors December 31, 1993 after the investors
\ninformed the staff on December 27 that the 31st was their last day.
\nFormer Editor-in-Chief George Broderick, Jr. told CBG that he had
\nexpected it. He was told not to get any new licenses and delay
\nadditional cost projects until 1994. <\/p>\n

The projects that are scheduled to ship.
\n (Will not ship unless noted otherwise)<\/p>\n

January<\/p>\n

Interview with the Vampire 12 (will ship)
\n Lost in Space: Voyage to the Bottom of the Soul 8
\n Mack Bolan: The Executioner 7
\n On a Pale Horse 5 (in stores, lacks one issue of completion)
\n Queen of the Damned 12 (few pages short
\n of completion at time of shutdown)<\/p>\n

February<\/p>\n

Hero Alliance
\n Lost in Space: Voyage…. 9
\n Mack Bolan 8
\n Quantum Leap Annual 1<\/p>\n

March
\n Lost in Space: Voyage…. 10
\n Mack Bolan 9
\n Quantum Leap: Second Childhood 1<\/p>\n

Note: The article mentioned that _Lost in Space_ 18 would ship, but
\n I’m not sure which issue of _Voyage to the Bottom of the Soul_ is 18
\n since I don’t collect LIS and _Voyage_ is a continuation of the plain
\n _Lost In Space_<\/p>\n

I’ll post some more if there is any more news of import as I read the rest
\nof this weeks issue.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1138, from linkster, 489 chars, Sat Jan 29 23:09:46 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: some birthdays of note
\nI didn’t think to post these until today \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Jan 23, 1952 Klaus Janson of _The Dark Knight Returns_ fame.
\n\u001b[A\u001b.
\nJan 24, 1930 John Romita
\nJan 26, Jules Feiffer
\nJan 26, Jacob Pander
\nJan 27, 1954 \u001b
\nJan 27, 1957 Frank Miller
\nJan 28, 1947 Daerick Gross, Sr.
\nJan 28 1951 Todd Klein<\/p>\n

This is not a complete listing of the dates in Comics Buyer’s Guide
\nI just chose names that sounded familiar to me. In the future I’ll post all
\nfor each day. Thanks CBG.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1139, from linkster, 54 chars, Sat Jan 29 23:14:25 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1138.
\n————————–
\nthe Jan 27, 1954 is Peter Laird. ooops…<\/p>\n

LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1140, from linkster, 207 chars, Sun Jan 30 01:40:51 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Today’s Birthdays
\n1953 Dann Maxx Thomas
\n1953 Fred Hembeck
\n1957 Guy Gilchrist
\n1961 Denys Cown
\n1965 Link Yaco
\n1968 Todd Michael Wright<\/p>\n

Hmm… I finally found a person with the same first name as me.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1141, from linkster, 375 chars, Sun Jan 30 13:45:38 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Cheval Noir reprints
\nThe first of the specials and reprints of stories that have appeared in _Cheval
\nNoir_ has already been solicited. It is _Coutou_ by Andreas. It appeared in
\n_CN_ 8-? (I can’t recall at the moment). It is the story of a NYPD dectective
\nhunting down a murder who’s pattern is that of Coutoo, who was supposedly
\nkilled by his father.<\/p>\n

LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1142, from linkster, 168 chars, Mon Jan 31 00:26:52 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Born today
\nPaty Cockrum
\n1949 Wendy Fiore<\/p>\n

LInk
\nP.S. Someone will have to tell me who they are, CBG doesn’t give much info
\non their accomplishments.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1143, from hmccracken, 182 chars, Mon Jan 31 09:53:08 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1142.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nPaty Cockrum is, I believe, a colorist and artist who has worked for Marvel Comics.
\nAlso the ex-wife of Marvel artist Dave Cockrum. I think Wendy Fiore is a colorist,
\ntoo.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1144, from linkster, 293 chars, Mon Jan 31 20:58:09 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1143.
\n————————–
\nthanks I’ll be posting more birthdays on a regular basis. Unfortunately, I’m
\nstill relatively new to comics and am only starting to recognize names.<\/p>\n

I’ll be getting better. I’m currently entering my collection into a data
\nbase and keeping track of the credits.<\/p>\n

LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1145, from linkster, 291 chars, Tue Feb 1 00:10:06 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Feb 1 Birthdays
\n1954 Nate Butler
\n1954 Bill Mumy, Lost in Space’s Will Robinson and comics writer
\n1954 Bill Spangler
\n1955 Diana Schutz, Editor of Grendel and other comics
\n1957 Gilbert Hernandez, one of the Hernandez Brothers of Love and Rockets(?)
\n1960 Ron Frenz
\n Suzanne Gaffney<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1146, from linkster, 206 chars, Wed Feb 2 00:04:12 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Born Today.
\n1912 Creig Flessel
\n1940 Larry Wright
\n1955 Bob Schreck, Dark Horse head of special projects and editor of the tabloid
\n version of the Dark Horse Insider a few years ago.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1147, from linkster, 269 chars, Wed Feb 2 21:21:32 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The quake.
\nThis weeks Comic Buyer’s Guide has big article on what happened to comic
\ncreators in LA. The hardest hit was apparently Harlan Ellison and his wife
\nSusan. I’ll work up something to post. The article is quite information
\nheavy.<\/p>\n

LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1148, from linkster, 126 chars, Thu Feb 3 00:49:29 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Feb 3 bdays
\nByron Erickson
\n1949 Richard Marschall
\n1951 Tim A. Conrad
\n1953 Randy Loffier, translator and Dr. Who expert<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1149, from switch, 40 chars, Thu Feb 3 08:09:25 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1148.
\n————————–
\nThat should be “Randy Lofficier”.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1150, from linkster, 476 chars, Sat Feb 5 11:11:34 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nSorry I missed the last couple days, Bix wouldn’t even prompt for login thurs.<\/p>\n

Feb 3
\n Byron Erickson
\n 1949 Richard Marschall
\n 1951 Tim A. Conrad
\n 1953 Randy Lofficier<\/p>\n

Feb 4
\n 1951 Dez Skinn
\n 1960 Scott Saavedra
\n 1962 Tom Sniegoski
\n 1966 Francis J. Mao<\/p>\n

Today Feb 5
\n 1920 George Evans
\n 1925 Jess M. Jondloman
\n 1941 Marty Pahis
\n 1955 Val Semeiks
\n 1963 Mark Bloodworth
\n 1967 Kelly McQuain
\n 1972 D. Alexander Gregory<\/p>\n

LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1151, from hmccracken, 265 chars, Sat Feb 5 11:36:56 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1150.
\n————————–
\nSince this is BIX, it’s worth noting that Francis Mao (happy belated
\nbirthday!) started out as a cartoonist for _The Comics Buyer’s
\nGuide_ and is now a computer-magazine art director, working on
\n_GamePro_, _Electronic Entertainment_, and other magazines.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1152, from linkster, 39 chars, Sun Feb 6 11:05:27 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Born Today
\n1949 Richard Buckler<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1153, from linkster, 122 chars, Sun Feb 6 21:12:11 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Feb 7 Birthdays
\n1953 Richard Bruning
\n1955 Miguel Ferrer
\n1956 Bob Camp
\n1966 Paul Castiglia<\/p>\n

LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1154, from hmccracken, 2752 chars, Mon Feb 7 14:06:02 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Jack Kirby, 1917-1994
\nThe King is dead. Jack Kirby passed away yesterday, after a long
\nillness. Over his six-decade career he was, by almost anyone’s
\naccounting, the greatest artist that superhero comics ever
\nknew.<\/p>\n

His resume is far too long to justice to in this message. One
\nof his first professional cartooning jobs was as an inbetweener
\nat the Fleischer studios in the 1930s, but he soon switched
\nmedia, moving to the new field of comic books. By the early
\n1940s, along with co-writer and co-artist Joe Simon, he had
\ncreated Captain America, the Newsboy Legion, the Sandman,
\nthe Boy Commandos, and many other very popular characters,
\nmany with a patriotic theme. During this period, Simon and
\nKirby also wrote and drew _Captain Marvel Adventures_ #1,
\nthe first issue of one of the most popular comics of its
\ntime. <\/p>\n

After a stint in the service during WWII, Kirby returned
\nto cartooning as a writer, editor, and publisher, creating
\n(along with Simon) the romance comic, and trying his hand
\nat horror comics, funny animals, westerns, and practically
\nevery other genre. By the early 1960s, the Simon\/Kirby
\npartnership had ended, and Kirby went solo as an artist
\nfor Marvel Comics, where he co-created and drew
\n_The Fantastic Four_, _The Incredible Hulk_, _Thor_,
\nand umpteen other popular series. His influence in
\nthis period was such that most of the Marvel comics
\nthat he didn’t draw were drawn in an approximation
\nof his style; actually, there have been “Kirby
\nclones” since the early 1940s, and there are many
\nin comics today.<\/p>\n

In the early 1970s, Kirby left Marvel for DC, where
\nhe did not equal his commercial success of the 1960s,
\nbut created numerous series that have been repeatedly
\nrevived since then, such as _The New Gods_, _Kamandi_,
\nand _Mr. Miracle_. He then returned to Marvel,
\nwhere he worked again on _Captain America_, then
\nreturned to DC again. In the early 1980s, he created
\n_Captain Victory_, one of the first comics from
\nan “independent” publisher, and continued to
\nwork for several publishers, his workload gradually
\ndecreasing over the years. Recently, he had been
\ncontributing to Topps Comics, which publishes
\nan entire line of “Kirbyverse” comics.<\/p>\n

Kirby’s style has aptly been described as 3D comics
\nthat don’t require 3D glasses. Every pose was
\nextremely dramatic, and everything was layered
\nwith detail. It wasn’t a subtle style, but it
\nwas the perfect one for American superhero
\ncomics, as has been proved by the success of
\nhis legion of imitators. If you want to see
\nsome of his best work, check out the recent
\nhardcover reprints of _Boys Ranch_ (an
\nextremely atmospheric western series),
\n_Fighting American_ (a McCarthy-era parody
\nof his own Captain America_, or early issues
\nof _Fantastic Four_.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1155, from davemackey, 109 chars, Mon Feb 7 15:48:54 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1154.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1154.
\n————————–
\nRest in peace, Jack. He shall be missed by anyone who
\nloved comics.<\/p>\n

–Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1156, from linkster, 69 chars, Mon Feb 7 20:21:52 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1154.
\n————————–
\nThe Comics Man is gone. May others carry the torch.<\/p>\n

LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1157, from linkster, 148 chars, Tue Feb 8 00:06:39 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Born Today
\n:: drum roll :: Hmm.. aren’t there more of them. :: looks about, and shrugs::
\noh well<\/p>\n

Born today
\n Terry Stewart.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1158, from linkster, 258 chars, Wed Feb 9 00:29:20 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: today’s bdays
\n1928 Frank Franzetta, is a bio necessary? \ud83d\ude42
\n1946 Danny Bulanadi
\n1954 Jo Duffy, self publisher and writer of Catwoman
\n1956 Timothy Truman
\n1962 Sarah E. Byam, writer of the canceled Black Canary series
\n1964 T.C. Ford
\n1975 Whitney Barber<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1159, from linkster, 169 chars, Wed Feb 9 22:30:21 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Feb 10 Bdays
\nIf you know of any you have more info than CBG has.<\/p>\n

“Rule No. 6. There is NO……..<\/p>\n

Rule No. 6” – Bruce the aussie Philosopy teacher.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1160, from linkster, 95 chars, Fri Feb 11 00:05:50 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: today’s Bday
\nRich Dufour
\n1938 Maily Holmes Wilkinson
\n1946 Jim Bradrick
\n1962 Shon Howell<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1161, from linkster, 131 chars, Sat Feb 12 01:52:36 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Feb 12 Birthdays
\nJoe Albelo
\n1957 Ken Meyer, Jr., artist
\n1966 Lou Bank, former Marvel marketing type, now a VP at Dark Horse<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1162, from linkster, 67 chars, Sun Feb 13 01:05:52 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Feb 13 Bdays
\nBarb Kaalberg
\n1962 John A. Peck
\n1962 Stan Shaw<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1163, from linkster, 77 chars, Mon Feb 14 22:15:40 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Born Today
\nSuzanne Dechnik
\n1912 Oliver Harrington
\n1959 Gordon Purcell<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1164, from linkster, 193 chars, Mon Feb 14 23:59:51 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Feb 15 Bdays
\nAlbert DeGuzman, Inker for DC (I think)
\nJoan Weis
\n1933 Bud Gordinier
\n1948 Art Spiegelman
\n1954 Matt Groening, Simpson’s creator
\n1959 Les Dorscheid, colorist
\n1963 Marc Hansen<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1165, from davemackey, 632 chars, Tue Feb 15 12:14:46 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Well, I guess nothing is sacred
\nFor the first time in 69 years, Rea Irvin’s famous cover graphic of Eustace
\nTilley does not appear on this week’s issue of The New Yorker. He has been
\nreplaced by a pimply punk in a backwards baseball cap staring at an ad for
\na Times Square porno palace. It was painted by Robert Crumb.
\n Tina Brown, editor of The New Yorker, told The New York Times, “He’s
\nan anarchic character by the look of him — a rebel. He’s Eustace’s grandson.
\nHe’s Elvis Tilley.”
\n Tina says Eustace will be back next year to celebrate The New Yorker’s
\n70th anniversary. –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1166, from hmccracken, 366 chars, Tue Feb 15 17:30:51 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1165.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1165.
\n————————–
\nThat’s *horrible*! Eustace has been on the cover of the issue that
\ncoincided with my mother’s birthday every year for her entire life.
\nIt is, in fact, the first sign that her birthday is coming.<\/p>\n

I have just called her to break the bad news, and while I tried to
\ndo it gently, she didn’t take it well. She’s about to compose an
\nangry letter to Ms. Brown.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1167, from robairmackey, 95 chars, Tue Feb 15 22:38:42 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1165.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1165.
\n————————–
\nWhat color will his hair be, though?
\n –Robair<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1168, from kipw, 137 chars, Tue Feb 15 23:08:26 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1165.
\n————————–
\nIt had to happen sometime, like _Life_ doing a cover without a logo,
\nand the first _Mad_ magazine cover without Alfred E. Neuman.
\n–Kip<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1169, from davemackey, 1858 chars, Wed Feb 16 19:58:20 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1166.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI went back through the old messages in this topic and found #1061, which
\ndiscusses what Tina Brown did last year. Here, via instant replay, is that
\nmessage:<\/p>\n

+=========
\nanimation\/comics #1061, from davemackey, 973 chars, Tue Feb 23 19:17:18 1993
\n———-
\nTITLE: The tradition continues
\nWhen Tina Brown took over the editorship of “The New Yorker” a while ago,
\npeople shuddered in horror as to what she would do to the magazine’s mascot,
\nEustace Tilley. (Some envisioned Eustace naked and pregnant, in homage to
\nBrown’s most notorious Vanity Fair cover that so pictured Demi Moore.) Tilley
\nhas appeared on the cover of the late February issue every year since the
\n1920’s.
\n Well, the “Eustace” issue has made its annual appearance, and while the
\ntraditional cover graphic of Eustace peering through the monocole has not
\nbeen tampered with (thank you Tina), inside there are a variety of
\ninteresting re-realizations of Eustace from such cartoonists as Art
\nSpiegelman, Roz Chast, and Ronald Searle. (One speculates that Ms. Brown
\ncommissioned these paintings for possible cover use, but anticipated the
\npublic outcry if one of these radical versions were used instead of the old
\nfamiliar image.)
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

—————————————————————————–<\/p>\n

Yes, I saw it coming. I knew back then that somewhere down the line, Ms.
\nBrown would make her mark on the magazine, so to speak. My reaction was a
\nNancy Kerrigan-esque whine of “why”.
\n Brown noted that when Crumb submitted the cover painting, he made no
\nreference to the similarities to the original Eustace graphic, letting her
\nfigure it out for herself.
\n But anyway, I hope Tina braces herself for the full unleashed fury of
\nNatalie McCracken, a woman whose birthday memories have been forever
\ntarnished.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1170, from robairmackey, 309 chars, Wed Feb 16 21:00:06 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1169.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1169.
\n————————–
\nLeave it to Dave to come up with le dernier cri on Tina Brown, the wrecking
\nball that is the editor of “The New Yorker.” Hey, Tina! Alfred E. Neuman
\nmissed the last issue of Mad! He’s available! (cf: Diane Sawyer).
\n Good detective work, Dave.
\n –Robair<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1171, from linkster, 357 chars, Wed Feb 16 23:27:13 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Birthdays
\nsorry for getting today’s so late.<\/p>\n

Feb 16
\n J.A. Fludd
\n Ron Wilson
\n 1955 Len Stazewski, writer for the Ultraverse line
\n 1958 John Totleben
\n 1967 Timothy Bradstreet, penciller, inker, writer<\/p>\n

Feb 17
\n David Fox
\n 1920 Curt Swan, artist
\n 1944 Bernd Metx
\n 1969 Nelson, Writer, artist of _Eudaemon_ and others<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1172, from switch, 295 chars, Wed Feb 16 23:29:18 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1171.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1171.
\n————————–
\nHas Curt Swan done anything lately? While going through my comics a few months
\nback, I happened to go through some early-80s SUPERBOY comics, as well as issue
\n600 of ACTION COMICS (when it went weekly). I found it fascinating that his
\nstyle had changed so little, and I still hated it.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1173, from hmccracken, 233 chars, Wed Feb 16 23:56:28 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1172.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1172.
\n————————–
\nYou hate Curt Swan? Guess there’s no accounting for differences in
\ntaste. At least when inked by Murphy Brown, he was a nice cartoonist
\nand one of the few superhero types with some sensitivity regarding
\nfacial expressions.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1174, from switch, 112 chars, Wed Feb 16 23:57:50 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1173.
\n————————–
\nI’ll give him an A for facial expressions; what irks me is that his work just
\nlooks so lifeless and flat.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1175, from hmccracken, 316 chars, Wed Feb 16 23:58:50 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1169.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nOddly enough, Eustace appeared in a clever gag on _The Critic_ tonight.<\/p>\n

I’m distressed that I’m growing to dislike so much of what Brown
\nis doing with _The New Yorker_. I was all in favor of having
\nit shook up a bit, and liked her first three months or so.
\nBut it’s getting awfully predictable and tacky.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1177, from linkster, 402 chars, Thu Feb 17 21:25:23 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1172.
\n————————–
\nAccording to CVM Presents Comic Book Artist (i’m borrowing it from the library
\nso I can make a check list for some of my favorites). He’s doing some work
\non the Superman Titles. This may be out of date even though it came out last
\nmonth. I noticed that on some other artists it was behind by a couple months.
\nQuite easy considering the lag time on publishing such a large book.<\/p>\n

LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1178, from linkster, 533 chars, Thu Feb 17 21:31:20 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Upcoming B-days
\nI’m not going to be on the next few days. <\/p>\n

Feb 18
\n 1930 Gahan Wilson
\n 1931 Johnny Hart, Creator of the _B.C._ strip
\n 1950 Terry Echterling
\n 1959 Aaron McClellan
\n 1960 Jay Allen Sanford
\n 1963 Mark Bode, son of the artist Vaugn Bode, artist in his own right<\/p>\n

Feb 19
\n 1914 Henry Boltinoff<\/p>\n

1949 William Messner-Loebs, comics writer
\n 1953 Bob Palin
\n 1957 Gerry Shamray
\n 1960 Jim Lawson
\n 1965 Mark Winfrey<\/p>\n

Feb 20
\n 1952 Anthony Tollin
\n 1960 Dave Roberts<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1179, from dgh, 79 chars, Sat Feb 19 04:51:01 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1171.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nNo. 3 is missing an “r”. It should read “Len Strazewski”.
\n\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1180, from dgh, 94 chars, Sat Feb 19 04:51:05 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1158.
\n————————–
\n>is a bio necessary?
\nApparently so, because there’s no “n” in Frazetta…
\n\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1181, from linkster, 56 chars, Sat Feb 19 16:05:16 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1179.
\n————————–
\nJust call me butter fingers \ud83d\ude42 I”m only human.
\n LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1182, from linkster, 242 chars, Mon Feb 21 01:05:54 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Born Feb 21
\nBarry Kaplan
\n1949 Frank Brunner
\n1967 Brian Douglas Ahern, Creator of _The Adventures of Bumpkin Buzz_ in CBG
\n1968 Joseph M. Monks, (I’m thinking he’s a letterer, correct me if I’m
\n wrong)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1183, from linkster, 39 chars, Mon Feb 21 22:32:27 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Feb 22 Birthday
\n1956 Doug Allen<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1184, from linkster, 398 chars, Wed Feb 23 00:46:40 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Born Feb 23
\nKen Selig
\n1948 Doug Moench, Batman writer
\n1955 Jim Main
\n1957 Eric Lurio
\n1958 Janet Jackson, (colorist or letterer I think )
\n1965 Martin Thomas<\/p>\n

I’m starting to see a pattern. Even on the ones that don’t have a year you
\ncan get a rough age, becase the go oldest to youngest. Ken Selig is at least
\nas old as Doug Moench by this pattern, If I’m correct.<\/p>\n

LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1185, from hmccracken, 152 chars, Wed Feb 23 08:51:22 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1184.
\n————————–
\nKen Selig (an art director for many years at Harvey Comics) is definitely
\nolder than Doug Moench — old enough, I imagine, to be his father.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1186, from linkster, 117 chars, Wed Feb 23 21:32:10 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: 9\u001b[H\u001bFeb 24 B-Days
\n1952 Bryan Talbot
\n1954 Jim Borgman
\n1954 Greg LaRocque
\nMindy Fisch
\n1958 Keith S. Kez Wilson<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1187, from linkster, 133 chars, Thu Feb 24 20:54:24 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Feb 25 Birthdays
\n1929 Arnold Roth
\n1946 Rick Geary, National Lampoon cartoonist and slice of life cartoonist
\n1960 Phil Lasorda<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1188, from linkster, 1900 chars, Sat Feb 26 01:29:28 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Birthdays
\nI’m going to start posting birthdays a week in advance and a week’s worth
\nat a time. So this week there’ll be two week’s worth so we’ll be on
\nschedule. This will allow people to get cards out.<\/p>\n

Feb 26
\n Ron Aiken
\n 1928 Ric Estrada
\n 1953 David Boswell
\n 1958 Karen Berger, DC Editor in charge of the Vertigo line
\n 1958 Jeffrey Butler<\/p>\n

Feb 27
\n 1953 Jeff Smith, creator of _Bone_
\n 1960 Norm Breyfogle, artist of Batman and many other titles
\n 1960 Jeff Smith, (hmmm… now which Jeff Smith is the Jeff
\n Smith of _Bone_ fame? I’m guessing this one)
\n 1962 Andy Kubert, artist, son of Joe Kubert.
\n 1969 Eiwin Mark
\n Lisa Patrick<\/p>\n

Feb 28
\n Joe Brozowski (J.J. Birch)
\nFeb 29
\n Nelson Yomtov
\n 1956 Wendi Lee<\/p>\n

March 1955 Chuck Rozanski ( CBG didn’t give a day your guess is good as mine)<\/p>\n

March 1
\n Tom Orzechowski
\n 1922 William Gaines, the _Mad_ man.
\n 1952 Joyce Brabner
\n 1956 Ralph Ellis Miley
\n 1957 George Kochell<\/p>\n

March 2
\n 1904 Theodor Suess Geisel, the Dr. Seuss generations have grown up with
\n 1952 Mark Evanier
\n 1956 Kevin Farrell<\/p>\n

March 3
\n 1948 Max Allan Collins
\n 1953 Dan Mishkin<\/p>\n

March 4
\n 1956 Randy Stradley, creative director and Dark Horse, editor also
\n 1963 Bill Fitts
\n 1969 Glenn Hauman<\/p>\n

March 5
\n Nathan Massengill<\/p>\n

March 6
\n Allen Milgrom
\n 1917 Wil Eisner, creator of the Spirit, name sake of the Eisner Award
\n 1956 Carl Knappe
\n 1967 Kieron Dwyer, currently illustrating John Byrne’s _Torch of Liberty_
\n 1971 Alan Weiss<\/p>\n

March 7
\n 1934 Gray Morrow, artist
\n 1958 Peter Gross
\n 1969 Cully Hamner<\/p>\n

March 8
\n 1955 Joellyn Dorkin (related to Evan Dorkin??)<\/p>\n

March 9
\n 1952 Rick Burchett
\n 1962 Mike Kazaleh
\n 1963 Mike Wolfer
\n 1966 Richie Prosch<\/p>\n

March 11
\n Steve Novak<\/p>\n

Whew!
\n LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1189, from robairmackey, 509 chars, Sun Feb 27 22:08:28 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: We’re Pregnant…Again
\nThis conference has had some comment lately about the “Baby Blues” comic
\nstrip, some in a negative light.
\n On the Friday, February 18th strip, Wanda uses an “R.U.P.G.” home
\npregnancy test, and to her shock, discovers that she’s pregnant again.
\nThe tone for the next chapter in Wanda’s saga will be the comment that
\n“this time the baby will think we’re in charge.”
\n Let’s hope this kick starts the strip back to glory.
\n –Robair<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1190, from hmccracken, 180 chars, Sun Feb 27 23:47:25 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1189.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1189.
\n————————–
\nIsn’t their other baby still a baby? Wouldn’t you be nervous about
\nreproducing again, once you noticed that your first child
\nhadn’t aged one iota in four or five years?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1191, from hkenner, 92 chars, Sun Feb 27 23:50:51 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1190.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1190.
\n————————–
\n>>not aged one iota …<\/p>\n

No, aged irregularly. Sometimes still in arms, sometimes walking.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1192, from robairmackey, 956 chars, Tue Mar 1 18:36:05 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1190.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nActually, Zoe is now three…which seems right because Baby Blues has been
\nout there for about 4 years now. I expect Kirkman and Scott to go full
\nreal-time on this strip for a long time. In 20 or so years, Zoe may marry
\nand be pregnant…
\n Sort of reminds me of another comic strip called “The Smith Family,”
\nwhich was not too widely syndicated in the 1950’s, which was by George and
\nVirginia Smith, who had eight kids of varying age and sex. During the 50’s
\nthrough the 70’s the kids did grow older, but after the 70’s they narrowed
\nthe focus of the strip on young Georgie and his sister (I forget her name).
\nThe strip had a rebel streak in it which was very ahead of its time and
\ncan be cited as an influence (by me, anyway) of much of the humor of
\n“Calvin and Hobbes”. The strip ran Sundays only in the 1990’s and I
\nbelieve is no longer in production (syndicated by the Miami Herald Synd.)
\n –Robair<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1193, from davemackey, 428 chars, Tue Mar 1 18:58:18 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1189.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI certainly have not commented negatively about “Baby Blues.” At its peak a
\nfew years ago, Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott did some great strips about
\npregnancy and early parenthood. Now that Zoe has grown up a little, the
\nstrip’s lost some of its edge.
\n So Bravo for making Wanda pregnant again. And hopefully she and Darryl
\nwon’t make the same mistakes they made the first time. Or will they?
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1194, from hmccracken, 870 chars, Tue Mar 1 19:37:48 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1192.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI was a huge _Smith Family_ fan when I was a kid and the strip was a staple
\nof the _Boston Globe_ comics section. Virginia Smith’s drawing style
\nwas wonderfully cockeyed, and the humor was much more offbeat than that
\nof the typical kid strip of the time. (Babs was the name of Georgie’s
\nsister, by the way.)<\/p>\n

The Miami Herald may have syndicated the strip at one time, but Universal
\nPress Syndicate was its home for many years. And may still be; as of
\nlast Summer, they were still offering it, although it no longer has
\na Sunday edition. I would imagine it doesn’t run in many papers
\nanymore.<\/p>\n

I believe George Smith, Virginia’s husband and collaborator, actually
\npassed away many years ago, although the strip remained credited
\nto “Mr. and Mrs. George Smith.” In recent years, Vi Smith has also
\ncontributed cartoons to _Cat Fancy_ and _Dog Fancy_ magazines.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1195, from robairmackey, 114 chars, Thu Mar 3 18:53:37 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1193.
\n————————–
\n“This time will be different..this time the baby will think
\n we’re in charge.” –Darryl<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1196, from robairmackey, 131 chars, Thu Mar 3 18:55:13 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1194.
\n————————–
\nMany people I have spoken to about comics had never even heard of the
\nSmiths. Good to have someone around who remembers it fondly.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1197, from linkster, 549 chars, Sat Mar 12 14:38:12 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: March 19-25 Birthdays<\/p>\n

March 19
\n Michael Jantze
\n 1953 Laurie S. Sutton
\n 1952 Willie Schubert, Letterer<\/p>\n

March 20
\n Diana Albers
\n 1960 Steven Phillip Jones
\n 1960 Vince Argondezzi
\n 1968 David Gross<\/p>\n

March 21
\n 1931 Al Willimson
\n 1947 Don Markstein
\n 1956 Pasquale “Pat” Gabriele
\n 1962 Mark Waid<\/p>\n

March 22
\n Diane Valentino
\n 1914 John Stanley
\n 1919 Bernard Krigstein
\n 1967 Lisa Moore<\/p>\n

March 23
\n 1946 Jim Friel
\n 1968 Chuck Bordell<\/p>\n

March 25
\n Neil Grahame
\n 1964 Angel Medina<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1198, from robairmackey, 302 chars, Mon Mar 14 20:45:27 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Rick Geary in “Jeopardy!”
\nLongtime alternative press cartoonist Rick Geary appeared today on
\n“Jeopardy”, not winning the game but giving it the good fight. He
\ncame in second place, good for a laptop computer and business software.
\n –Robair<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1199, from linkster, 162 chars, Mon Mar 14 23:02:03 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1198.
\n————————–
\ndid you get it on tape? I wouldn’t mind seeing it. So just what does he look
\nlike? I have really enjoyed his work, Especially his Blanche books.<\/p>\n

LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1200, from linkster, 353 chars, Mon Mar 14 23:05:52 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Bubblegrum Crisis makes Cover of CBG
\nToren Smith has a article on magna in this weeks Comics Buyers Guide. Adam
\nWarren or _Dirty Pair_ fame and Shirow (I’m not going to try to spell his first
\nname without it in front of me) of _Appleseed_ and _Dominion_ fame are
\ninterviewed. The Dark Horse “prequel” to the OAV by Warren was the cover <\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1201, from hmccracken, 156 chars, Sat Mar 19 22:23:09 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Pointer
\nSee \/best.of.net #55 for some not-so-good news for any _Calvin
\nand Hobbes_ fan: Bill Watterson is going on another sabbatical soon.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1202, from hmccracken, 1867 chars, Tue Apr 5 14:23:28 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Lotsa Luck Speaks!
\nFor many years, I was a great fan of Tom K. Ryan’s _Tumbleweeds_ comic
\nstrip. The strip ran in the _Boston Globe_, and kept getting cancelled —
\nbecause, I believe, it included a lot of goofy American Indian characters.
\n(It included just as many goofy cowboys, of course.) The _Globe_ would
\nalways print several letters of protest about the cancellation, then
\nbring the strip back for awhile. Eventually, one of the cancellations
\nstuck, and I lost contact with the strip.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, when I saw _Tumbleweeds_ from time to time in out-of-town
\npapers, a fairly steep decline in its imagination and wit was
\nincreasingly apparent. Ryan also began using what appears to be a
\nSelectric typewriter to produce the strip’s word balloons, which
\ndetracts from both the prose and his excellent art.<\/p>\n

Just yesterday, I saw the first _Tumbleweeds_ book collection in many
\nyears: _The Best of Tumbleweeds_. Despite the title, all the strips
\ntherein are of recent vintage, and not nearly as enjoyable as
\nthose of the strip’s lengthy golden age (from its beginnings in the
\nmid-1960s through 1980 or so).<\/p>\n

But the main thing that struck me about the book was that it includes
\nstrips in which Lotsa Luck speaks! For non-_Tumbleweeds_ readers:
\nLotsa Luck is a diminuitive, incredibly foppish Indian who is arguably
\nthe strip’s funniest character. He was mute, and communicated with
\nothers by scribbling pompous notes on a pad of paper.<\/p>\n

Judging from the book, he gained the ability to speak fairly recently —
\nand he’s much less of a funny character because of it. (The scribbling
\nprocess was somehow an important part of the comic timing of his
\nappearances.) Anyone know when this happened, and if it was explained?
\nFor a _Tumbleweeds_ fan, it’s as big a change as if Snoopy began speaking,
\nor if Hobbes was suddenly visible to Calvin’s parents.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1203, from hmccracken, 96 chars, Thu Apr 7 09:37:42 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Pointer
\nSee \/best.of.net #69 for a bibliography of Charles Schulz’s
\n_Peanuts_.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1204, from hmccracken, 633 chars, Mon Apr 11 17:46:08 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Garfield Moves On
\nJim Davis, the creator of the _Garfield_ comic strip, has purchased
\nthe rights to his creation from United Media, the syndicate that has
\ndistributed _Garfield_ since it began in 1978. (Why didn’t Davis
\nown the rights to his strip in the first place? Because in most
\ncases cartoonists must sign over such copyrights to the syndicate
\nin order to get syndicated, a situation that’s only slowly
\nchanging.)<\/p>\n

Effective shortly, all Garfield merchandising will be handled by
\nPAWS Inc., Davis’s company. The strip will be syndicated by
\nUniversal Press Syndicate, one of United Media’s biggest competitors.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1205, from hmccracken, 318 chars, Wed Apr 13 16:53:23 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Pointer
\nSee best.of.net #73 for information on _Strips_, a weekly newspaper that’s
\nmore or less a comics fan’s dream — no news, sports, Dear Abby, or
\nhoroscope, but page after page of comics. It’s been mentioned here before,
\nbut if you haven’t sought it out yet, you’re missing a nifty publication.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1206, from robairmackey, 396 chars, Wed Apr 13 22:42:19 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1205.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI pick it up every so often because of the mass of strips that it carries.
\nIt’s especially helpful for Doonesbury fans in case they miss a frame.
\n(Here’s a dirty trick for you to try: slip a “Strips” into a copy of The
\nNew York Times. Watch the Op-Ed Page the next day for a scathing letter.
\nDeny everything when you go on Geraldo.)
\n –Robair<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1207, from davemackey, 422 chars, Sun Apr 17 18:50:42 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1206.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nRobair, have you heard the recent radio ads for the New York Times in which
\nthey play on — and seem to be quite proud of — the fact that they have no
\ncomics? They mention that they’ve just won three Pulitzers and near the end
\nof the spot comes the cruel tagline “No comics, no gossip.”
\n Me, I’ve been a little down on the Times since they cut the bridge
\ncolumn to three times a week.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1208, from hmccracken, 1001 chars, Sun Apr 17 19:34:15 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1207.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1207.
\n————————–
\nI meant to mention that _Times_ ad here. The ad seems to suggest
\nthat the _Times_ won its recent Pulitzers *because* it lacks
\ncomics and gossip. As a comics fan, I’ve always looked at it
\nthe other way around: the _Times_ is a great newspaper
\n*despite* the fact that it doesn’t have a comics page.<\/p>\n

All this aside, comics\/cartoons fans should check out today’s
\n_Times_: it has an article about the ne Broadway adaptation
\nof Disney’s _Beauty and the Beast_ that’s illustrated with
\na spectacular, full-color drawing by Al Hirschfeld — which
\nall by itself justifies whatever costs the _Times_ incurred
\nfor its recent move to color printing. The same issue also
\nhas an interesting article on the screenwriting credit for
\nthe upcoming _Flintstones_ movie (more than twenty writers
\nvied for credit) and a weird-but-interesting fashion photo
\nspread, inspired by the films of Gene Kelly, that includes
\na photograph of a young male model posed with Jerry Mouse,
\nKelly’s co-star in _Anchors Aweigh_.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1209, from hkenner, 146 chars, Sun Apr 17 20:32:04 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1208.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nGawd, that color Hirschfeld travesties everything H ever stood for,
\nnotably the nearly-blank page rendered alive by a minimum of thin
\nlines. …<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1210, from hmccracken, 525 chars, Sun Apr 17 21:14:46 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1209.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nReally? I liked it (and have liked his non-_Times_ color pieces of
\npast years, which have always used a less minimalist approach than
\nhis b&w work). I hope this isn’t a sign that the Hirschfeld drawing will
\nbe in color every Sunday from now on, though. <\/p>\n

In any event, Hirschfeld is amazing. Who would have thought that
\nan artist who began his career during the Coolidge administration,
\nthree years before the creation of Mickey Mouse, would be around
\nto do a _Beauty and Beast_ drawing nearly seventy years later?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1211, from hkenner, 71 chars, Sun Apr 17 22:55:10 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1210.
\n————————–
\nThoroughly agred, that Hirschfeld is amazing. But color — ugh .
\n–HK<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1212, from robairmackey, 164 chars, Mon Apr 18 23:46:01 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1207.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1207.
\n————————–
\nThe only thing the New York Times is good for is 15×15, except on Sunday
\nwhen it’s 23×23. (I am in a X-word contest at Barnes and Noble next
\nTuesday. Wish me luck)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1213, from hmccracken, 29 chars, Tue Apr 19 00:07:50 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1212.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1212.
\n————————–
\nGood luck, Robair!
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1214, from hmccracken, 327 chars, Tue Apr 19 10:36:16 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1207.
\n————————–
\nIt should also be noted that while the _Times_ does indeed lack
\na comics section, it’s not gossip-free. Take a look, for instance,
\nat its piece today on the planned divorce of Roseanne and Tom
\nArnold, in which it speculates on an unverified on-set argument
\nbetween the two that has been reported in other newspapers.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1215, from davemackey, 206 chars, Tue Apr 19 19:29:30 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1212.
\n————————–
\nWell, good luck to you, Bob. Someone who used to do the New York Times
\ncrossword puzzle during homeroom period in high school — in INK — should do
\nquite well in a contest.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1216, from hmccracken, 379 chars, Sun May 1 20:37:21 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: A Marriage Worth Saving
\nHappy news for Dick Tracy fans: you will recall that Dick’s marriage
\nto Tess Trueheart had been strained to the point that Tess had filed
\nfor divorce. According to a radio (ordinary, not two-way wrist) report,
\nthe Tracys will soon patch things up — Dick has agreed to spend more
\ntime at home — and the marriage will not come to an end.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1217, from robairmackey, 410 chars, Tue May 17 18:40:55 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Spidey, meet Casper
\nMarvel comics has agreed to assume worldwide publishing and distribution of
\nHarvey Comics in the fall. It will plan at least 5 new Harvey titles (with
\nnew material, it is hoped) and major line extensions for 1995. Marvel will
\nalso be involved with the live action Richie Rich movie and next summer’s
\nCasper movie.
\n –Robair<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1218, from hmccracken, 303 chars, Tue May 17 21:10:34 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1217.
\n————————–
\nInteresting! What will happen to the current line of Harvey comics?<\/p>\n

This is a good place to note that Marvel will also be publishing
\nDisney comics in the future — but only, as I recall, ones based
\non feature-length films and TV shows. The others will continue to
\nbe published by Gladstone.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1219, from hmccracken, 2082 chars, Sat May 28 23:27:56 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: More Flintstones Hype, If You Can Stand It
\nHarvey Comics has published the official comic-book adaptation of _The
\nFlintstones_. Normally, this would not be worth noting here, except that
\nthe comic is in a rather unusual process: Doublevision.<\/p>\n

Doublevision works exactly like ordinary, old-fashioned 3-D comics — with
\neach page printed in overlapping red and blue images — except that the
\ntwo images are completely different. Look through the red side of the
\nincluded glasses and you see a completely different page of comics than if
\nyou look through the blue side. (Look through *both* sides and you’ll get
\na headache). This idea was used in 1950s 3-D comics for the odd one-page
\nstory, but to my knowledge this is the first time an entire comic has been
\ndone with it.<\/p>\n

Why did Harvey publish this magazine in Doublevision? To provide readers
\nwith two different versions of this movie adaptation. Look through the
\nblue side and you’ll see a realistically-drawn adaption of the movie. Use
\nthe red side, and you see the same script illustrated with the standard,
\ncartoony Flintstones style we all know and love.<\/p>\n

It’s a clever idea, I guess, but two problems make it less than a rousing
\nsuccess. First, it’s almost impossible to read the story in either form.
\nYou’ve got to hold the appropriate side of the 3-D glasses up to one eye
\nwhile winking the other eye, something that’s hard to do for very long. As
\nyou as you keep it up, you can dimly see part of the appropriate version
\nof the story, but only with great difficulty. (What’s really needed is two
\nsets of glasses: one with two blue lenses, one with two red ones.)<\/p>\n

Secondly, it appears that licensing agreements prevented Harvey from
\nactually using the likenesses or names of John Goodman, Rick Moranis, and
\nthe other actors in the movie — so the characters in the realistic half
\nof the adaptation don’t look much at all like their movie counterparts.
\n(Oddly, Wilma’s mother, played by Elizabeth Taylor in the movie, doesn’t
\nseem to appear in the comic at all — as if Taylor had veto power over it.)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1220, from robairmackey, 268 chars, Mon May 30 22:10:47 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1219.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWhat? An “official comic book adaptation” of a movie that doesn’t even
\nuse the correct actors? What do we have? Meat Loaf as Fred? (I’m surprised
\nMarvel didn’t have Harvey sneak Wolverine in there somewhere, as long as
\nthere’s no Mrs. Slaghoople.)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1221, from switch, 34 chars, Tue May 31 00:55:54 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1220.
\n————————–
\nWouldn’t be the first time.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1222, from switch, 4525 chars, Sun Jun 5 22:50:22 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nSo I’m a bit behind in my comics, thanks to a big reserve box at my favourite
\ncomics place, Nebula. Still, I do occasionally pick up the odd Marvel and DC
\nbook to flip through while waiting for my friends at Multimags, and I did
\npick up a few trade paperback compilations while skimming through Librairie
\nAstro and Nebula over the last few days. So here’s what I think of
\nthem, off the top of my head.<\/p>\n

The Death of Jean DeWolff
\n————————-
\nThis TPB is a compilation of a four or five-issue run of _Peter Parker, The
\nSpectacular Spider-Man_, from a few years ago.<\/p>\n

I remember when this first came out, and it’s one of the few Marvel titles I
\nkept when I sold off about half my collection a few months ago. This was
\nduring the Jim Owsley\/Peter David reign of the title, when it sported “The
\nAll-New, All Daring” above the “Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man”
\nlogo.<\/p>\n

It definitely was all-new and all-daring. Few comics since have done what
\nthis series did. David and Owsley gave us top-notch storytelling for about
\n95 cents a comic, compared to the present where two bucks buys you about as
\nmuch innovation as a New Kids on the Block concert. Reading the series
\nagain, I was once again moved to agonize over the sorry state of mainstream
\ncomics today, compared to the time when I could honestly say that Marvel and
\nDC produced comics for adults.<\/p>\n

The story starts with Jean DeWolff’s murder. You don’t actually see it
\nhappening; to be more precise, it starts with her death. Spider-Man, while
\ngoing after a couple of hoods, hears about it and offers to help find the
\nkiller.<\/p>\n

That’s really about as far as I’ll go, save to say that Daredevil (and his
\nalter ego, Matt Murdock) are also present. The amazing thing about this
\nseries is that it touched on so much — serial killings, race relations,
\ncovert government operations and coverups, police relations with the
\ncommunity, the US legal system, etc. — without being heavy-handed. Just
\nenough elements of these topics were presented to show how a series of events
\nlike these affect different people from all walks of life.<\/p>\n

Oh yes — there was comparatively little superhero posturing and fighting in
\nthe series. What a breath of fresh air.<\/p>\n

The Batman Adventures, Vol. 2
\n—————————–
\nWhen I first heard that a comic was going to be made based on _Batman: The
\nAnimated Series_, I started to worry. Didn’t we go through this with
\n_Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_? That started as a comic, was adapted to TV,
\nand then back into a cheesy comic.<\/p>\n

I should have known better, or at least paid more attention. Now, more than
\na year later, _The Batman Adventures_ is easily the best Batbook on the
\nmarket today. Why? Because it adheres to Batman’s roots. There’s none of
\nthis Azrabat crap; none of this “I’m so driven it hurts” angst. Batman is
\nstill the Dark Knight, but he’s doing his job and not “cathartizing” all over
\nthe place.<\/p>\n

The artwork and visual storytelling is clean and wonderfully dynamic. We
\nneed more animation-derived works out there. _Bone_ is another good example
\nof this.<\/p>\n

Showcase ’94 #7
\n—————
\nFeh. I picked this up thinking it was a Bat-title because of the Penguin on
\nthe cover. More importantly, it said that P. Craig Russell was the artist.
\nI should have paid more attention; P. Craig Russell was working with someone
\nelse, and that someone else destroyed Russell’s beautiful line work.<\/p>\n

The stories weren’t that hot, either. Why the hell did Wolfman (I assume
\nMarv Wolfman is still working on _Teen Titans_) turn Speedy — an ordinary
\nguy who just happened to be in reasonable shape and had a quiver full of
\ntrick arrows — into the overly-muscled walking weapon named Arsenal? What
\nis this crap? Why does every superhero in the 90s have to have:<\/p>\n

(a) huge muscles,
\n(b) huge guns, or
\n(c) huge breasts?<\/p>\n

Heck, even Catwoman — who was always rather slinky and relatively
\nflat-chested — can now give Anna Nicole Smith a run for her money. Please.<\/p>\n

Some X-Comic
\n————
\nI didn’t buy it. Nothing could make me buy any X-Title these days. But I
\nsee that Doug Ramsey is back. Oh, please. Can’t anyone stay dead?<\/p>\n

Some Other X-Comic
\n——————
\nIt looked like Barry Windsor-Smith, it smelled like Barry Windsor-Smith, but
\nit wasn’t Barry Windsor-Smith. Someone’s learned to ape him so well I was
\nfooled for all of five minutes. Sheesh. Ever get the feeling Marvel is
\ntraining people to be carbon copiers since their real talent has fled for
\ngreener pastures?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1223, from dgh, 532 chars, Mon Jun 6 04:18:03 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1222.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n>Some X-Comic
\nThat was Excalibur, not “some X-comic.” And it’s not really Doug Ramsey,
\nbut a Techno-Virus life-form. And yes, it’s a really stupid idea, but it’s
\nnot quite as bad as actually bringing Doug back to life. The creature knows
\nthat it isn’t Doug and it isn’t trying to pass itself off as Doug. The idea
\nis that Doug’s memories were absorbed into the Technovore’s collective
\nconciousness, where it remained “trapped” until recently, when it “escaped”,
\nformed itself a body and ran into Excalibur.<\/p>\n

\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1224, from switch, 251 chars, Mon Jun 6 11:03:37 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1223.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nSigh.<\/p>\n

I think I liked it better when everyone though Phoenix came back to life,
\nand it turned out not to be so. Of course, they mucked with that too…<\/p>\n

I honestly don’t understand the obsession with bringing people back to life,
\neven partly.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1225, from hmccracken, 663 chars, Mon Jun 6 16:05:24 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1224.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWell, bringing-people-back-to-life isn’t a fascination that’s unique to
\nX-Men comics. Witness the enduring idea that folks like Elvis, JFK, and
\nJim Morrison are still around, yours to be found if only you stumble into
\nthe right Burger King. (Not to mention the vital role that
\nbringing-people-back-to-life plays in most of the world’s major religions.)<\/p>\n

It’s also a major part of most Disney animated features. How many can you
\nname that *don’t* end with a scene in which one or more of the characters
\nappears to have given his life to save his friends, only to blink into
\nconsciousness a few moments later? It’s present even in _The Return of Jafar_.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1226, from switch, 575 chars, Tue Jun 7 16:24:36 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1225.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTrue, but the real-life fascination with people coming back to life —
\nexcluding major religions — is really limited to the minority of the populace,
\nnad the objects of their interest are a select few individuals.<\/p>\n

The Disney schtick is an old adventure staple, and rarely is the character
\never dead.<\/p>\n

What gets to me is the mainstream comic bit where someone is *dead* and
\n*buried* (or atomized, or whatever) and they end up being resurrected. In
\nsome cases, the death is a significant event, and the rebirth is horribly lame
\nas a consequence. (Jean Gray, anyone?)<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1227, from hmccracken, 502 chars, Tue Jun 7 17:13:18 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1226.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWell, I disagree that the fascination with people coming back to life isn’t a
\npretty pervasive part of the human condition. But I agree whole-heartedly that
\nthe way it’s done in comic books is cheap and shallow.<\/p>\n

In fact, it’s one of the major reasons that I feel that super-hero comics
\nare by their very nature a children’s medium, not something that can ever
\nbe handled in a truly adult manner. Because characters who have died come
\nback to life so often, death has no meaning whatsoever.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1228, from switch, 664 chars, Tue Jun 7 22:28:34 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1227.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThis only holds true for Marvel and DC, really. For that matter, it only
\nholds true for bad Marvel and DC comics. When Jean Grey died, there wasn’t
\nreally a precedent within the series for people who were certifiably dead
\nto come back. Sure, there was the usual villain-presumed-dead-but-escaped-
\nin-time, but that’s an old adventure cliche. In the case of Jean Grey, she
\nwas *atomized*, and then came back to life ten years later.<\/p>\n

What’s the point? As Peter David said in the afterword for the “Death of
\nJean DeWolff” TPB, he had a hard time dealing with fans who said, “So when
\nis Jean DeWolff coming back?” Hey, he says, she’s dead. Deal with it.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1229, from hmccracken, 189 chars, Tue Jun 7 22:37:30 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1228.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI just had another piece of evidence that coming-back-to-life is everywhere: I
\njust saw the late Colonel Harland Sanders touting the wonders of Kentucky Fried
\nChicken in a TV ad.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1230, from switch, 23 chars, Wed Jun 8 20:01:30 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1229.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1229.
\n————————–
\nAaaaaaaaaughh!!!<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1231, from dgh, 136 chars, Thu Jun 9 02:32:23 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1229.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1229.
\n————————–
\nAnd then there’s the “Proof that JFK Lives” on the cover of that B&W tabloid
\nthat purports to be a science journal.
\n\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1232, from kipw, 420 chars, Thu Jun 9 20:00:04 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1229.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1229.
\n————————–
\nDeath in Marvel-land:
\nI drew a cartoon once of a writer asking Stan Lee “Uh, Stan… we
\nhad the villain blown up and atomized, then the atoms were neutralized
\nand broken down, and their constituent quarks dispersed to all the
\nfarthest reaches of the galaxy, and sent to all different times.
\nI was wondering… are we going to kill him off?” And Stan says,
\n“Nah, let’s just leave it hanging like that.”
\n –Krazy Kip<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1233, from dgh, 37 chars, Fri Jun 10 03:58:16 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1232.
\n————————–
\nThat’s *choice*!
\n\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1234, from robairmackey, 430 chars, Sun Jun 12 21:57:54 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1229.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI believe the ad you refer to originally ran in 1979. This was a year before
\nHarlan kicked the–er, bucket. But it’s generic, KFC will always stand for
\nthe things the Colonel espoused.
\n A month or so back, they ran an ad with the fake Colonel, and this may
\nhave been a make good for his estate.
\n Lake Edna may come and go, but the Colonel endures.
\n –Robair<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1235, from hmccracken, 544 chars, Sun Jun 12 23:12:09 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1234.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nNope, this Colonel Sanders that I was talking about is the actor, who
\nspouts 90s-style stuff about how his chicken brings together families who
\ndon’t get to see each other much. He also boasts of the quality of several
\nKFC products that weren’t even devised until years after the real Col. had
\ndied.<\/p>\n

I’ll bet that KFC wishes they had thought of using an actor posing as the
\nColonel years ago. The real McCoy (er, Sanders) was fond of speaking
\nunfavorably of the quality of KFC in the years after he sold the chain in
\nthe mid-1960s.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1236, from robairmackey, 710 chars, Mon Jun 13 21:59:28 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Comic Strip TV Dad Dies
\nA television actor known for his dead-on portrayal of a comic strip dad
\nhas died in Los Angeles: Herbert Anderson, 79, played Henry Mitchell,
\nfather of firebrand wunderkind Dennis Mitchell on TV’s “Dennis the
\nMenace”. He died in his sleep Sunday after suffering a stroke two months
\nago.
\n Watching “Dennis the Menace” was always enjoyable because of
\nAnderson’s uncanny resemblance to Hank Ketcham’s rendering of Henry
\nMitchell (actually based on Ketcham). I did not enjoy the last episodes
\nwhere Dennis was almost a pre-teen, though. (I think Anderson had a part
\nin one of the “Dennis” live-action specials.)
\n –Robair<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1237, from kipw, 266 chars, Mon Jun 20 20:45:45 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1235.
\n————————–
\nTwo of my sisters met Col. Harland Sanders when they were working in
\nFood Service at Colorado State University in the early-mid 70s. They
\nreport that he displayed an interest in them that was not at all
\ngrandfatherly. I think they were serving chicken, too.
\n–Kip<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1238, from davemackey, 563 chars, Wed Jul 6 11:01:27 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Obituary: Alfred Harvey
\nThe man behind Harvey Famous Comics, Alfred Harvey, died July 4, 1994
\nin New Rochelle, NY, of heart failure at the age of 80.
\n Harvey’s company published a variety of titles, including “Richie
\nRich”, “Little Dot”, “Little Lotta”, and “Sad Sack.” They also acquired
\nthe comic book rights to the Paramount Pictures cartoon characters Casper,
\nLittle Audrey, Herman And Katnip, and Baby Huey, eventually acquiring
\nthe characters and films themselves.
\n Mr. Harvey retired in 1982.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1239, from jgoddin, 366 chars, Sun Jul 31 02:26:27 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: ComiCon
\nAnyone here going to attend ComiCon?? Aug 4-7 in San Diego?? It is
\ntheir 25th anniversary and they have a few special things planned.
\nIf so, please let me know and maybe we can do a BIX Bash!! I will
\nbe working with the folks in Artist’s Alley and helping with the
\ncharity auction. Sure hope I can get away long enough to attend a
\nfew panels too!! <\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1240, from linkster, 124 chars, Sun Jul 31 10:14:00 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1239.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1239.
\n————————–
\nI’d *like* to go, but can’t afford it right now. Make sure you treat
\nthe inhabitants of artist alley right. <\/p>\n

LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1241, from switch, 126 chars, Sun Jul 31 11:20:04 1994
\n————————–
\nThe transcript of our CBIX with comics creator Brian Bendis is now available
\nin \/listings. Check \/about.listings #180.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1242, from hmccracken, 187 chars, Sun Jul 31 11:46:05 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1239.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1239.
\n————————–
\n*sigh* I’d like to go, but I’ll be in Boston at Macworld Expo instead.
\nMaybe next year! It’s a great convention for anyone interested in
\ncomics, animation, or related subjects.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1243, from linkster, 256 chars, Sun Jul 31 22:39:09 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The Mask
\nJust got back from seeing it. Extremely funny. The whole crowd was laughing
\nhard several times. The expanded a bit from the comic, but it’s faithful
\nto the spirit of the book, but the violent nature of the mask is toned done.<\/p>\n

LIn<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1244, from linkster, 158 chars, Sun Jul 31 22:40:33 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Brian Bendis Update
\nBrian did not get the assignment for _Batman_Adventures_. He said “It’s like
\nHollywood. The love me, they hate me.” <\/p>\n

LInk<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1245, from dgh, 152 chars, Tue Aug 2 02:33:51 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1243.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI was going to go see it, regardless of any and all reviews, but it’s nice
\nto know ahead of time that I’m going to enjoy it!
\n ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1246, from switch, 60 chars, Tue Aug 2 14:01:05 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1245.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI’m checking it out in four hours. It should be fun!<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1247, from dgh, 174 chars, Wed Aug 3 01:16:48 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1246.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nFun, fun, fun! That it was. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry (well, maybe from
\nlaughing), you’ll laugh some more. There was even a smattering of applause
\nat the more clever bits.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1248, from switch, 81 chars, Wed Aug 3 08:52:26 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1247.
\n————————–
\nYep! It was certainly enjoyable. (More detailed posting to come later \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1249, from davemackey, 298 chars, Sat Aug 6 17:54:34 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Archie Andrews: One Woman Man?
\nNews reports of late note that Archie Andrews, involved for almost
\nfifty years in a love triangle with Betty and Veronica, is going to
\ntry monogamy for a change. Will it be with Betty? Or Veronica?
\nOr a new chick?
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1250, from switch, 13 chars, Sun Aug 7 10:51:54 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1249.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1249.
\n————————–
\nMidge!<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1251, from robairmackey, 263 chars, Mon Aug 8 22:19:52 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1250.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1250.
\n————————–
\nWell, he could do the Michael Jackstone thing and date Li’l Jinx…better
\nyet, I think Ethel Muggs is the gal for him.
\n The press release for the Archie developments was put out by Paul
\nCastiglia, who remodeled the Little Archie characters three years back.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1252, from davemackey, 172 chars, Tue Aug 9 20:59:34 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1250.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nLook Out! Here comes Big Moose, and he’s got an loaded automatic… those
\nchecks on Archie’s head are now beginning to resemble crosshairs!
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1253, from hmccracken, 445 chars, Tue Aug 9 21:47:42 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1252.
\n————————–
\nI’m all in favor of convervative family values, but I hope that Archie
\ngoes on dating both Betty and Veronica for the next fifty years or more.
\nThat love triangle is the core of Archie’s whole appeal, as far as I’m
\nconcerned, and I wouldn’t want to see it tampered with permanently.
\nIt’s like the Superman myth — a sort of similiar triangle, except it
\nonly includes two people. DC Comics keeps fiddling with that, and it
\nnever works.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1254, from hmccracken, 1625 chars, Fri Aug 19 21:24:34 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Comicsville, USA?
\nYears ago, I heard — I don’t remember where — that San Antonio was the
\nbest newspaper comics city in the country. There were two papers, and both
\nhad enormous daily and Sunday comics sections, or so I was told.<\/p>\n

Despite my enthusiasm for the funnies, I managed never to actually see either
\nof the papers — odd, considering that I used to gorge on comics in the
\nBoston Public Library’s enormous and comprehensive newspaper reading room,
\nand that I often visit the Out of Town newsstand in Harvard Square, which
\nI’m sure has the San Antonio papers.<\/p>\n

But last week, a friend visited Texas, and when she asked me if I’d like a
\ngift, I knew what to ask for. She brought me a copy of last Thursday’s
\n_San Antonio Express-News_ — she couldn’t find the other paper. <\/p>\n

Here’s its lineup, which takes up five tabloid-sized pages:<\/p>\n

Peanuts
\nBlondie
\nBroom-Hilda
\nLuann
\nTumbleweeds
\nAndy Capp
\nCurtis
\nCathy
\nDick Tracy
\nBC
\nBeetle Bailey
\nWizard of Id
\nSnuffy Smith
\nTiger
\nCalvin and Hobbes
\nHi and Lois
\nGarfield
\nMother Goose and Grimm
\nFrank and Ernest
\nHenry
\nFred Basset
\nWilly and Ethel
\nTrudy
\nHazel
\nThe Far Side
\nThe Quigmans
\nBelieve it or Not
\nFor Better or Worse
\nHagar the Horrible
\nThe Born Loser
\nSally Forth
\nMomma
\nMarvin
\nRose is Rose
\nSpider-Man
\nBringing Up Father
\nOne Big Happy
\nGeech
\nShoe
\nCrock
\nErnie
\nDennis the Menace
\nThe Family Circus
\nThe Lockhorns
\nMarmaduke<\/p>\n

Whew! Come to think of it, there aren’t a whole lot of major strips that
\naren’t on that list — I wonder if maybe the two papers I heard of were
\nthe Express and the News, and they merged and kept all the comics?<\/p>\n

Any San Antonians out there know?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1255, from hmccracken, 142 chars, Fri Aug 19 21:26:32 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1239.
\n————————–
\nJean, if you’re reading this: now that the San Diego Con has come and
\ngone, how about a report for those of us who couldn’t attend?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1256, from hmccracken, 275 chars, Sat Aug 27 00:41:54 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Whither _Strips_?
\nI’ve been looking for _Strips_ — the weekly newspaper that publishes
\nnothing but comic strips — at my local newsstands lately, but haven’t
\nfound it. Does anyone know if it is, or isn’t, still extant? It
\nwould be a shame if it has folded.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1257, from switch, 77 chars, Sat Aug 27 22:10:16 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1256.
\n————————–
\n…especially since I’ve been thinking of getting a subscription soon.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1258, from switch, 242 chars, Sun Aug 28 00:36:28 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Mondo Popeye
\nI’ve got a bunch of back issues of _Strips_ I’m meaning to throw out, but I’d
\nlike to avoid losing certain cartoons, if possible… does anyone know if there
\nare any compilations of Bobby London’s _Popeye_ in print?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1259, from hmccracken, 69 chars, Sun Aug 28 10:56:44 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1258.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nDo you have _Mondo Popeye_? That’s the only one I know of.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1260, from switch, 60 chars, Sun Aug 28 12:45:16 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1259.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI don’t have any, I’m afraid.<\/p>\n

Time to go shopping…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1261, from hmccracken, 355 chars, Sun Aug 28 16:12:34 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1260.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI liked London’s _Dirty Duck_ (a _National Lamptoon_ strip drawn in such
\nloving imitation of Herriman that the _World Encyclopedia of Comics_
\naccidentally printed a _Dirty Duck_ strip as an example of _Krazy
\nKat_!). But his _Popeye_ never did much for me. Its art was too
\nrushed looking, and its stories too free-form and hamfistedly
\n“topical.”
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1262, from switch, 115 chars, Sun Aug 28 18:14:22 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1261.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1261.
\n————————–
\n_Dirty Duck_ was my first introduction to London. I wonder if those are out
\nin book form?<\/p>\n

…probably not.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1263, from hmccracken, 217 chars, Sun Aug 28 18:34:12 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1262.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI think NatLamp may have published a paperback, but it would have been
\ntwenty or more years ago. There was also a _Dirty Duck_ theatrical cartoon,
\nbut it had little or nothing to do with London’s creations.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1264, from switch, 98 chars, Sun Aug 28 19:01:52 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1263.
\n————————–
\n_Playboy_ ran _DD_ up until the early 80’s. Did London move, or were they
\njust reprinting?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1265, from kipw, 1029 chars, Mon Sep 5 19:36:29 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1261.
\n————————–
\nThe “Dirty Duck” strip that was mistakenly reprinted in “The World
\nEncyclopedia of Comics” bore more than a generic resemblance to the
\n“Krazy Kat” strip the editors took it for. Bobby London robbed Herriman
\nwholesale on that one. If we compare the Duck strip (p 437 of the
\nEncyclopedia) with the Kat strip (p 173 of McDonnell’s Krazy Kat book),
\nwe find that London basically ripped off the top half of the strip with
\nlittle or no alteration. While keeping the same layout, he replaced the
\nfirst two panels with originals (or, considering London’s “taking ways,”
\nperhaps he merely swiped them from somewhere else). The third panel, which
\nfinishes the top row is slightly changed from the original. The remaining
\npanels, seven in all, two thirds of the strip, are apparently line-for-line
\nfacsimiles of the June 18, 1922 Krazy Kat, with the narration below changed
\nby London to form a vaguely off-color joke. Inspiration, to Bobby London,
\nseems to have about the same meaning as the word “tribute” does to Ralph
\nBakshi.
\n–Kip<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1266, from davemackey, 726 chars, Mon Sep 12 21:39:01 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Mickey Spillane on the funny pages?
\nSort of. The most popular crime novelist of all time has created a new comic
\nstrip called “Mike Danger.” It’s about a detective who wakes up after 100
\nyears in a cryogenic state. He is assisted by a hologram who resembles his
\nformer secretary and girlfriend.
\n The strip will be scripted by Max Allan Collins, himself a highly
\nregarded detective novelist with many books to his credit. For the comics,
\nhe’s written “Dick Tracy” and created “Ms. Tree”. It will be drawn by Keith
\nGiffen, who has worked on projects as diverse as “The Justice League Of
\nAmerica” and “Ambush Bug”.
\n “Mike Danger” makes his funny page debut on Sunday, September 18.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1267, from hmccracken, 454 chars, Mon Sep 12 23:02:34 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1266.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1266.
\n————————–
\nThat’s interesting — serious (or semi-serious) comic strips have been
\nfew and far between for many years, and most of those that have come
\nalong have been short-lived ones based on licensed properties. I can’t
\nthink of what the last dramatic strip was.<\/p>\n

Spillane, of course, wrote comics and text stories for comic books
\nearly in his career, including some work on the _Sub-Mariner_
\ncomic.<\/p>\n

(There was a _Mike Hammer_ strip at one time, too.)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1268, from dgh, 256 chars, Tue Sep 13 00:26:04 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1266.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1266.
\n————————–
\nAlright! One of my favorite comic book writers and one of my favorite comic
\nbook artists collaborating on a newspaper comic strip. It’s almost enough
\nto tempt me to buy a newspaper. I eagerly await the first compilation into
\na book.
\n\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1269, from davemackey, 369 chars, Thu Sep 15 22:02:11 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1268.
\n————————–
\nI used to love “Ms. Tree” — I think Terry Beatty’s stiff artwork was a good
\nmatch for the taut dialogue and gripping storylines. And Keith Giffen can be
\nan absolute nut sometimes.
\n The Asbury Park Press is going to carry the strip, and they’re one of
\nthe more progressive papers in the country when it comes to breaking new
\ncomics.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1270, from hmccracken, 452 chars, Thu Sep 29 09:08:08 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: You Can’t Fight Wal-Mart
\n…At least not in Arkansas, and at least not if you’re Garry Trudeau.
\nThe _Northwest Arkansas Times_, a Fayetteville, Ar. newspaper, has declined
\nto print _Doonesbury_’s current strips, which deal with protests against
\nthe building of a Wal-Mart discount house. The paper is located near
\nthe headquarters of the retailing giant.<\/p>\n

The newspaper is making the deleted strips available at its office and
\nby fax.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1271, from hmccracken, 623 chars, Mon Oct 3 23:53:07 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Au Revoir, The Far Side
\nGary Larson, creator of _The Far Side_ — one of the most popular and oft-imitated
\nnewspaper comics of the 1980s — has announced his retirement. His last _Far
\nSide_ will appear on January 1st, 1995. Larson had already been working a reduced
\nschedule, and several _Far Sides_ each week have been reprints for several
\nyears.<\/p>\n

No word yet on whether the panel will disappear completely from newspapers, but
\nit’s probably safe to say that Larson won’t been turning his pen over to
\nanother cartoonist. I suppose it is possible, though, that _Far Side_ reprints
\nwill continue to appear.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1272, from switch, 285 chars, Tue Oct 4 21:48:52 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1271.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAlso, the _Far Side_ TV special has been completed by International
\nRocketship, and I believe is slated for a Hallowe’en appearance.<\/p>\n

It’s a shame about the strip, but I suppose it’s better for him to retire
\nwhen he feels it’s time, rather than continue when we’re tired of it.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1273, from hkenner, 315 chars, Tue Oct 4 22:14:32 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1272.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nBetter by far. On the other hand, there’s the startling example of
\nChas Schultz, after — how many years? Charlie Brown and Snoopy
\nseem no less inspired than they were 30-odd years ago. <\/p>\n

But comic artists seem to burn out faster these days. Berke Breathed.
\nAnd (my prediction) Calvin & Hobbes’s Waterson. …<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1274, from hmccracken, 748 chars, Tue Oct 4 22:33:02 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1273.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nSchulz just marked his forty-fourth year of doing _Peanuts_ — two
\ndays ago, as a matter of fact. While I think Schulz hit his peak in
\nthe 1960s, it’s impressive that he’s still at the drawing board,
\ndoing the entire strip without assistants. It’s obviously not for
\nthe money, so it must be a labor of love.<\/p>\n

One reason why cartoonists seem to burn out more these days (and I’m
\nsure you’re correct that Watterson will retire at some point) is that
\nthe use of assistants and ghosts is not quite as pervasive as it once
\nwas. Chic Young is famous for having done _Blondie_ for more than forty
\nyears, but he handed virtually the entire strip over to ghosts very,
\nvery early on. Watterson, Larson, and Breathed, clearly, would never
\ndo that.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1275, from davemackey, 250 chars, Wed Oct 26 19:15:36 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1274.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAnd in a related development, Hank Ketcham has just announced that he is
\ngoing to stop drawing the daily “Dennis The Menace” and hand it off to an
\nassistant. (He hasn’t drawn the Sunday strip for quite some time now.)
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1276, from hmccracken, 415 chars, Wed Oct 26 22:02:27 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1275.
\n————————–
\nReally? I’ll miss it. For all of Ketcham’s success, he’s rarely gotten the
\npraise he deserves as an artist. At his best, he’s a brilliant stylist
\nwith an uncanny ability to know just which lines he can leave out of a
\ndrawing.<\/p>\n

I’ve heard tell that Ketcham has taken up serious painting recently —
\nin fact, he’s going to have an exhibition in Boston in the near
\nfuture. I plan on filing a report for BIX.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1277, from davemackey, 363 chars, Thu Oct 27 22:36:40 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1251.
\n————————–
\nThe book’s been out for some time now, and in case somebody doesn’t want to
\nread a spoiler, bail out now….
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\n–
\nArchie’s new steady girlfriend is (ta-da!) Cheryl Blossom.
\n Incidentally, Castiglia is another of those online comics people: he’s
\n75********@co********.c<\/span>om<\/span>.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1278, from davemackey, 229 chars, Tue Nov 1 18:16:01 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1266.
\n————————–
\nThe strip has not been in papers five weeks, and already there’s been a
\nchange of artist.
\n Keith Giffen has been replaced as artist of “Mike Danger” by another
\ncomics-page veteran, Joe Staton.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1279, from hmccracken, 375 chars, Fri Nov 4 13:46:09 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Marvelbu
\nMarvel Comics has acquired Malibu Comics, one of the most successful
\nof the smaller, “independent” comic book publishers of recent years.
\n(Somebody help me: what are some of their titles?)<\/p>\n

Along with a popular line of comics, Marvel gains what is said to be
\none of the most advanced computerized coloring systems in the comics
\npublishing business.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1280, from dgh, 329 chars, Fri Nov 4 20:21:35 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1279.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nRatman and Protectors leap to mind. Malibu also prints the Ultraverse
\ntitles, which include The Solution, Solitaire, Mantra, Freex, Hardcase,
\nPrime, Prototype, The Strangers, and two or three others.<\/p>\n

To me, this is VERY BAD NEWS. Do you have at least two sources for this
\nnews? I’m loathe to believe it!<\/p>\n

\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1281, from hmccracken, 206 chars, Sun Nov 6 21:34:52 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1280.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nSorry to disappoin you, but it seems to be true. It was reported in
\nthe _Wall Street Journal_ last week.<\/p>\n

In theory, at least, Malibu will operate as a completely independent
\ndivision of Marvel.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1282, from jjanney, 138 chars, Tue Nov 8 21:54:16 1994
\n————————–
\nTitle: Overboard<\/p>\n

I love those sea monsters that show up now and then in Overboard.
\nThey look like something out of William Hope Hodgson.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1283, from dgh, 310 chars, Wed Nov 9 03:26:29 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1281.
\n————————–
\nI also heard about it in the COMICS forum on CompuServe. The Bravura
\nimprint should remain unchanged, because Malibu is only part-owner of that
\nline. Any changes or additions to the Bravura line-up requires approval
\nfrom the creators who created the Bravura line (with help from Malibu).
\n\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1284, from dgh, 797 chars, Wed Nov 9 03:26:36 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The Carton History of the Universe II
\nI picked up the second book in Lary Gonick’s Cartoon History of the Universe
\nseries (it contains volumes 8-13, “From the Springtime of China to the Fall
\nof Rome”). I’ve had book I for years and this one is almost as good (which
\nmeans that it’s spectacularly good, instead of being exceptionally good).
\nI’m about half-way through it and am enjoying it very much.<\/p>\n

In case you’re wondering just how condensed this history is, I’ll quote from
\nthe first panel on p. 136: “The Chu army was running out of FOOD* and Hsiang
\nYu rode off to solve the problem PERSONALLY.” And the footnote reads “*I
\nwish I had the space to explain why!” So do I, because Chu’s army was
\nlaying seige to a city, so they should have had easy access to food!
\n\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1285, from hmccracken, 148 chars, Wed Nov 9 10:41:05 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1284.
\n————————–
\nI’ve heard that Gonick’s Cartoon Histories have been turned into
\na CD-ROM, which is supposed to be excellent. Haven’t seen it yet
\nmyself.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1286, from hmccracken, 607 chars, Sat Nov 19 22:01:13 1994
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: _Strips_
\nAwhile back, I asked if _Strips_, the newspaper which carries nothing but
\ncomics, was still around. I recently picked up the September issue, and
\nwhile I’m not positive that the October or November issues have been
\npublished, it’s a good sign. _Strips_ still carries everything from
\n_Calvin and Hobbes_ to _Bringing Up Father_, and it’s now available in
\nboth weekly and monthly editions. The weekly version is $48 a year;
\nthe monthly is the same price. For $2 extra, a weekly version which also
\nincludes 100 editorial cartoons is also available. The order line is
\n(703) 764-0496.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1287, from switch, 91 chars, Sun Nov 20 14:28:47 1994
\nThis is a comment to message 1286.
\n————————–
\nIt is still out. A magazine store not two minutes away still has it on the
\nshelves.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1288, from hmccracken, 272 chars, Tue Nov 29 22:25:28 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Now in your local comics pages…
\nor mine, anyhow, is a comic-strip version of Disney’s _The Lion King_.
\nIt may be a seasonal special; Disney has traditionally offered a comic
\nstrip with a holiday theme that runs between Thanksgiving and Christmas or so.
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1289, from hmccracken, 681 chars, Mon Dec 5 19:09:20 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The Return of the Dragon Lady!
\nThe TMS newspaper syndicate is reviving _Terry and the Pirates_, Milt Caniff’s
\nclassic action comic strip. I haven’t seen any samples, but the storylines are
\nby Michael Uslan and the art is by the excellent Hildebrandt brothers.<\/p>\n

Dramatic comic strips aren’t just a dying breed anymore; they’re *dead*, except
\nfor a few stalwarts. The new _Terry_ sounds promising, and I hope it starts
\na resurgence of interest in comics that don’t simply try to dispense a gag
\neach day.<\/p>\n

After Caniff left _Terry_ to start _Steve Canyon_, by the way, it
\ncontinued to run quite successfully until 1973, written and drawn by the
\nlate George Wunder.<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1290, from hmccracken, 492 chars, Thu Dec 15 21:10:16 1994
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Zippy Meets Jeffy
\n_Zippy the Pinhead_ is currently running a particularly weird sequence
\nin which everyone’s favorite circus freak meets Bill, Thel, Jeffy, Billy,
\nDolly, and PJ — better known as the Family Circus. This series appears
\nto be at least semi-authorized, and possibly a collaboration between
\nBill Griffith and Bil Keane, creator of the Family; it carries Keane’s
\ncopyright and signature. (Both Zippy and the Family Circus have the same
\nsyndicate: King Features.)
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1291, from davemackey, 225 chars, Fri Jan 13 19:00:18 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The Wolf and The Girl in The Comics…
\nDark Horse has announced a new comic which features Tex Avery’s classic
\ncreations, The Wolf and Red Hot Riding Hood. First issue will be in April.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1292, from hmccracken, 100 chars, Fri Jan 13 21:46:49 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1291.
\n————————–
\nEeek! Any word on who’s doin ng it? (I assume it’s not Preston
\nBlair — but it should be.)
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1293, from hmccracken, 442 chars, Fri Jan 13 23:37:44 1995
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Outland No More
\nI reported here some weeks ago that Berkeley Breathed was
\nconsidering retiring his _Outland_ comic strip — and it’s
\nhappened. The last _Outland_ will appear on Sunday, March 26th.<\/p>\n

_Outland_ is, of course, the follow-up to Breathed’s great
\n_Bloom County_. With luck, Breathed’s other ventures —
\nincluding books, computer software, and movies — will
\nflourish. I’d hate to think I’d never see his work again.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1294, from davemackey, 562 chars, Sat Jan 14 16:20:58 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1249.
\n————————–
\nAs most all of comics fandom knows by now, Archie chose neither Betty nor
\nVeronica, but the prep-school babe, Cheryl Blossom. (You may remember Cheryl
\nand her brother Jason from their appearances in the Archie continuity in the
\n1980’s.)
\n The whole “Love Showdown” arc, as it’s called, has been reissued in a
\nspecial edition selling for $2.00, and a more deluxe $4.95 version.
\n For her part, Cheryl Blossom is getting a couple of one-shots (first of
\nwhich is due out February 7) and a four-issue miniseries thrown her way.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1295, from hmccracken, 2245 chars, Sat Mar 11 15:48:06 1995
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Remembrance of Comics Past
\nI recently picked up some copies of Boston newspapers from 1974, and
\nam having a wonderful, nostalgic time looking through them. Of course,
\nI’m reading the comics pages — and am struck by the almost complete
\nturnover that’s happened in the past two decades.<\/p>\n

For instance, on October 11th, 1973, the _Boston Herald American_ had
\nthe following comics:<\/p>\n

_Peanuts_
\n_Catfish_
\n_On Stage_
\n_Dick Tracy_
\n_Winnie Winkle_
\n_Gasoline Alley_
\n_Louie_
\n_Quincy_
\n_Mixed Singles_
\n_Hagar the Horrible_
\n_Blondie_
\n_Marmaduke_
\n_Buz Sawyer_
\n_Half Hitch_
\n_Beetle Bailey_
\n_Steve Canyon_
\n_Tiger_
\n_The Phantom_
\n_Animal Crackers_
\n_Dooley’s World_
\n_Bringing Up Father_
\n_They’ll Do It Every Time_
\n_Grafitti_
\n_Moon Mullins_
\n_Redeye_
\n_Brenda Starr_
\n_Little Orphan Annie_
\n_Nancy_
\n_Dondi_
\n_Archie_
\n_Hi and Lois_
\n_The Dropouts_
\n_Boner’s Ark_
\n_Snuffy Smith_<\/p>\n

Of that lineup (which was artificially large as the result of several
\nmergers with other papers), I think today’s _Herald_ still carries
\n_Peanuts_, _Dick Tracy_, _Blondie_, _Winnie Winkle_, _Hagar_, _Blondie_,
\n_Marmaduke_, _They’ll Do It Every Time_, _Brenda Starr_, and _Nancy_.<\/p>\n

Actually, that’s not too bad compared to the _Boston Globe_, which carried
\nthe following strips as of January 25th, 1973:<\/p>\n

_Doonesbury_
\n_Pogo_
\n_Steve Roper_
\n_The Jackson Twins_
\n_The Smith Family_
\n_Apartment 3-G_
\n_Momma_
\n_Broom Hilda_
\n_Plain Jane_
\n_The Wizard of Id_
\n_Li’l Abner_
\n_Mark Trail_
\n_Tumbleweeds_
\n_Grin and Bear It_
\n_Dennis the Menace_
\n_Ziggy_
\n_Mutt and Jeff_
\n_Andy Capp_
\n_Judge Parker_
\n_Fred Basset_
\n_Funky Winkerbean_
\n_Rex Morgan MD_
\n_BC_
\n_The Flintstones_
\n_Kelly_
\n_Lil Ones_<\/p>\n

Of all those strips, only _Doonesbury_ has been in the _Globe_ ever since.
\nHowever, many of the strips that are no longer in the paper — including
\n_Dennis the Menace_, _Fred Basset_, _BC_, _The Wizard of Id_, and others —
\nswitched en masse to the _Herald_ in the mid-1980s as a result of Rupert
\nMurdoch’s purchase of the Field syndicate, and they’re still running in
\nthe _Herald_.<\/p>\n

Also, the _Globe_, more than the_Herald_, ran a lot of strips that have
\nbeen discontinued: _Pogo_, _The Jackson Twins_, _Plain Jane_, _Li’l
\nAbner_, _The Flintstones_, _Kelly_, and _Mutt and Jeff_ are all no longer
\nwith us.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1296, from hmccracken, 2606 chars, Sun Mar 12 21:55:06 1995
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Nancy, Charlie Brown, and Brenda Starr — Survivors
\nBesides buying those 1973\/1974 newspapers, I bought a copy of the
\nNovember 26th, 1963 _Boston Herald_ — a very sad, very historical
\none that reports on John F. Kennedy’s funeral.<\/p>\n

Nearly everything in the paper deals with the assasination, of course,
\nexcept for the ads — which are mainly Thanksgiving- and Christmas-themed,
\nand eerily out of place — and the comics section.<\/p>\n

Naturally, the comics were drawn weeks before the tragedy, and make no
\nreference to it. (_Little Orphan Annie_, in fact, involves a gunfight
\nin the street in which a hero (not Annie or Sandy) riding in a car
\nmiraculously avoids being struck by a bullet — I’m amazed that the syndicate
\ndidn’t pull the sequence.)<\/p>\n

The fact that comic strips are produced so long in advance has always worked
\nagainst them being very topical, with rare exceptions such as _Pogo_ and
\n_Doonesbury_ (the latter of which has a much shorter deadline than most
\nstrips). <\/p>\n

But in those rare instances when comic-strip sequences involve the
\nPresident of the United States, they always risk unforseen real-world
\nevents getting in the way. A few years ago, Jerry Dumas and Mort Drucker
\ndid a rather enjoyable strip called _Benchley_, about a lower-level White
\nHouse administrator, that was built mainly around Reagan jokes. At the
\ntime, I read an article by Dumas in which he said the syndicate was
\nnervous about what would happen to the strip if Reagan was defeated in his
\nbid for re-election. Perhaps he was simply being discreeet, but he did not
\nbring up other possible events that would have been far more problematic
\nfor the strip, like the President’s unexpected illness or death. (Neither
\nof those happened, thank goodness, but I wonder if the possibility of such
\nhappenings had anything to do with _Benchley_’s brief existence.)<\/p>\n

Anyhow, I’ve gotten off the topic I meant to discuss here, which was to
\nreport on the strips that the _Herald_ offered back in 1963. Here they are:<\/p>\n

_Peanuts_
\n_Ceasar_
\n_The Flintstones_
\n_Abbie an’ Slats_
\n_Nancy_
\n_Ferd’nand_
\n_Gordo_
\n_Brenda Starr_
\n_Dixie Dugan_
\n_Smilin’ Jack_
\n_Ching Chow_
\n_Will-yum_
\n_Pogo_
\n_Mark Trail_
\n_Moon Mullins_
\n_Mickey Finn_
\n_Aggie Mack_
\n_Terry and the Pirates_
\n_The Jackson Twins_
\n_Little Orphan Annie_
\n_This Funny World_<\/p>\n

Not only are most of these strips no longer in the _Herald_ — most of them
\naren’t in existence at all anymore. However, _Nancy_, _Peanuts_, and
\n_Brenda Starr_ are still in the _Herald_ every morning, and _Peanuts_
\nis still even drawn by the same artist. (Charles Schulz, as if I had to
\ntell you.)<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1297, from hmccracken, 477 chars, Sun Mar 12 21:57:25 1995
\n————————–
\nTITLE: And Speaking of Brenda Starr…
\nI’ve heard that the U.S. Post Office is still deciding whether a particular
\nstamp in its upcoming comic-strip series should feature Pogo or Brenda.
\nI have nothing against Brenda — she’s one of my favorite comic-strip
\nreporters — but if these stamps don’t include one that honors Pogo,
\nthey’ll be a travesty. For my money, Walt Kelly is the greatest cartoonist
\nof them all — and one of the greatest American humorists, period.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1298, from jjanney, 506 chars, Sat Apr 1 14:35:33 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Terry and the Pirates<\/p>\n

showed up for a few days this week in the Salt Lake Tribune, perhaps
\nby mistake: it was gone again Friday and Saturday. The Tribune
\ndoesn’t print the authors’ names for comic strips, but the signatures
\ninside say Uslan and Hildebrandt. I never saw the original version,
\nso I don’t know if this is something new or if they’re re-running the
\noriginal version, as was done with Li’l Abner a few years ago.<\/p>\n

There is a WWW address listed:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/comicspage.jvnc.net\/terry\/<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1299, from hkenner, 426 chars, Sat Apr 1 15:15:31 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1298.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThe *original* version of “Terry & the Pirates”, way back in the
\n30’s (can it have been?) was written, drawn & signed by Milton Caniff.
\nCaniff much later moved to another syndicate for a better deal but
\ncouldn’t bring Terry with him. So he created a clone called Steve
\nCanyon, and the Terry bosses continued the strip with substitutes
\nwhose names I never knew. Uslan & Hildebrandt? They are maybe
\n3rd generation. …
\n–HK<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1300, from hmccracken, 706 chars, Sat Apr 1 18:03:28 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1299.
\n————————–
\nThis is a new version of _Terry_ that was just launched, in conjunction
\nwith a planned TV series. Uslan is the writer, Michael Uslan (best known
\nas a co-producer of the _Batman_ and _Swamp Thing_ movies); Hildebrandt
\nis the artists, the Hildrebrandt Brothers (well-known fantasy artists,
\nresponsible for the _Star Wars_ movie poster and many other projects).<\/p>\n

We don’t seem to be getting the strip here in Boston, but I’ve seen
\na few samples that aren’t very impressive. Terry has been modernized
\nand punked up (as has the Dragon Lady), and the art isn’t that great.
\nThe Hildebrandts are fine painters, but it looks like they need to
\nget used to the restrictive format of a daily newspaper strip.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1301, from jjanney, 148 chars, Wed Apr 5 00:57:11 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: I don’t think so<\/p>\n

Whoever is drawing _Gasoline Alley_ these days doesn’t know what he’s
\ndoing. “Remember when Rover was in diapers” indeed!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1302, from hmccracken, 300 chars, Wed Apr 5 09:03:59 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1301.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1301.
\n————————–
\nI haven’t seen _GA_ lately, but last time I checked up on it, it
\nwas drawn by Jim Scancarelli but written by Mark Cohen (who doesn’t
\nget credited). In any event, both of these gentlemen should know
\nthat Rover did not come into Slim and Clovia’s life until he was
\nwell past the diaper stage.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1303, from davemackey, 252 chars, Thu Apr 6 23:26:58 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1301.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nJim Scancarelli, who took over the strip upon the death of Dick Moores,
\nsometimes tries to force nostalgia in the strip, and that is one of his major
\nfailings.
\n Jim’s main hobby outside the strip: model railroading.
\n –Dave<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1304, from jjanney, 103 chars, Mon Apr 10 12:28:22 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1303.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nRe: I don’t think so<\/p>\n

After seeing today’s strip, I take it all back .. and am very happy to
\ndo so \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1305, from hmccracken, 59 chars, Mon Apr 10 16:36:46 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1304.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWe don’t get _Gasoline Alley_ here — what’s up?
\n — Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1306, from jjanney, 705 chars, Mon Apr 10 17:57:23 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1305.
\n————————–
\nWell, Rover (who is now a rather unlikeable adolescent) has a new job
\nworking at a diaper factory, where his foreman warns him not to ask
\nany questions about the “boss lady.” The “boss lady” turns out to be
\na plump woman with a cigarette and a wide-brimmed hat, looking very
\nmuch like Rover’s long-lost mother, the con artist.<\/p>\n

I find that I can remember strips from the period when Rover was first
\nintroduced much more vividly than most of what has appeared since
\nthen. It would be nice to get something of that quality again. My
\nall-time favorite is the time Rover got into a fencing match with the
\nhorrible British boy, armed with a lollipop against a cane, and kept
\nscoring points. Ploop! Ploop!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1307, from rmharrold, 118 chars, Wed Apr 19 22:55:55 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: For Better or Worse<\/p>\n

I have not been able to get a paper. Could someone confirm Farley’s death.<\/p>\n

– Robert<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1308, from lkaplan, 385 chars, Thu Apr 20 01:20:02 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1307.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nRe: For Better or Worse
\n>Could someone confirm Farley’s death.<\/p>\n

It has not been stated as such (Wednesday newspaper), but is implied.<\/p>\n

I’d guess that the “real” Farley has passed on, Lynn Johnson’s strip is
\ndrawn (very much so, apparently) from real life.<\/p>\n

This will probably be done as well as Watterson handled the death of a
\nsmall bird in Calvin and Hobbes several years ago.<\/p>\n

-Len<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1309, from rmharrold, 128 chars, Thu Apr 20 20:41:27 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1308.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1308.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

Thanks.<\/p>\n

My understanding is that the *real* Farley died a long time ago.<\/p>\n

*sigh*, I’ll miss Farley. <\/p>\n

– Robert <\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1310, from hmccracken, 547 chars, Thu Apr 20 22:43:48 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1309.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nFarley appears to be a goner, but you never know. Right now, he’s
\nno more dead than all those Disney characters who *seem* to be
\ndead, then spring back to life. But I think that Lynn Johnston
\nprobably has more dramatic integrity than that.<\/p>\n

_For Better or for Worse_ has been around since the late 1970s,
\nand I think Farley has always been in it, and always been a
\ngrown-up dog. If the real Farley only passed away recently, he
\nwas a real geezer (although my parents own a cat who is remarkably
\nspry at the age of 17, so you never know).
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1311, from hmccracken, 126 chars, Thu Apr 20 22:44:30 1995
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Arrrrrrrrrggggggghhhh!
\nIs nothing sacred? Today’s _The Family Circus_ contains a reference
\nto the O.J. trial!
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1312, from hkenner, 80 chars, Fri Apr 21 00:40:28 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1310.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1310.
\n————————–
\nWe to have a 17-year-old cat who could pass for 10. True, you never know.
\n–HK<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1313, from hmccracken, 566 chars, Fri Apr 21 22:14:09 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1308.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWell, it seems to be official. Farley is dead — and the first
\nmajor character in a comic strip to have passed away in many
\nyears, as far as I can remember.<\/p>\n

I don’t think we discussed it here, but the strip _Curtis_ just
\nhad a sequence in which Curtis’s mother was mugged and suffered
\na miscarriage as a result. I think it’s a good thing that
\nwe’re beginning to see newspaper strips strive for some real
\ndrama in this way — it was certainly a staple of the golden
\nage of comics, and something that had disappeared almost entirely
\nin the past few decades.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1314, from rmharrold, 52 chars, Fri Apr 21 22:59:58 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1313.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

How old is Walt in Gasoline Alley?<\/p>\n

– Robert <\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1315, from hmccracken, 328 chars, Fri Apr 21 23:57:50 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1314.
\n————————–
\nWell, he adopted Skeezix when — 1921? Let’s assume that he was
\n21 at the time. That would make him 95 today. That’s obviously
\nnot out of the realm of possibility, but he’s certainly a youthful-
\nlooking 95 year old. What’s more, all of his garage buddies —
\nsome of who seem to be older than he is — are still around.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1316, from kipw, 767 chars, Sun Apr 23 14:18:56 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1310.
\n————————–
\nI imagine Farley is good and dead. _For Better or Worse_ is no Disney
\nfranchise, and Lynn J. has a sort of integrity about the whole thing.
\nAnyway, she’s been telegraphing Farley’s demise for some time. A few
\nmonths back I recall feeling a slight chill on old Farley’s behalf,
\nas the first hints of foreshadowing emerged. “Say, Farley’s gettin’
\nsort of old, isn’t he?” “Yes, but he has a heart as big as all
\noutdoors.” “Look! Here’s a puppy!”
\nWell, even though I made a facetious prediction that in six months
\nthe new puppy would look just like Farley, I really don’t think it
\nwill happen anywhere near that fast. Rather, it will probably happen
\nat about the same pace as reality (which in a comic strip seems like
\ngreased lightning).
\nFarley was a Good Dog.<\/p>\n

–Kip<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1317, from switch, 251 chars, Thu Apr 27 22:10:28 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: I’ve been pretty quiet lately…
\n…due to a sudden upswing in writing contracts and programming deadlines. But
\nI’ve been reading comics in my spare time, to keep from going mad. Has anyone
\nread Vamps, Preacher, or Kill Your Boyfriend?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1318, from dgh, 124 chars, Fri Apr 28 04:23:18 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1317.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI read Vamps. It was an interesting read. I didn’t care much for the art.
\nThe ending was predictable.
\n\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1319, from switch, 285 chars, Sat Apr 29 10:05:17 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1318.
\n————————–
\nI’dhave to agree, except for the part about the art.<\/p>\n

It seemed to me that, for a comic titled “Vamps”, they spent too much time
\ndwelling on Jezz. They might as well have called it “Jezz and the Vamps”.<\/p>\n

It seems they’re leading into a regular series, or a few more miniseries.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1320, from hmccracken, 1111 chars, Sun Apr 30 20:31:52 1995
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Review: _Tex Avery’s Wolf & Red_ #1
\nTex Avery was one of the grandmasters of comic timing in animation,
\nand his Red Riding Hood cartoons were some of the purest expressions
\nof 1940s Hollywood character animation. And maybe that’s why Dark
\nHorse Comics’ new comic book based on the Riding Hood films is so
\ndisappointing: It’s in the wrong medium, and the wrong decade.<\/p>\n

Issue #1 features _Woo-ful Wolf_, a story that involves a cupid
\ncharacter who seems like a rip-off of Baby Herman from _Who
\nFramed Roger Rabbit_. The art isn’t bad, but the plotline doesn’t
\nhave much to do with Avery’s films — which is understandable in
\na way, since Avery only had one basic plot, which would be a problem
\nin a regular comic-book series — and the story doesn’t capture
\nmuch of Avery’s style of humor. Movement, timing, and sound effects
\nplayed such important roles in Avery’s work that the comic’s failure
\nisn’t really surprising. (Too bad that Avery wasn’t around to contribute
\nto this comic, and that Preston Blair, the brilliant animator of Red
\nRiding Hood, didn’t have anything to do with it, either.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1321, from hmccracken, 374 chars, Sat May 6 00:34:26 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Happy Anniversary!
\nToday is the 100th anniversary of the comic strip (out here on the
\nwest coast, anyhow — I mean Friday). Several strips marked the
\nevent today, including _Luann_ and _Mutts_. Anyone know of any
\nothers that celebrated the centennial?<\/p>\n

The *big* celebration will arrive later this year, when the post
\noffice releases its comic-strip stamps.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1322, from jjanney, 178 chars, Sat May 6 11:43:18 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1321.
\n————————–
\nHagar the Horrible
\nBeetle Bailey
\nHi & Lois
\nBlondie
\nDrabble
\nBaby Blues
\nB.C.<\/p>\n

Most of these come right and say “This is the 100th anniversary…”
\nThe last two are a little subtle.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1323, from hmccracken, 628 chars, Mon May 8 03:14:17 1995
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The Comics Stamps
\nI’ve seen reproductions of the stamps (which won’t actually be
\nout until October, I think), and they’re excellent. The Popeye, Nancy, and
\nBlondie ones are particularly good-looking. I’ll certainly be at my post
\noffice on the date of issue to purchase a large supply.<\/p>\n

I’m still dismayed that Pogo didn’t get a stamp — apparently, the
\nselection is limited to characters who first appeared before 1950. Pogo
\nfirst showed up in a comic book in 1942, and was in the New York Star
\nbeginning in 1949 — but I guess they mean that the character had to have
\nappeared in a national newspaper by 1950.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1324, from switch, 188 chars, Fri Jun 30 22:46:59 1995
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Bizarro
\nIt’s been there for months, but I hadn’t noticed it — next to Dan Piraro’s
\nsignature in the daily one-panel cartoon Bizarro is his e-mail address:
\nbi*******@ao*.c<\/span>om<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1325, from hmccracken, 558 chars, Sat Aug 19 23:14:16 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Nancy’s Back
\nFor some years, Ernie Bushmiller’s _Nancy_ has been written and drawn by
\nJerry Scott, who made no attempt to replicate Bushmiller’s art style or
\nhumor. Scott has left _Nancy_ (possibly to concentrate on _Baby Blues_,
\nhis other strip), and his replacements, Guy and Brad Gilchrist, are
\nreturning _Nancy_ to the Bushmiller style.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the _Boston Herald_ dropped _Nancy_ at the same time this
\nhappened, so I haven’t seen its new\/old look. But I’m looking forward to
\nit — has anyone else out there seen the new format?
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1326, from switch, 81 chars, Sat Aug 19 23:17:59 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1325.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI couldn’t help you there, but am I to take it that you’re back in Boston?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1327, from hmccracken, 187 chars, Sun Aug 20 02:29:15 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1326.
\n————————–
\nYup — back in Boston after four months in San Francisco. In a couple of
\nweeks, though, I’ll be back in SF for a few days — my new job has me being
\npretty bicoastal these days.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1328, from switch, 1392 chars, Mon Aug 21 23:03:06 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: New stuff
\nI’m notoriously behind in my comics, so I’ll just mention two that really got
\nmy attention in the last batch I picked up:<\/p>\n

Astro City #1: Kurt Busiek re-examined the Marvel superhero mythos in the
\nMarvels series, by watching the unfolding of the ’60s era of Marvel comics
\nfrom the perspective of ordinary humans. In Astro City, it seems as if he’s
\nlooking at both the DC and Marvel universes, but from the superhero’s side —
\nnot the usual angst-ridden exclamations, but through their innermost thoughts.
\nThe first issue has a Superman-compatible, Samaritan, going through a typical
\nday of saving the world, driven to do the right thing, but despairing of ever
\nhaving any time for a personal life. Good stuff.<\/p>\n

Preacher: Am I the only one who reads this?<\/p>\n

What If… #1: Yep, What If… is having another go-round. They just can’t
\nseem to quit. This first issue, “What If Peter Parker Had to Destroy
\nSpider-Man?” is actually pretty good. It reminds me of the old What If…
\nstories in terms of execution. The artwork (Stuart Immonen — who I don’t
\nknow — and an old favourite, Terry Austin) was very nice. Clean and
\ndynamic. My only problem: Flash Thompson is =completely= out of character
\nfor this one, and he’s the wholebasis of the story! Nrrrgh…<\/p>\n

And the cover says this features “The Final Appearance of The Watcher in
\nthe Pages of What If!” Hey!<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1329, from mholcomb, 703 chars, Tue Aug 22 00:20:31 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1328.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1328.
\n————————–
\nRe: New stuff
\n>What If… #1: Yep, What If… is having another go-round. They just
\n>can’t
\n>
\nI grow tired of the restarting of the issue numbers for comics.<\/p>\n

I have basically stopped my collecting except for the four or five books I
\nneed. Prices on the newer issues go up way too fast and IMHO are
\novervalued. And these hot issues trends can inflate the value of a persons
\ncollection for a short time, but hopefully, the market will correct them
\nover the long term. My collection has jumped in value at times where I was
\nstrongly considering selling it off…but calmer heads prevailed!<\/p>\n

I should probably get back into a subscription service so I can save myself
\n$100s on the newer issues.<\/p>\n

MAR.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1330, from hmccracken, 304 chars, Tue Aug 22 22:00:31 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1328.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1328.
\n————————–
\nI wish _What If_ didn’t just cover Marvel Comics characters:<\/p>\n

“What If…Billy in _The Family Circus_ actually went straight where he
\nwas going without shilly-shallying every ten feet?”<\/p>\n

“What If…Tom captured, ate, and fully digested Jerry?”<\/p>\n

“What If…Popeye was fitted with a glass eye?”<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1331, from switch, 180 chars, Tue Aug 22 22:20:43 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1329.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1329.
\n————————–
\nI don’t follow Marvel anymore, so I don’t know how long the previous What
\nIf…? has been gone. If they just restarted it at #1 after a month, well,
\nthat’s just ridiculous.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1332, from switch, 101 chars, Tue Aug 22 22:21:01 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1330.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1330.
\n————————–
\nHar!<\/p>\n

> “What If…Tom captured, ate, and fully digested Jerry?”<\/p>\n

Isn’t that Squeak the Mouse?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1333, from lkaplan, 204 chars, Tue Aug 22 22:49:03 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1330.
\n————————–
\n>”What If…Popeye was fitted with a glass eye?”<\/p>\n

“What If … Wily Coyote actually caught Roadrunner?”<\/p>\n

“What If … Yosemite Sam (in any of his many incarnations) actually
\noutsmarted Bugs Bunny?”<\/p>\n

-Len<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1334, from dgh, 102 chars, Thu Aug 24 02:29:16 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1331.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1331.
\n————————–
\nI think it was less than 4 months between the last old one and the new #1.
\n ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1335, from dgh, 147 chars, Thu Aug 24 02:29:20 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1329.
\n————————–
\nI think I have over 50 comics on my pull-list. I’m 37 years old and feel no
\nneed to make excuses for my comics habit…
\n ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1336, from dgh, 172 chars, Thu Aug 24 02:29:26 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1328.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1328.
\n————————–
\nDid you pick up Superman Aliens? It was a three-issue square-bound series
\nfrom DC and Dark Horse by Dan Jurgens and Kevin Nowlan.<\/p>\n

Recommended.<\/p>\n

,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1337, from dgh, 271 chars, Thu Aug 24 02:29:31 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1328.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1328.
\n————————–
\nDid you pick up Dark Horse Presents #100? It’s so big, it’s being published
\nas #100 1, #100 2, #100 3, #100 4 and, yes, you guessed it, #100 5! As with
\nthe regular anthology series, there is some so-so stuff in it, but most of
\nit is very good.
\n ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1338, from dgh, 1075 chars, Thu Aug 24 02:29:44 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1328.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1328.
\n————————–
\nHighly recommended comes “Goddess” from DC’s Vertigo imprint. It’s by Garth
\nEnnis and Phil Winslade. It’s basically a story about what happens when an
\nunassuming young woman gains incredible god-like powers, with no idea about
\nhow to control them, and is detected by CIA-types (via satellite) when she
\nbreaks Scotland away from England–literally–and leaves it far north in the
\nAtlantic Ocean. Now she has this really obnoxious spy-guy after her (along
\nwith hordes of comrades) and a vicious, corrupt bobbie (along with a pair of
\nbig-as-oxen, really dumb, but loyal, henchmen) chasing after the spy-guy,
\nbecause the spy-guy screwed the bobbie over when they first attempted to get
\nthe young woman into custody.<\/p>\n

In issue #5 (which I got last week), she’s finally learning how to control
\nher Goddess powers, but she’s certainly caused havok to get to that point.
\nSuch as leaving the luxury liner they boarded in England about 20 floors up
\nin a Brazilian hi-rise…<\/p>\n

It’s a thrill-o-rama with comedy relief provided by the bobbie and his
\nhenchmen.<\/p>\n

,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1339, from dgh, 1022 chars, Thu Aug 24 02:29:58 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1328.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nGremlin Trouble is a *fantastic* new comic created by E.T. Bryan. He’s also
\nthe artist and co-writer. His co-writer is (presumably his wife) Elizabeth
\nBryan. She’s also the publisher, Anti-Ballistic Pixelations (i.e., it’s
\nself-published, which is *not* a bad-thing). It’s being carried by all the
\nbig comics distributors.<\/p>\n

The artwork is *gorgeous* and the writing is very good!<\/p>\n

The first issue has 31 pages of story, 1 page of early renderings of the
\nheroine, color cover (front and back), and a letters-page on the inside
\nback-cover. They made up five letters for the first issue. One of the
\n“letters” asks, “What kind of computer did you use to put in the grey
\ntones in your comics?” And the answer is, “I don’t use a computer. I use a
\n.002 inch diamter red sable brush to hand paint each pixel, which, I think,
\nexplains our quarterly publication schedule.”<\/p>\n

Although this is technically a “black & white” comic, it puts grey tones to
\n*very* good use.<\/p>\n

This comic is *highly* recommended!<\/p>\n

,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1340, from switch, 23 chars, Thu Aug 24 07:11:00 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1336.
\n————————–
\nNope, missed it.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1341, from mholcomb, 381 chars, Thu Aug 24 08:31:57 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1339.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIt seems you are keeping up on the current stuff quite well… \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

I have long ago stopped reading most comics because of the poor story lines
\n(IMO). So now I mostly look for long term investment books, mostly in
\nMarvel early Silver Age books. I am also looking at some golden age books
\nthat I could try to make a collection out of…things like Captian America
\nComics. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

MAR.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1342, from hmccracken, 1293 chars, Thu Aug 24 21:46:44 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The Top Comics of All Time
\n_Editor and Publisher_ magazine has published its annual syndicate directory
\nissue, and as usual, it’s an invaluable resource for comics fans. The issue
\nincludes an index of all current comic strips, as well as glossy ads from
\nall the syndicates that tout their existing and upcoming strips.<\/p>\n

This year, _E&P_ also reports on the results of a survey of cartoonists,
\nsyndicate executives, historians, and other comics fans. The topic was
\nthe greatest comics of all time, and here are the results:<\/p>\n

TOP FIFTEEN COMICS OF ALL TIME
\n1. Peanuts
\n2. Krazy Kat
\n3. Pogo
\n4. Little Nemo
\n5. Li’l Abner
\n6. Terry and the Pirates
\n7. The Far Side
\n8. Dick Tracy
\n9. Steve Canyon
\n10. Calvin and Hobbes
\n11. Prince Valiant
\n12. Bringing Up Father
\n13. The Yellow Kid
\n14. Bloom County
\n15. Popeye (aka Thimble Theatre)<\/p>\n

The poll also asked about…<\/p>\n

THE TOP CURRENT COMICS
\n1. Calvin and Hobbes
\n2. Peanuts
\n3. Doonesbury
\n4. For Better or For Worse
\n5. Dilbert
\n6. Mother Goose and Grim
\n7. The Wizard of Id
\n8. B.C.
\n9. Non Sequitur
\n10. Hagar the Horrible
\n11. Ernie
\n12. Beetle Bailey
\n13. Zippy the Pinhead
\n14. The Lockhorns
\n15. Blondie<\/p>\n

I’m amazed that Blondie scored so low on the current comics list — and more
\nremarkably, didn’t place in the Top Comics of all Time list at all!<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1343, from dgh, 354 chars, Fri Aug 25 03:11:36 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1331.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWell, surpise, surprise! I just picked up issue #78 of What If… today.
\nIt’s under the “Marvel alterniverse” imprint. Are you *sure* you saw a
\n#1 issue of “What If…”? Aha! *now* I see were you got confused! Issue
\n#76 (August) has a little box beneath the “Marvel alterniverse” logo that
\nsays “First Issue of the All New What If!”<\/p>\n

\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1344, from dgh, 746 chars, Fri Aug 25 03:11:45 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1341.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI read everything I buy and only buy what I think I’ll enjoy reading. With
\nrare exceptions. I bought a black-bagged copy of the issue in which Superman
\ndies at the hands of Doomsday. But I also bought the “standard” edition to
\nread. And I’ve fallen for some of those multiple-cover scams. The oldest
\ncomic I have is from 1983 (somewhere in my 5-wide, ceiling-high, stack of
\ntwo-deep, half-size, comics storage boxes), because that’s when my college
\nroommate, who was a Marvelite and despised DC, got me started on my $150 a
\nmonth habit (he didn’t have a car, so I’d drive him to the only bookstore
\nthat had a decent size comics section, about 15 miles away). (Fortunately,
\nI got over his anti-DC mania after we graduated…)<\/p>\n

\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1345, from mholcomb, 595 chars, Fri Aug 25 03:50:33 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1344.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n>read. And I’ve fallen for some of those multiple-cover scams. The oldest
\n>comic I have is from 1983 (somewhere in my 5-wide, ceiling-high, stack of
\n>two-deep, half-size, comics storage boxes), because that’s when my college
\n>
\nOk…that makes it about 1600 comics so far? Am I close?<\/p>\n

1983? Really? To each his own. I would seriously like to start reading
\nbooks again, but don’t see it happening any time soon.<\/p>\n

BTW, I have a sort of interesting desire (to me at least), I want to own at
\nleast 10% of the Platinum Spiderman #1 comics. Only 10000 were printed, so
\nI need to buy 1000. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

MAR.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1346, from dgh, 291 chars, Sat Aug 26 01:51:08 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1345.
\n————————–
\n>…about 1600 comics…
\nI haven’t a clue! I kept a database from about 1985 to 1989, but I gave up
\non it. I just read ’em, but em in cardboard comics-sized magazine holders.
\nThen when they fill up, I put em in half-size comics storage boxes and pack
\n’em away…<\/p>\n

,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1347, from switch, 77 chars, Sun Aug 27 23:33:45 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1342.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI’m not surprised at all. Blondie just hasn’t been funny for a while.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1348, from switch, 18 chars, Sun Aug 27 23:34:09 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1343.
\n————————–
\nOh, for…!<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1349, from hmccracken, 318 chars, Sun Aug 27 23:52:59 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1347.
\n————————–
\nWell, I find today’s _Blondie_ funnier than _The Wizard of Id_, _Beetle Bailey_,
\nand (most definitely) _The Lockhorns_ — which isn’t saying much. But I’m mostly
\namazed that the voters didn’t consider _Blondie_’s vintage period
\n(1935-1955 or so) to be worthy of a place on the top comics of all time chart.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1350, from switch, 841 chars, Sat Sep 2 23:32:26 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The European invasion
\nI was leafing through an old distributor catalogue for November’s releases and
\ncame across something interesting: three of the Belgian comics I used to read
\nin French (used to? Still do, on occasion) are being translated into English
\nand released in North America. This makes no difference to me — I’ve always
\npreferred BDs (bandes dessinees) in French — but now everyone else can see
\nwhat I’ve been raving about all these years.<\/p>\n

The translated titles are: Spirou: Z Comme Zorglub (now Spirou: Z For Zorglub),
\nwhich features Marsupilami in his un-Disneyized form; Johan et Pirlouit (now
\nJohan and Peewee: The Black Arrow) from Smurf-creator Peyo (actually, the
\nSmurfs originated as a cameo in these books); and Lucky Luke: The Stage
\nCoach.<\/p>\n

These are all being released by Fantasy Flight Publishing.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1351, from dgh, 468 chars, Sun Sep 3 02:32:02 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1350.
\n————————–
\nI read Lucky Luke: The Stage Coach in Icelandic around 20 years ago and
\nSpirou: Z for Zorglub around 10 years ago. I’ve read a lot of those French
\ncomics in Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and even English. If I tried to read
\nthem in the original, it would be like trying to “read” Ferdnand (I think
\nthere’s supposed to be an apostrophe in there somewhere, but I can’t for the
\nlife of me remember where).<\/p>\n

Disney should have left Marsupilami alone!<\/p>\n

\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1352, from switch, 193 chars, Tue Sep 12 22:39:08 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Asterix
\nWhat’s the availability of Asterix books like in the US? I ask because the
\nlatest distributor catalogue from Capital City lists 12 Asterix books coming
\nout in December…<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1353, from switch, 272 chars, Tue Sep 12 22:41:32 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1352.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1352.
\n————————–
\n…and flipping the next page, I see that Little Brown is releasing the
\n“Tintin Three-in-Ones”, hardcover volumes that contain three Tintin adventures
\neach. The Canuck list price is slightly higher than the cost of buying one
\nof those stories in French. Amazing!<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1354, from dgh, 162 chars, Thu Sep 14 00:31:10 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1352.
\n————————–
\nI’ve never encountered any Asterix books in the Michiana area (south-west
\nMichigan, north-west Indiana). I have some in Icelandic, however…
\n\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1355, from dgh, 274 chars, Thu Sep 14 00:31:18 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1353.
\n————————–
\nAll right! I (stupidly) passed up buying the entire set of Tintin books when
\nthey were released earlier (less than a year ago, I think). (I sure do hope
\nthat they will be listed in the Diamond catalog. This exclusive distribution
\ncrap is for the birds!)
\n\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1356, from switch, 234 chars, Thu Sep 14 10:45:22 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Spider-Man
\nWalking past the magazine store yesterday, I noticed that the new Spider-Man
\n— sorry, the Scarlet Spider — has a new Dock Ock nemesis. She’s a redhead
\nand built like three supermodels. What’s up with that?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1357, from hmccracken, 173 chars, Thu Sep 14 14:40:10 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1356.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1356.
\n————————–
\nWho is the Scarlet Spider? <\/p>\n

Since BIX is a family system,. I’ll resist asking the question
\nI was about to ask about someone who’s built like three
\nsupermodels.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1358, from switch, 521 chars, Thu Sep 14 22:25:27 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1357.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIn the future, people will say supermodels look like Marvel or Image
\ncharacters, depending on how far they can tilt at the waist.<\/p>\n

Scarlet Spider is — wait for it — the clone of Peter Parker from way
\nback in the 1970s. He’s back. I don’t know the details, save that he has
\na more 90s look.<\/p>\n

Oh yeah — from the looks of some preview thing (I only glanced at it)
\nSpidey’s getting a new suit soon. Didn’t look too bad.<\/p>\n

Speaking of new suits, did anyone notice Batman’s abrupt costume change
\na few months back?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1359, from dgh, 357 chars, Thu Sep 14 23:52:10 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1356.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWell, you know the professor that “Ben Riley” (the real Peter Parker, not
\nthe clone) has been hanging out with? She’s his daughter and claims to have
\nbeen Doc Ock’s partner (or something like that). We don’t know much more at
\nthis point other than that she’s a bit teed off at old dad for ignoring her
\nwhile she was growing up…
\n ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1360, from switch, 288 chars, Fri Sep 15 07:43:03 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1359.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nOkay, so this begs two questions: (1) How’d she get the arms attached?
\n(2) How come scientists’ daughters are always babes?<\/p>\n

And what’s with this “Ben Riley” business? (I don’t actually read Spider-Man
\nthese days… I just absorb what’s happening through previews and chatter.)<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1361, from dgh, 154 chars, Sat Sep 16 03:39:26 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1358.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nYou haven’t been keeping up with events, Emru. Scarlet Spider is Peter
\nParker and Spider-Man is the clone. It’s a hoot, I tell you…
\n\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1362, from dgh, 1103 chars, Sat Sep 16 03:39:36 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1360.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nHmmm, how short can I make this?<\/p>\n

Ok, do you remember when Spider-Man fought the last Spider-Clone back in the
\n70’s and the Spider-Clone fell off of a building and got itself killed? And
\nPeter just left it in a dumpster and swung on home after shrugging off the
\npossibility that he might be the clone? Well, it turns out he was. The real
\nPeter, meanwhile, wasn’t quite dead, but believed himself to be the clone
\nand took the name Ben Riley (Ben for Uncle Ben, but I’ve forgotten how he
\ncame up with Riley–perhaps it was his mother’s maiden name?). So now, of
\ncourse, there’s a Spider-title called “Spider-Man the Lost Years” that is
\nrecounting the events in “Ben Riley’s” life after he high-tailed it out of
\ntown. One of the characters that he came across was Doc Seward. Now they
\nspring this “new Doc Ock” on us out of the blue, claim that the real Doc Ock
\nwas her “mentor” and that she improved upon his technology. We don’t know
\nmuch more than that, but her extra four arms appear to be simply built into
\nher armor, rather than fused to her body (they’re attached to the back).<\/p>\n

\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1363, from switch, 158 chars, Sat Sep 16 12:11:15 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1361.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nOh, man! Someone told me that, and I thought he was kidding!<\/p>\n

Whatever happened to Mary Jane’s baby? For that matter, whatever happened
\nto Mary Jane?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1364, from switch, 81 chars, Sat Sep 16 12:12:22 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1362.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAaarrrrgghhh!!! Make it stop!<\/p>\n

I used to like Spider-Man. Really, I did.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1365, from dgh, 102 chars, Sun Sep 17 03:29:06 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1363.
\n————————–
\nMary Jane is still married to the clone and the baby just started kicking.
\n ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1366, from dgh, 602 chars, Sun Sep 17 03:29:15 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1364.
\n————————–
\nWait, it gets better (sorta)…
\nAfter his most recent fight (Doc Ock vs. Scarlet Spider and Spider-Man),
\nSpider-Man (the clone) starts having second thoughts about being Spider-Man
\n(he almost got killed in the fight and is concerned about what would happen
\nto MJ and the baby). I suspect that the clone is going to decide to quit
\nbeing Spider-Man in order to be Peter Parker full time and that “Ben Riley”,
\ncurrently known as the Scarlet Spider, will take over as Spider-Man (despite
\nthe fact that Marvel has already renamed one of the Spider-books to “The
\nScarlet Spider”).
\n ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1367, from switch, 96 chars, Tue Sep 19 07:56:37 1995
\n————————–
\nTITLE: ‘nother Usenet newsgroup
\nrec.arts.comics.dc.lsh – Legion of Super-Heroes, I think.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1368, from hmccracken, 1806 chars, Tue Oct 17 23:12:18 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: What’s Up With Blondie and Dagwood?
\nI feel like I’ve lost touch with some old friends, then heard
\nbad news about them through the grapevine. The old friends in
\nquestion are Blondie and Dagwood Bumstead, and I haven’t really
\nlost touch — I’m just not as regular a reader of the _Herald_,
\ntheir Boston home, as I used to be.<\/p>\n

Reading the rec.arts.comic.strips newsgroup, I discovered that
\nBlondie is contemplating moving her catering business from
\nthe Bumstead home to a real storefront, and that Dagwood is not
\ntaking the possibility well. Then in today’s _Herald_, I found
\nthat the Bumsteads are apparently seeing a marriage councilor
\nabout their troubles.<\/p>\n

Will this lead to a trial separation, or — gasp! — a divorce?
\n(It’s not many couples who call it quits after six decades of
\nmostly-happy married life.) Will Dagwood move out of the house and into
\nhis own comic strip? Who will get custody of Daisy, not to mention
\nAlexander, Cookie, and Mr. Dithers?<\/p>\n

Somehow, I think that Dag and Blondie will resolve their differences, but
\nI kind of like the soap opera-like interludes that _Blondie_ has
\nexperimented with in recent years. (The first was Blondie’s decision to
\nopen her catering business; the second was Dagwood’s short-lived decision
\nto resign his job at J.C. Dithers & Co. to work with Blondie — both were
\nthe subject of media reports.) As one Internet poster pointed out, these
\nmini-melodramas are nothing new: in the early 1930s, Dagwood staged a
\nhunger strike when his parents refused to give their blessings to his
\nmarriage with Blondie.<\/p>\n

A few years ago, their was rumor of a development that would have been a
\nBIG change to _Blondie_: the Bumsteads were going to have one or more
\nadditional kids, the rumor said. It didn’t happen, but I think it would be
\na great idea.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1369, from hkenner, 150 chars, Tue Oct 17 23:16:11 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1368.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1368.
\n————————–
\nCompare the Dick Tracy \/ Mrs. DT threats of separation. They are In
\nTrouble. He is driven by his cop genes; she feels neglected & suspicious.
\n–HK<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1370, from peabo, 107 chars, Wed Oct 18 02:06:27 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1368.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1368.
\n————————–
\nThe world won’t end unless some significant change is made to the recipe
\nfor a Dagwood Sandwich \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

peter<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1371, from switch, 100 chars, Thu Oct 19 22:23:06 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1369.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWhatever happened with that? I stopped reading Strips shortly after their
\ntroubles started.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1372, from switch, 151 chars, Thu Oct 19 22:24:37 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1370.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThere is a *great* sandwich restaurant in Montreal named Dagwood’s. Aside
\nfrom the sandwiches’ lack of, er, altitude, Dag would love the place.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1373, from nicolas, 228 chars, Fri Oct 20 09:12:00 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1368.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1368.
\n————————–
\nRe: What’s Up With Blondie and Dagwood?
\nFor more information check this URL out:
\nhttp:\/\/www.cnn.com\/SHOWBIZ\/misc\/9510\/blondie\/index.html<\/p>\n

—
\nNico Veenkamp Cybrarian at large
\nhttp:\/\/www.xs4all.nl\/~nicolas\/index.html<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1374, from hmccracken, 26 chars, Fri Oct 20 09:51:14 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1373.
\n————————–
\nThank you, Nico!
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1375, from hmccracken, 164 chars, Fri Oct 20 09:52:22 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1371.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI can’t remember how Dick and Tess patched up their differences, but they
\ndid. A recent article in _Cartoonist Profiles_ covered the matter —
\nI’ll check.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1376, from switch, 14 chars, Fri Oct 20 22:11:00 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1375.
\n————————–
\nThanks!<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1377, from hmccracken, 143 chars, Mon Oct 23 10:10:33 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1368.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAs of yesterday’s _Blondie_, the Bumsteads appear to have reconciled —
\nand Blondie will move her catering business out of the house.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1378, from hmccracken, 210 chars, Mon Oct 23 10:11:50 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1372.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThere is, or at least was, a Dagwood’s Deli near me in Lexington,
\nMass, complete with large mural of a smiling Dagwood wolfing down
\na sandwich. I don’t know if King Features knows of the place or
\nnot.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1379, from peabo, 345 chars, Mon Oct 23 18:33:39 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1378.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n>I don’t know if King Features knows of the place …<\/p>\n

I wonder if Ted Turner knows about the “Casablanca” in Harvard Square … it’s
\ncolorized, no less \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

peter<\/p>\n

(Hmmm, did the old Casablanca have pictures of the characters on the
\nwalls? It’s been so long I don’t remember … if it did, it certainly
\npredated Turner’s colorizing efforts.)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1380, from hmccracken, 300 chars, Mon Oct 23 20:40:05 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1379.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI’ve never stepped inside Casablanca in Harvard Square, but I know
\nthat its sign was designed (or used to be, anyway) by my old
\nart teacher David Omar White, who did the fine and funny _White
\nRabbit_ comic strip for several Boston papers for many years.<\/p>\n

So what’s this about colorization?<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1381, from switch, 22 chars, Mon Oct 23 21:05:14 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1377.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1377.
\n————————–
\nThat was quick.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1382, from hkenner, 266 chars, Mon Oct 23 22:17:42 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1377.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nFunny how the comics go thru these copycat cycles. Dick Tracy isn’t
\nreally settled back yet–I suspect they’re going to keep Tess’s
\nrestlessness as a plot destabilizer–but Dagwood & Blondie are surely
\nrestored because the strip *depends* on their stability.
\n–HK<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1383, from hmccracken, 646 chars, Mon Oct 23 23:11:55 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1382.
\n————————–
\nThat’s right. Without the Bumstead marriage, there is no _Blondie_.
\nBut _Dick Tracy_ could go on even if Dick and Tess divorced.<\/p>\n

Still, the comics page is not a place that adapts well to change
\nof any sort. I’ve often thought that _Gasoline Alley_ lost most
\nof what made it special when it refused to do the logical thing
\nand let its senior characters grow old and die. Walt Wallet would
\nbe at least 96 by now, which isn’t impossible — I have a pretty
\nspry 97 year-old cousin — but he’s still hanging out with the
\nsame group of buddies he’s had since 1920. And until fairly recently,
\nthe strip showed Walt’s *parents* every so often!
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1384, from hmccracken, 1624 chars, Mon Oct 23 23:20:39 1995
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Review: _The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book_
\nBill Watterson’s latest collection is chock full of classic
\n_Calvin and Hobbes_ strips, which would be reason enough to pick
\nit up. But this book also contains a generous dose of commentary
\nfrom the artist himself — and Watterson is a notoriously close-
\nmouthed guy who has been very rarely interviewed.<\/p>\n

His comments about _Calvin_ are remarkably honest; he discusses the
\ndisagreements he’s had with his syndicate over his contract and
\nCalvin merchandising (or more precisely the lack of it, since
\nWatterson won’t permit it). He also runs a fair number of strips
\nand then adds a line of text explaining why he doesn’t think
\nthey’re that funny, or aren’t successful in one way or another.<\/p>\n

Watterson also explains how he feels about each of the C&H
\ncharacters, and gives some insight into why the strip has so
\nfew cast members (and in general hasn’t changed much in its
\ndecade of existence). The strip actually has *fewer* characters
\nthan it once did: Watterson introduced Calvin’s uncle, then
\ndecided that he wasn’t really needed and dropped him.<\/p>\n

As brilliantly funny as _Calvin and Hobbes_ has often been,
\nWatterson’s prose here is remarkably serious, dwelling as it
\ndoes on what’s wrong with comic strips in general, _Calvin and
\nHobbes_ in specific, and Watterson’s career. If you want to
\ncome away feeling like Watterson is a warm and wonderful guy,
\nyou’ll be disappointed. But this book is must reading if
\nyou want an examination of the _Calvin and Hobbes_ world from
\nthe single person in the world with the authority to speak out
\non the matter.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1385, from peabo, 164 chars, Tue Oct 24 16:43:50 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1380.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI heard that Turner bought the rights to the movie “Casablanca” and released
\na colorized version. I could be wrong though (might be snide rumor mongering).<\/p>\n

peter<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1386, from switch, 34 chars, Tue Oct 24 22:21:17 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1385.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nYup. That was a while ago.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1387, from hmccracken, 315 chars, Wed Oct 25 00:24:56 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1386.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nActually, it was the colorization of the *restaurant* I was asking about.<\/p>\n

Colorizing _Casablanca_ is a travesty, of course, but not a worse one
\nthan the awful hand recoloring jobs Turner did to Max Fleischer’s
\nblack-and-white Popeye cartoons. Fortunately, colorization seems to
\nhave fallen out of favor.<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1388, from peabo, 127 chars, Wed Oct 25 18:41:54 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1387.
\n————————–
\nYes, the restaurant is in color. The prices are a bit high, but the food is
\nfirst rate — you should try it some time.<\/p>\n

peter<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1389, from hmccracken, 795 chars, Mon Nov 6 01:00:27 1995
\n————————–
\nTITLE: What do _The Family Circus_ and _Feiffer_ have in common?
\nUsually, not much, but today they both deal with comics\/animation
\ntopics that should be of interest to members of this conference.
\nZ_The Family Circus_ reveals that “Daddy” is a collector of
\nold comic strips, and shows pictures of a bunch of classic
\ncharacters who DIDN’T appear on the recent stamps: Happy
\nHooligan, Caspar Milquetoast, Smitty, Felix, Smokey Stover,
\nand others.<\/p>\n

_Feiffer_, meanwhile, is an amusing commentary on Disney’s co-opting
\nof Alice in Wonderland, Mary Poppins, and other classic literary
\nworks. The punchline involves “Walt Disney’s the Bible” — I
\nwonder if Feiffer knows that Steven Spielberg’s new Dreamworks
\nanimation studio is planning a Disney-style animated feature
\nbased upon the Bible?
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1390, from switch, 120 chars, Fri Nov 10 22:53:35 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Calvin & Hobbes
\nBill Watterson is retiring from Calvin & Hobbes at the end of the year.<\/p>\n

What can one say?<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1391, from hmccracken, 147 chars, Fri Nov 10 23:18:19 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1390.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1390.
\n————————–
\nHE IS?<\/p>\n

Let me guess: He’s not passing the strip on to anyone else.<\/p>\n

Has he announced what he’s planning to do with the rest of his life?
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1392, from switch, 77 chars, Fri Nov 10 23:40:22 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1391.
\n————————–
\nYou know all I know. They only said two sentences on the radio today.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1393, from hkenner, 1038 chars, Sun Nov 12 18:46:39 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: About Watterson
\nYesterday the Atlanta Constitution ran an interesting analysis, making
\na couple of major points.<\/p>\n

(1) Schulz, who has drawn Peanuts religiously all by himself for decades,
\nbelonged to the Depression Generation. It was suggested that such people
\nwere conditioned to stay with a job, whereas folk a generation younger
\ntend to see life as a sequence of “career opportunities.” That fits
\nWatterson, Breathed, Larson. …<\/p>\n

(2) Men like Breathed and Watterson, who draw *very* carefully and in
\nmuch detail, do all their own work. Jim Davis, on the other hand, draws
\nthe visually undemanding Garfield in one week per month, aided by *two*
\nartists and one “writer”. He has a good thing going and may be expected
\nto coast on it indefinitely. Whereas once a Breathed or a Watterson has
\ngotten enough $$ together he’s apt to look for a way to let up.<\/p>\n

I notice that today’s (Sunday) Calvin & Hobbes is (save for one small
\npanel) supposedly drawn by Hobbes, in simple scribbles. Watterson’s
\ndeclaration of Overwork?
\n–HK<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1394, from switch, 433 chars, Sun Nov 12 22:24:43 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1393.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1393.
\n————————–
\nI can’t say anything about the latter, having not read it yet (and we get
\nthe color Sundays on Saturday in Montreal.)<\/p>\n

As for the first point, someone online — either here or on the Usenet
\ncomic strips newsgroup, mentioned hearing Schulz speak at his university.
\nSchulz mentioned that he wondered why Larson, Trudeau, and Watterson fely
\nthe need to take these vacations, when he never did — and he’d been at it
\na lot longer.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1395, from hmccracken, 524 chars, Sun Nov 12 23:30:54 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1394.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1394.
\n————————–
\nWith all due respect to Charles Schulz, whose work of the 1950s and
\n1960s remains some of the finest cartooning ever done, there may
\nbe something to be said for retiring a comic strip before the
\nartist runs out of ideas. _Peanuts_ still has its moments, but
\nSchulz’s imagination began to give out tenty-five years ago.
\n_Li’l Abner_ and _Pogo_ come to mind as a couple of other
\ngreat strips that went into lengthy declines.<\/p>\n

Whatever else happens, we won’t see _Calvin and Hobbes_ grow]
\nold and stale bit by bit.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1396, from jjanney, 271 chars, Sun Nov 12 23:41:10 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1394.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nFor a long time I thought that _Peanuts_ was exactly the sort of strip
\nthat Larson and Watterson said they want to avoid — one that had
\noutlived its glory days and was simply coasting. I may have to change
\nmy mind on that — lately it seems to be getting a bit better.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1397, from hmccracken, 213 chars, Mon Nov 13 00:02:12 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1396.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1396.
\n————————–
\nI think Schulz is still enjoying himself, which has to count
\nfor something. And it’s still the vision of a single artist,
\nunlike such other long-running strips as _Beetle Bailey_ and
\n_Dennis the Menace_.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1398, from switch, 52 chars, Tue Nov 14 22:17:10 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1396.
\n————————–
\nIt varies. Sometimes, on a day by day basis.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1399, from jgoddin, 1037 chars, Wed Nov 15 08:14:40 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1393.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAccording to a friend of mine who is involved with Comic Con,
\nMr Watterson almost quit a year ago. He got upset and downright
\nangry when he would draw one large panel and two little ones
\nand some of the bigger newspapers ignored his format and printed
\nthem all the same size, presumedly for their convenience. There
\nwere probably other irriitations too. The newspaper article here
\nin Phoenix (front page no less) said his letter of resignation
\nwas two short paragraphs and Mr Watterson stated that he felt he
\nhad explored all of the limitations of the small box format and
\nwanted to branch out to other things. He didn’t say he would no
\nlonger be drawing Calvin an Hobbs, just was no longer doing the
\ndaily or Sunday strip. I’m hoping Calvin and Hobbs won’t disappear
\nforever.
\n I just found a new Calvin and Hobbs 10th Anniversary book this
\nlast Monday. And a friend of mine told me there is a calendar for
\n’96 that is now available at a bookstore on the other side of
\ntown (looks like I’ll have to make an excursion this weekend.)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1400, from pliesenberg, 906 chars, Wed Nov 15 11:19:36 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1390.
\n————————–
\nOh boy – just read this when joining into BIX… what a blow! Such
\na brilliant comic – Waterson has surely left a masterpiece there. As
\na hobby comic drawer, I can only look in awe at Calvin & Hobbes. And
\nlaugh my b*tt off every time I open one of them. I got them all.
\nI’ve read them at least 10 times each. And I still fall into
\nconvulsions with some of them. Gawd, the one with the hair-cut
\nsequence… or Calvin’s abuses on doctors… the journey to the
\nfuture to pick up his finish homework from “8pm Calvin”…
\nBrilliant.
\nI guess that, like all comic artists, waterson has become a bit
\ntired of sticking to the same characters. It’s like a relationship
\nthat’s gone a bit flat. But with all the love that he’s obviously
\nput into these characters, I’ve got no doubt that we can look
\nforward to a some new ones, somewhere in the future. I betcha
\nWaterson can’t let Calvin & Hobbes go forever.
\n…paul<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1401, from peabo, 323 chars, Wed Nov 15 12:54:06 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1399.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n> I just found a new Calvin and Hobbs 10th Anniversary book this
\n>last Monday.<\/p>\n

That is one excellent book. If you read the prefatory text, you’ll get a
\nvery calm explanation of the kinds of frustrations Bill Watterson has had
\nwith syndicated comic distribution. I’m not surprised he wants to do
\nsomething else.<\/p>\n

peter<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1402, from hmccracken, 190 chars, Thu Nov 16 00:41:34 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1401.
\n————————–
\nRight — having read the book, I’m even less surprised than I
\nwould have been by Watterson’s decision to call it quits. It’s
\nclear that he wasn’t having all that much fun anymore.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1403, from hmccracken, 1554 chars, Sun Nov 26 22:07:26 1995
\n————————–
\nTITLE: _Betty Boop’s Sunday Best_…
\nis the name of a handsome new paperback collection that
\nreprints all the Betty Boop Sunday comics of 1934-1936
\nin glorious color. (The book is billed, like the strip, as
\nbeing by Max Fleischer, but Bud Counihan was actually responsible
\nfor the artwork.)<\/p>\n

The Betty strip didn’t bear that much in common with the
\ncartoons (Betty was the only character that appeared in
\nboth), but it was nicely drawn and quite funny. (It treated
\nBetty as an established movie star, so most of the gags
\ninvolved Hollywood-type matters — odd considering that
\nthe Boop cartoons were produced in an office building in Times Square.)<\/p>\n

Bill Blackbeard’s introduction, despite at least a couple of small errors,
\nis very interesting, and reveals two facts that were new to me. One was
\nthat King Features briefly distributed an _Out of the Inkwell_ strip,
\nbased on Fleischer’s Koko the Clown character, in the early 1930s. Much
\nmore remarkably, when King was negotiating with Fleischer for the rights
\nto do a Betty strip, it signed up Helen Kane (the real-life Hollywood
\nsinger of whom Betty was an unauthorized caricature) for a short-term
\nstrip. The Kane strip, in which she was prominently dubbed “The Original
\nBoop-Oop-a-Doop Girl,” ran only until King secured the rights to do the
\nBetty strip. The new book (published by Kitchen Sink Press, with an
\nexcellent cover by Fleischer artist\/historian Leslie Carbaga) includes
\nsamples of both the Koko and Kane strips. A must for Fleischer fans and
\nothers interested in 1930s comics.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1404, from mikebryant, 246 chars, Tue Dec 5 20:41:50 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: SuperBoy’s Dog
\nWhat is the name of Superboy’s dog? I remember an ancient comic or perhaps even
\nanimated series that had a white dog with a pointy nose that flew with superboy.<\/p>\n

I think I know what it was but I’m looking for confirmation.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1405, from heglowstein, 20 chars, Tue Dec 5 20:49:28 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1404.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nKrypton, I believe.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1406, from switch, 32 chars, Tue Dec 5 22:08:03 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1405.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1405.
\n————————–
\nAlmost. That was Krypto.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1407, from dgh, 69 chars, Wed Dec 6 02:37:50 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1405.
\n————————–
\nThe dog was Krypto. Krypton was the home planet.
\n\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1408, from heglowstein, 76 chars, Wed Dec 6 10:05:54 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1406.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1406.
\n————————–
\nSorry. You are right. I had to envision the little beast in my
\nhead first.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1409, from mikebryant, 242 chars, Fri Dec 8 21:09:50 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1406.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAnyway, I’m working on a software project that the marketing people have decided
\nto call “Kryptor”. I was wondering, does anyone know where I could dig up
\nan image of superman’s dog? I’d like to stick it in an in-house version for
\na gag. <\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1410, from hmccracken, 190 chars, Sun Dec 10 22:27:45 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1409.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI’m trying to find a Krypto illo in my archives, Mike. There’s a
\ngreat big book out on the history of DC Comics that probably
\nincludes his likeness (and if it doesn’t, it should).
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1411, from mikebryant, 20 chars, Mon Dec 11 00:13:45 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1410.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1410.
\n————————–
\nThanks for looking!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1412, from mholcomb, 235 chars, Thu Dec 14 02:06:57 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1410.
\n————————–
\n>I’m trying to find a Krypto illo in my archives, Mike. There’s a
\n>
\nThe book you mention is at home (in archives) for me as well…but if you
\ngo to any decent comic book store they should have a few books with the pup
\nin them..<\/p>\n

MAR.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1413, from hmccracken, 584 chars, Mon Dec 25 20:11:10 1995
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: A Sort of a Spoiler Warning
\n_Calvin and Hobbes_ will cease publication as of next Sunday’s strip, and
\nnaturally enough, folks are wondering what will happen in Bill Watterson’s
\nfinal strip.<\/p>\n

In fact, columnist Herb Caen of the San Francisco Chronicle has apparently
\nspilled the beans — he described the final strip in a recent column which
\nhas been quoted in a posting on the rec.arts.comic.strips Internet
\nnewsgroup. I won’t, of course, repost that message here — and if you want
\nto be surprised when next Sunday rolls around, be careful what you read on
\nthe net.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1414, from hkenner, 138 chars, Mon Dec 25 20:51:22 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1413.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAnd, IMHO, the daily strips in December have been substandard. Having
\ndecided he was through, Watterson pretty well stopped trying.
\n–HK<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1415, from hmccracken, 305 chars, Thu Dec 28 22:28:40 1995
\nThis is a comment to message 1414.
\n————————–
\nI must admit to not being a regular follower of _Calvin and Hobbes_
\nin the newspaper, and have only seen a few examples in recent weeks.
\nBut if Watterson is no longer able to come up with strips to
\nequal his best work, maybe it’s just as well that he’s sending
\nCalvin and Hobbes into retirement.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1416, from hmccracken, 641 chars, Mon Jan 1 16:00:51 1996
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: You Lose Some, You Lose Some
\nOne thing I forgot about the demise of _Calvin and Hobbes_: It opens up a space
\nfor another comic strip in every newspaper it appeared in. The _Boston Globe_
\nchose something called _Ick_ — yet another _Far Side_ clone — and judging
\nfrom the first installment, _Ick_ seems like a singularly appropriate name.<\/p>\n

Yesterday’s _Calvin_ strip, the final one, was rather disappointing, too.
\nNo gag, no spectacular artwork — not much to remember the characters by.
\nHere’s hoping that Watterson brings them back in a format that appeals to
\nhim more — perhaps in an all-new, full-color book appearance.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1417, from lkaplan, 315 chars, Tue Jan 2 10:47:45 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1416.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1416.
\n————————–
\nRe: You Lose Some, You Lose Some
\n>Here’s hoping that Watterson brings them back in a format that appeals to
\n>him more — perhaps in an all-new, full-color book appearance.<\/p>\n

I’d certainly be first in line at the bookstore! (though I’d be even
\nhappier if he were to come out with an all-Spaceman Spiff book \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

-Len<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1418, from hkenner, 298 chars, Tue Jan 2 11:16:03 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1416.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1416.
\n————————–
\nMe, I *liked* that Sunday final. The “spectacular artwork” was subtly
\nthere in the guise of all that snow (represented by much white paper)
\ninto which C & H were trekking toward their future; a future it’s
\nimplied they’ll have, albeit unwatched, now that Watterson is no
\nlonger drawing them.
\n–HK<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1419, from pliesenberg, 529 chars, Tue Jan 2 20:04:09 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1418.
\n————————–
\nIt’s open, and no final line drawn. “A new year, full of
\npossibilities” or such, Calvin says, which seems to indicate
\nit might not be a hard end, but rather one of “we’ll see
\nhow things go, and maybe…”.
\nI liked the tone of the last strip. It wasn’t dramatic, but
\nsomething roaringly funny would just have been out of place.
\nIt hit the mood well.
\nI sort of expect to see them again in some unexpected,
\nsurprising, matured form. Waterson is brilliant, and I
\nam sure he just needs to break the format of the series
\nnow.
\n…paul<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1420, from switch, 241 chars, Wed Jan 3 11:44:42 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1416.
\n————————–
\nThe Gazette didn’t replace Calvin in the dailies with anything; a few weeks
\nago, they reduced the sizes of all the comics to make room for the
\nhoroscope. With the demise of Calvin & Hobbes, they just expanded the
\nstrips a tiny bit.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1421, from hmccracken, 1067 chars, Thu Feb 1 22:49:14 1996
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Rush to your local post office…
\n…and pick up a copy of _American Comic Classics_, a book published
\nin conjunction with the recent series of comic-strip postage stamps.
\nThe book is $24.95, which sounds like a lot for an 87-page paperback;
\nhowever, it’s crammed with color illustrations, comes in an elaborate
\nillustrated folder, and is accompanied by two sheets of the stamps
\nthemselves.<\/p>\n

The book, written by comics expert Rick Marschall, is a pleasing
\noverview of the twenty strips which were honored with stamps.
\nIf you’re looking for lots of examples of the strips themselves,
\nyou might be disappointed — each creation is represented by
\nonly one daily and one Sunday example. However, there are lots
\nof interesting illustrations of classic comic merchandise, cartoonists’
\nChristmas cards, and other comic-related oddities.<\/p>\n

Note that the back of the stamp sheet says that you can order
\nthe book by calling 1-800-STAMP24. However, it describes the
\nbook as being a hardcover (it’s not) and says that
\nit’s $29.95 plus $4.20 in shipping charges.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1422, from hmccracken, 576 chars, Tue Apr 9 22:28:22 1996
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Religious Cavemen in the News
\nIs it a no-no to discuss relgion in a newspaper comic strip? The _Los Angeles
\nTimes_ apparently thinks so. It declined to run some of Johnny Hart’s
\n_BC_ strips last week, which had an Easter\/resurrection theme, on the
\ngrounds that they were too religious. (That may be unfair; I’ve only
\nseen the criticisms of the paper’s action, not its own explanation.)<\/p>\n

_BC_ readers will have noticed that Hart has often featured Christian themes
\nin his strip in recent years — sometimes funny, sometimes inspiring, and
\nsometimes strident.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1423, from switch, 449 chars, Wed Apr 10 23:01:48 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1422.
\n————————–
\nThis one was particularly religious. I used the word “particularly” because
\nwhile Hart has done religion many times in the past (especially with Wiley),
\nthere was often some humour or wit still present. There was none in evidence
\nthis time around.<\/p>\n

Not that this bothers me, but I can see how some would decide not to run it;
\nafter all, it wouldn’t be the first time a newspaper decided to run a comic
\nstrip that had to much of a “message.”<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1424, from hmccracken, 461 chars, Thu Apr 18 00:12:20 1996
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The Oscars are over, but…
\n…the National Cartoonists’ Society’s Reubens are still to come. The nominees
\nfor 1995’s Cartoonist of the Year are Lynn Johnston (_For Better or For Worse_),
\nGarry Trudeau (_Doonesbury_), and Bill Watterson (for _Calvin and Hobbes_’ last
\nyear). I’d guess that the smart money is on Watterson.<\/p>\n

For more information on the society and the Reubens, take a look at the NCS
\nweb site at http:\/\/www.unitedmedia.com\/ncs.<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1425, from jgoddin, 265 chars, Thu Apr 18 02:10:37 1996
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Comic Con in San Diego
\n I decided I’d ask early this year if anyone is planning on attending
\nSan Diego’s Comic Con over the July 4 weekend?? If so, lets plan a
\nBIX Bash! Let me know. I am scheduled to work in Artist’s Alley again
\nfor the charity auction.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1426, from hmccracken, 106 chars, Thu Apr 18 09:17:39 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1425.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI’d LIKE to go, and may do so…I had a great time last year. A BIX bash would be a great
\nidea!<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1427, from jgoddin, 121 chars, Wed May 1 21:33:35 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1426.
\n————————–
\nWell, if you do go please drop me a note! I know mwillmoth and I will be
\nthere and wct says he probably will be as well.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1428, from hmccracken, 2027 chars, Sun May 5 23:19:14 1996
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Two Books About Comics
\nSeveral books have been published recently to celebrate the 100th anniversary
\nof the comic strip. I pciked up teo of them — Maurice Horn’s _100 Years of
\nAmerican Newspaper Comics_ and Ron Goulart’s _The Funnies_ — this weekend.<\/p>\n

I had high hopes for Horn’s book, since his _World Encyclopedia of Comics_
\nand _World Encyclopedia of Cartoons_, published in the 1970s, remain among
\nthe most important comics reference books. But this new volume, which
\nresembles Horn’s other books in many ways, is a disappointment. It’s an
\nencyclopedia of comic strips, and while it has entries on all the well-known
\nstrips and many obscure ones, it’s far from complete. Several of the first
\nstrips I tried to look up, including _Dotty Dripple_, _The Smith Family_,
\n_Betsy and Me_, and _Ponytail_, were nowhere to be found. There are also
\ntoo many errors — mostly incorrect dates — and some entries are vague,
\nespecially concerniong the later years of long-running strips. Many entries
\ndevote a lot of space to rather bland criticism — it seems like Horn and’
\nthe other contributors chalk up the death of any long-running strip to
\nits inability to accurately mirror the deeply troubled, unhappy America that
\nwe all know we live in. (This theory would be more convincing if it wasn’t
\nfor the fact that only a handful of “relevant” strips have been successful,
\nand that such strips as _Blondie_, _The Family Circus_, and _Hi and Lois_
\nremain among the most popular there are.)<\/p>\n

Goulart’s paperback book is unassuming in comparison to Horn’s oversized
\nhardcover, but I enjoyed it more. It’s a history of the comics, and
\nalthough it’s not particularly ambitious, it covers more ground than
\nHorn’s book, and Goulart’s genial prose is much more fun to read.
\n(For the record, he discusses _Betsy and Me_ and _Dotty Dripple_, but
\nnot _The Smith Family_ or _Ponytail_.) The Goulart book’s illustrations
\nare tiny and poorly-reproduced; Horn’s book has larger black-and-white
\npcitures and 64 pages of color.<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1429, from hmccracken, 922 chars, Mon May 20 21:55:50 1996
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Trudeau Wins a Reuben
\nGarry Trudeau has won the National Cartoonists’ Society’s Reuben award
\nas the outstanding cartoonist of the year. Trudeau has apparently been
\nnominated for the award several times, dating back to the 1970s, but this
\nmarks the first time he’s actually won it.<\/p>\n

Besides the Reuben, the NCS presents awards in several cartooning categories,
\nsuch as animation, advertising, and humorous illustration. The only one I
\nknow about so far is the one for best humor strip, which went to Rick
\nKirkman, the artist of the Baby Blues strip. Kirkman’s nomination for the
\naward was the subject of some controversy, since he draws but does not
\nwrite the strip; Jerry Kirk is responsible for the gags. Both Kirkman and
\nScott thought that they should have gotten a joint nomination, but the NCS
\ndoesn’t nominate writers (even though Scott is a cartoonist himself, being
\nthe former artist on _Nancy_).<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1430, from hkenner, 42 chars, Mon May 20 23:39:22 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1429.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTrudeau is a creep.<\/p>\n

And who’s “Scott” ?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1431, from hmccracken, 270 chars, Tue May 21 09:35:41 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1430.
\n————————–
\nWhoops, I said “Jerry Kirk” when I meant “Jerry Scott.”<\/p>\n

What’s wrong with Trudeau, aside from the fact that his comic strip
\nisn’t as funny as it used to be, and that he pummels the same
\ntopics endlessly while ignoring many subjects that seem ripe
\nfor satire?
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1432, from hmccracken, 1063 chars, Tue May 21 09:48:32 1996
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Complete list of National Cartoonist Society award winners<\/p>\n

SILVER T-SQUARE: David Folkman (I’m not sure who he is, or what this award signifies)<\/p>\n

MILTON CANIFF LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Al Hirschfeld (The 93 year-old master caricaturist has somtimes
\ndenied that he is a cartoonist, but he showed up to accept this much-deserved award)<\/p>\n

NEWSPAPER PANELS: Wiley Miller (for Non Seqiteur, one of the least funny strips around)
\nADVERTISING AND ILLUSTRATION: Jack Pittman (Not sure who he is)
\nCOMIC BOOK: Jeff Smith (for Bone)
\nNEWSPAPER ILLUSTRATION: Richard Thompson (Not sure who he is)
\nMAGAZINE AND BOOK ILLUSTRATION: Richard Thompson (Still not sure who he is)
\nTELEVISION ANIMATION: Bruce Timm (for Batman)
\nFEATURE ANIMATION: Joe Grant (Disney storyman and artist for several decades))
\nGREETING CARDS: Rick Stromoski
\nGAG CARTOONs: Lee Lorenz (The cartoon editor of The New Yorker, and a fine cartoonist himself)
\nEDITORIAL CARTOONS: Chip Bok
\nNEWSPAPER COMICS STRIPS: Rick Kirkman (for Baby Blues)<\/p>\n

REUBEN AWARD FOR CARTOONIST OF THE YEAR: Garry Trudeau<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1433, from hmccracken, 742 chars, Thu May 23 10:02:15 1996
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Mommy’s new ‘do
\nChanges don’t happen much in the world of Bil Keane’s _Family Circus_.
\nThirty years or so ago, the family added an additional kid, P.J., to
\nthe original cast: Billy, Dolly, and Jeffy. They’ve also added a pet or
\ntwo along the way; the usually-mute P.J. also spoke for awhile before
\nmysteriously reverting to speechless infancy.<\/p>\n

All of this is to explain why it’s notable that the panel’s Mommy has
\nadopted a new hairstyle, her first change in more than three decades.
\n(No Hillary Clinton she.) The change, which has been the subject
\nof one of the panel’s few ongoing stories over the past few days, is
\nminor: she’s gone from a sort of a pageboy look to a similar short
\nstyle, except with her ears uncovered.<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1434, from jgoddin, 208 chars, Mon Jun 24 22:17:10 1996
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Comic Con
\nAnyone planning on going to San Diego for the Comic Con over the
\nJuly 4 weekend? If so, let’s plan a BIX Bash. Once again I will
\nbe working in Artist’s Alley at one end of the Dealer’s Room.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1435, from hmccracken, 1460 chars, Thu Jul 25 22:41:10 1996
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Changes in the Comics
\nFew comics have been around as long as _Winnie Winkle_, _Snuffy Smith_,
\nand _Blondie_, and none of these strips have changed much in the past few
\ndecades. But all three are in the midst of change right now.<\/p>\n

For _Winnie Winkle_, the news is bad: the strip is being cancelled.
\nLaunched in 1920, it’s one of the oldest story strips still around, and
\nWinnie was ahead of her time, holding down a job of her own right from the
\nstart. The strip started out being fairly humorous, but evolved into a
\nsoap opera with time. The creator was Martin Branner, and the current
\ncreative team consists of writer Leonard Starr (who’s also responsible for
\nthe exploits of Little Orphan Annie these days) and artist Frank Bolle.<\/p>\n

_Blondie_, on the other hand, is still thriving — it’s just gone through
\na format change. For decades, every daily _Blondie_ episode consisted of
\nfour equally-sized panels, but the most recent examples I’ve seen use a
\nthree-panel format. A small change, perhaps, but one which can have a
\nprofound effect on a strip’s flavor — it certainly did when Charles
\nSchulz decided to make a similar move with _Peanuts_ a few years ago.<\/p>\n

As for _Snuffy Smith_, I have no idea *what’s* happening. While in Seattle
\nlast week, I saw some current strips, which seem to have adopted a
\ndramatic storyline and which show Snuffy wearing a ridculous wig, with
\npricetag still attached. Can anyone fill us in on what’s going on?<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1436, from jgoddin, 256 chars, Fri Jul 26 04:03:38 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1435.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAnother ‘older’ comic, Lulu, had quite a spokesgroup at Comic Con
\nin San Diego. The Friends of Lulu had a meeting (open to all),
\na small booth, were on a panel discussion, and one of their members
\ndonated an original Lulu panel to the Charity Art Auction.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1437, from jgoddin, 7937 chars, Fri Jul 26 04:07:42 1996
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: In case there is interest, this is a report I submitted
\n\tfor the BIX website. (Permission was given to Post as well)<\/p>\n

1996 The Inkpots and the Will Eisner Awards<\/p>\n

San Diego’s Comic Con International is the largest and the oldest
\ncomics convention in the United States. One of the highlights of
\nthe convention is the gala ceremony to present the convention’s
\nInkpot Awards and the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. The
\nWill Eisner Awards are considered to be the “Oscars” of the
\ncomic book industry.<\/p>\n

The Inkpot Awards are San Diego Comic Con International’s own awards
\nand are given to people the convention feels have made significant
\ncontributions to the industry.<\/p>\n

This year’s Inkpot award winners were Donna Barr, Mort Drucker,
\nJoe Giella, Jim Mooney, Kurt Schaffenberger, Francois Schuiten,
\nand David Siegel. All of the names except, for David Siegel,
\nshould be familiar to comics fans.<\/p>\n

Those who have met Donna Barr can testify to her outspoken energy,
\nunique style, and humor. Perhaps her best known work so far
\nhistory of “The Desert Peach”, the Desert Fox’s fictional gay
\nbrother. Three years spent in the U. S. Army (where she married
\nSargeant Dan Barr) and a BA in German language and literature
\nwhich adds to the factual background of her fictional characters.<\/p>\n

Mort Drucker is a very successful commercial illustrator. A
\ncollectionof his covers for TIME magazine are in the National
\nPortrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington,
\nD. C. He is probably best known for doing dead-on caricatures
\nof celebrities in film and TV parodies for MAD Magazines for
\nover 40 years.<\/p>\n

Joe Giella illustrated DC Comics for 30 years. He has worked
\non every major DC character. Some of the comic strips he has
\nworked on include “Mary Worth” (in the last five years), “Batman”,
\n“The Phantom” (for 17 years), “Flash Gordon”, “Sherlock Holmes”,
\nand “Johnny Reb”.<\/p>\n

In the early 1940s, Jim Mooney worked with Stan Lee doing funny
\nanimal material for Terry-Toons. He also drew for Fiction House
\nand Ace Magazines. His first Batman strip was completed in 1946
\nwhich led to additional work with DC Comics. In 1959 he drew the
\nsecond issue of Supergirl and continued with that project for
\nanother nine years. Even though he says he retired in 1985, he
\ncontinues to freelance and pencils and inks an occasional “Elvira”
\nand “Soul Searchers” for Claypool Comics.<\/p>\n

Kurt Schaffenberger drew almost every issue of “Lois Lane” in the
\n1960s. His style was so perfectly suited for Superman’s girlfriend
\nthat soon he was assigned the job of drawing Lois’s face whenever
\nshe appeared in stories drawn by other artists. He worked on the
\nCaptain Marvel Family of comic books through the 1940s and 1950s.<\/p>\n

Francois Schuiten is best known in European countries. In addition
\nto working on the first Euro0animation HD serial “Quarx” his
\nwork is on exhibition in Paris (Arts et Metiera) and Brussels
\n(Porte de Hai).<\/p>\n

David Segal is not known by many people, but he is a Fan! His
\nspecial area of interest is in the authors and artists who
\nhelped create the Golden and Silver Ages of comics. These cover
\nthe time period from the 1940s through the early 1970s. David
\nhas attended Comic Con “forever” and was disappointed that his
\nfavorite authors and artists rarely if ever came. Sadly, he
\ndiscovered that some had died and couldn’t attend. However,
\nmany of them were still alive and well and just were unaware
\nof Comic Con and the group of Fans who still discussed their
\nworks. David research and located many of these talented people
\nand began introducing them to the convention. He would even
\nmake arrangements for the comforts of these artists and authors
\nif they would attend the convention and help keep the memories
\nof their works alive. David received his well-deserved Inkpot
\nfor all of the time and effort he has given over the years to
\nkeep these eras of comics history alive. The additional benefit
\nfor David is that he has become friends of many of the creators
\nof his comics heroes.<\/p>\n

The Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award Winner was Andre Vachss.<\/p>\n

The Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award went to
\nAlexander Maleev.<\/p>\n

The Eisner Awards are named for renowned cartoonist Will Eisner
\n(creator of “The Spirit” and several award-winning graphic novels),
\nwho always attends the ceremony to personally hand the trophies
\nto the winners.<\/p>\n

The Eisner Awards were established in 1987 and came under the
\nauspices of the Can Diego Comic Convention, Inc., a nonprofit
\ncorporation, in 1990. The Awards Administrator is Jackie Estrada
\nand the awards program has been funded by contributions from
\ndistributors, retailer organizations, and such industry
\nsuppliers as major printers of comics.<\/p>\n

The Eisner Awards are given out in two dozen categories covering
\nthe best publications and creators of the previous year. They are
\nvoted on by all parts of the comic book industry: writers, artists,
\nother creators, publishers, editors, retailers, and distributors
\nthroughout the U.S. and Canada. The finalists who appear on the
\nballot are selected by a blue-ribbon committee that considers the
\nthougsands of entries submitted by publishers. “The primary
\npurpose of these awards,” says Estrada, “is to call attention
\nto the best that the comics artform has to offer.”<\/p>\n

The 1996 Eisner Awards ceremony was held at the Hyatt Regency
\nHotel in Downtown San Diego on the evening of Friday, July 5.
\nThe 1996 Eisner Awards Winners were:<\/p>\n

Best Single Issue: Kurt Busiek’s Astro City #4: “Safeguards,”
\nby Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson (Jukebox productions\/Image).<\/p>\n

Best Short Story: “The Eltingville Comic-Book, Science-Fiction,
\nFantasy, Horror, and Role-Playing Club in Bring Me the Head of
\nBoba Fett” by Evan Dorkin, in “Instant Piano #3” (Dark Horse).<\/p>\n

Best Serialized Story: “Strangers in Paradise #1-8” by Terry
\nMoore (Abstract Studieos)<\/p>\n

Best Continuing Series: “Acme Novelty Library” by Chris Ware
\n(Fantagraphics)<\/p>\n

Best Title for Younger Readers: “Batman & Robin Adventures,”
\nby Paul Dini, Ty Templeton, and Rick Burchett (DC)<\/p>\n

Best Limited Series: “Sin City: The Big Fat Kill” by Frank
\nMiller (Dark Horse\/Legend)<\/p>\n

Best New Series: “Kurt Busiek’s Astro City” by Kurt Busiek
\nand Brent Anderson (Jukebox Productions\/Image)<\/p>\n

Best Anthology: “The Big Book of Conspiracies” edited by
\nBronwyn Taggart (Paradox Press)<\/p>\n

Best Graphic Album–New: “Stuck Rubber Baby” by Howard Cruse
\n(Paradox Press)<\/p>\n

Best Graphic Album–Reprint: “The tale of One Bad Rat” by
\nBryan Talbot (Dark Horse)<\/p>\n

Best Archival Collection: “The Complete Crumb Comics, vol. 11”
\nby R. Crumb (Fantagraphics)<\/p>\n

Best Humor Publication: “Milk & Cheese #666” by Evan Dorkin
\n(Slave Labor)<\/p>\n

Brst Writer: Alan Moore “from Hell” (Kitchen Sink)<\/p>\n

Best Writer\/Artist, Drama: David Lapham :Stray Bullets”
\n(El Capitan)<\/p>\n

Best Writer\/Artist, Humor: Sergio Aragones, “Groo” (Image)<\/p>\n

Best Painter: John Bolton, “Batman: Manbat” (DC)<\/p>\n

Best Penciller\/Inker: Geof Darrow, “The Big Guy and Rusty
\nthe Boy Robot” (Dark Horse\/Legend)<\/p>\n

Best Cover Artist: Alex Ross, “Kurt Busiek’s Astro City
\n(Jukebox Productions\/Image)<\/p>\n

Best Coloring: Chris Ware, “The Acre Novelty Library”
\n(Fantagraphics)<\/p>\n

Best Lettering: Stan Sakai, Groo” (Image); “Usagi Yojimbo” (Mirage)<\/p>\n

Talent Deserving of Wider recognition: Stan Sakai “Usagi Yojimbo”
\n(Mirage)<\/p>\n

Best Editor (tie): Stuart Moore, “Swamp Thing”, “The Invisibles”,
\n“Preacher” (DC\/Vertigo); Bronwyn Taggart, “The Big Book of Weirdos”,
\n“The Big Book of Conspiracies”, “Brooklyn Dreams”, “Stuck Rubber
\nBaby” (Paradox Press)<\/p>\n

Best Comics Related Publication, Periodical: “The Comics Journal”
\n(Fantagraphics)<\/p>\n

Best Comics Related Publication, Book: Alex Toth, edited by Manuel Auad
\n(Kitchen Sink)<\/p>\n

Best Comics Related Item: Comic strip Stamps (U.S. Postal Service)<\/p>\n

Best Publication Design: “The Acme Novelty Library” designed by
\nChris Ware (Fantagraphics)<\/p>\n

Those admitted to the Hall of Fame:<\/p>\n

Hal Foster
\nBob Kane
\nWinsor McCay
\nAlex Raymond<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1438, from nicolas, 668 chars, Fri Jul 26 08:39:45 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1437.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1437.
\n————————–
\nRe: In case there is interest, this is a report I submitted
\n>Francois Schuiten is best known in European countries. In addition
\n>to working on the first Euro0animation HD serial “Quarx” his
\n>work is on exhibition in Paris (Arts et Metiera) and Brussels
\n>(Porte de Hai).
\n>
\nI am glad he won an award in the US. His work, especialy together with
\nPeeters, is excellent. I own a signed and numbered hardcover of his
\nArchivist. It’s one of my most priced possesions. Schuiten draws a very
\nclear line and has interesting ideas about using perspective and
\narchitecture in his comics.<\/p>\n

—
\nNico Veenkamp Cybrarian at large
\nhttp:\/\/www.xs4all.nl\/~nicolas\/index.html<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1440, from hmccracken, 192 chars, Fri Jul 26 10:34:16 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1436.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nJean, I believe the Friends of Lulu is principally a group of men and women devoted to supporting the
\ncause of women in the comics industry — Little Lulu is their mascot\/namesake.<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1441, from hmccracken, 38 chars, Fri Jul 26 10:34:28 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1437.
\n————————–
\nThanks for the report, Jean!
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1442, from jgoddin, 510 chars, Fri Jul 26 22:42:18 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1440.
\n————————–
\nCould be. I was so busy at the convention I didn’t have time to visit
\nwith them. However, the picture they donated to the charity auction
\nwas quite good and well received by the audience. <\/p>\n

I did meet a young man from Maryland that probably will become a name
\nin the business to remember. Frank Cho. He won all sorts of awards
\non a book he put out as a college project and it looks like he will
\nbe doing a daily strip next year in syndication. He is an excellent
\nartist and a very nice young man as well.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1443, from hmccracken, 372 chars, Sun Aug 11 22:47:45 1996
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Guest Cartoonist
\n_Non Sequitur_, a _Far Side_-style comic strip by a cartoonist who
\ndubs himself Wiley, has a guest cartoonist at the moment. Wiley
\nis taking a vacation, and the current strips are drawn and signed
\nby J.D. Crowe.<\/p>\n

This is the first time I can think of that a vacationing cartoonist
\nhas openly left his strip in the hands of another artist.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1444, from peabo, 117 chars, Tue Aug 13 00:46:57 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1443.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nHow does Crowe compare to Wiley? Even though the strip is in the Globe, I
\ndon’t see it often enough to know.<\/p>\n

peter<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1445, from hmccracken, 151 chars, Tue Aug 13 09:46:22 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1444.
\n————————–
\nI haven’t seen it myself — I learned about it in the comic-strip newsgroup.
\nWiley says he loves Crowes’s work and chose him for that reason.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1446, from hmccracken, 941 chars, Sun Sep 15 17:05:00 1996
\n————————–
\nTITLE: You’re a Wealthy Man, Charles Schulz
\n_Forbes_ magazine has released its annual list of the forty
\nwealthiest entertainers, and as usual, it’s made up mostly
\nof movie and TV stars and venerable rock musicians — except
\nfor the presence of _Peanuts_’s Charles M. Schulz. <\/p>\n

This year, Schulz is #30 on the list, having made an estimated
\n$33 million over the last two years. Of course, he’s practically
\npoverty-stricken compared to America’s #1 entertainer, Oprah
\nWinfrey, who pocketed an incredible $171 million over the past
\ntwo years, says _Forbes_. But just think: Schulz has been one
\nof America’s top cartoonists for forty years (_Peanuts_ started
\nin October, 1950, but really started to gather steam in the
\nmid-1950s.) Many of the other top 40 weren’t even alive when
\n_Peanuts_ first attracted the country’s attention, and one
\nsuspects that after some of them have been largely forgotten,
\nSchulz will still be going strong.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1447, from hmccracken, 456 chars, Wed Sep 18 06:55:59 1996
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Supermarriedman
\nAccording to the BBC — which is an odd source, but it’s where I
\nheard it — Superman and Lois Lane will be getting married next
\nmonth, after a courtship of nearly sixty years. I’m not sure
\nif the BBC broadcaster who reported this news is a Superman
\nfan — he sneered at the Man of Steel for wearing his underwear
\non the outside of his tights, and repeatedly referred to the
\nway he changes his lothes in a “telephone box.”<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1448, from dgh, 593 chars, Thu Sep 19 01:05:11 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1447.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI found that out two weeks ago by reading Diamond’s _Previews_ for comics
\nshipping in November. It was the first I’d heard of it. It was also the
\nfirst mention I had heard that Lois and Clark would be returning to TV! The
\nway last season ended, I had my doubts…<\/p>\n

There’s a special _Wedding Album_ available in standard and collectors
\neditions for the same price ($4.95), despite the collectors edition
\nhaving “an embossed cardstock cover showing the Superman S-shield, metallic
\nsilver ink printing, and both matte and gloss varnishes.” I’ve got my copy
\non order!<\/p>\n

,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1449, from hmccracken, 291 chars, Mon Sep 23 22:05:06 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1448.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThis question shows how out of touch I am with Superman, but
\ndoes Lois know that the Man of Steel and Clark Kent are one
\nand the same othese days? I hope not — for me, most of the appeal
\nof the whole concept is based on the weird romantic triangle between
\nLois and Clark\/Superman.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1450, from dgh, 126 chars, Tue Sep 24 22:28:45 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1449.
\n————————–
\nYes. Both in the comic books and on the live-action TV show (don’t know
\nabout the new animated TV show).<\/p>\n

\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1451, from kipw, 1139 chars, Wed Oct 2 19:41:46 1996
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI saw MAD #350 on the stand today and bought a copy. It comes
\nbagged with “MAD Bytes It,” a CD-rom. This disk is well
\nworth the $2.50 cover price of the issue. There’s a file of
\nabout 50 images, including some great Kelly Freas covers.
\nThere are audio tracks of two classic songs from “Sing Along
\nWith MAD” — namely, “It’s A Gas” and “Blind Date.” A new
\nsong by Green Jelly, “SBarely Alive” is also included.
\nPerhaps best of all, there’s an index to the comic and magazine.
\nYou can search by name, subject, department, title or issue.
\nIt’s not perfect, but you can also edit it. It says you can.
\n(Note: if you ask it to print $20 bills, it tells you “Illegal
\nCommand”)
\nI saved the best for last. There’s also an AOL offer!
\nWell, what the heck… it seems to have paid the bills on an item
\nthey probably would have had to charge more for.
\nIt works on a PC. Maybe sort of buggy. I had a hard time
\nquitting and getting back to my system. Had to reboot.
\nthen again, I’m not working at 100% lately, so mebbe it’s me…
\nAnyway, I give it my endorsement. It’s easily worth $2.35, and
\nthe magazine probably has a chuckle or two in it.
\n–Kip<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1452, from hmccracken, 339 chars, Wed Oct 2 22:01:31 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1451.
\n————————–
\nSounds like a good deal for $2.50. I haven’t bought a copy of
\n_Mad_ in probably fifteen years or more, but I’ll pick up this
\none.<\/p>\n

I’d love to see a CD-ROM that collected all the early issues.
\nOr perhaps _The Complete Dave Berg’s The Lighter Side Of…_
\n(is that still a _Mad_ feature? Guess I’ll find out when I buy
\nthis issue).
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1453, from hmccracken, 666 chars, Mon Oct 28 21:00:42 1996
\n————————–
\nTITLE: The state of the comic-strip art
\nToday’s _New York Times_, despite not having a comics section of its
\nown, has an interesting article on the comic-strip biz. Its central
\npoint is that it’s very tough to get a new strip launched — there
\nare fewer papers, and it’s harder and harder to dislodge an
\nestablished strip.<\/p>\n

Three new strips are mentioned in the article: _Tommy_ (a sort of
\ncross between _Little Nemo_ and _Calvin and Hobbes_, by the
\nson of the guy who does _Mr Boffo_), _The Dinette Set_ (apparently
\nabout rednecks), and _Bliss_ (about a young married couple, and
\nvery poorly drawn, judging from the example that accompanies the
\narticle).<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1454, from hmccracken, 1274 chars, Sat Nov 30 18:58:52 1996
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Cartoonists Online
\nGenerally speaking, it’s tough for fans to reach celebrities. You
\ncan’t just call up Madonna, for instance. There is, however, a
\ngood chance that you can drop an e-mail note to your favorite
\nnewspaper cartoonists. (We’re talking living, working cartoonists
\nhere — short of a seance, there’s no way to contact Winsor McCay
\nor George Herriman.)<\/p>\n

Here, for instance, are the e-mail or Web addresses of a bunch
\nof cartoonists, drawn from their _Boston Globe_ strips:<\/p>\n

Jeff MacNelly (_Shoe_)” http:\/\/macnelly.com
\nJeff Shesol (_Thatch_): Th********@ao*.c<\/span>om<\/span>
\nScott Adams (_Dilbert_): SC********@ao*.c<\/span>om<\/span>
\nWiley (_Non Sequitur_): SE*******@ao*.c<\/span>om<\/span>
\nJoe Martin (_Mr. Boffo_): mr*****@mr*****.c<\/span>om<\/span>
\nGarry Trudeau (_Doonesbury_): http:\/\/www.doonesbury.com
\nPat Brady (_Rose is Rose_): pb********@ao*.c<\/span>om<\/span>
\nRich Moyer (_Ick_): ic*******@ao*.c<\/span>om<\/span>
\nMichael Fry (_Over the Hedge_): MF********@ao*.c<\/span>om<\/span>
\nJimmy Johnson (_Arlo and Janis_): ar*****@ao*.c<\/span>om<\/span><\/p>\n

Curiously, Jeff MacNelly’s _Pluggers_, which was one of the first strips I
\nsaw with an e-mail address, no longer lists one. And of course, not every
\ncartoonist who’s online promotes that fact in his strip. I’ve seen
\nnewsgroup messages from Jim (_Robotman_) Meddick, but he doesn’t list an
\naddress in the strip.
\n– Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1455, from hmccracken, 860 chars, Sat Nov 30 19:03:32 1996
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Praise Revoked
\nSome months ago, I reported that Guy and Brad Gilchrist had taken
\nover the _Nancy_ newspaper strip and were doing quite a nice job
\nof capturing Ernie Bushmiller’s humor and art style.<\/p>\n

Turns out that they’re not only capturing it…they’re duplicating it.
\nLiterally. In the current issue of _The Comics Journal_, there are
\na half-dozen examples of Gilchrist _Nancy_ gags that are lifted
\nfrom original Bushmiller strips verbatim, with nothing more than
\nminor changes to the art.<\/p>\n

As usual, cartoonists just don’t get no respect. It’s an insult to
\nErnie Bushmiller that latter-day _Nancy_ artists are signing their
\nname to his work. (Bushmiller doesn’t get any sort of credit on
\nthe new _Nancy_ strips, not even a “created by” tagline.) It’s a
\npretty safe bet that Bushmiller’s family gets no royalty on the
\nreused gags, either.<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1456, from jgoddin, 98 chars, Sun Dec 29 02:04:27 1996
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Marvel
\nAccording to CNN, Marvel comics has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
\nreorganization.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1457, from hmccracken, 833 chars, Sun Dec 29 10:35:54 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1456.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAmazing. Apparently, the company made some ill-advised acquisitions —
\nit bought some baseball card companies right before the bottom
\nfell out of that market, for one thing. There’s also some sort
\nof complicated financial wrangling going on involving Ron
\nPerelman (the wheeler-dealer who controls Marvel) and Carl
\nIcahn (the wheeler-dealer who ruined TWA). <\/p>\n

The bankruptcy returns Marvel to its roots — from its founding
\nin the 1930s until sometime in the 1960s, it was a largely
\nunsuccessful company that was often on the edge of failure.
\nI presume that there’s no chance that the company will disappear
\ncompletely — somehow, the adventures of the X-Men, Spider-Man,
\nHulk, etc. will continue.<\/p>\n

For a detailed explanation of what’s going on, read yesterday’s
\nNew York Times (it’s the lead story in the business section).
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1458, from jgoddin, 378 chars, Sun Dec 29 21:51:21 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1457.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1457.
\n————————–
\nI don’t have access to the NYT at the moment. I’ll have to check
\nit out. The blurb in our paper here made it sound like Perleman
\n(isn’t he the same one who starred in Beauty and the Beast?) really
\nhad Marvel’s better interest at heart and that Icahn was the one
\nwho was trying to ruin the reorg plans. But with our skewed news
\nreporting (MHO) I never know what to believe. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1459, from dgh, 820 chars, Mon Dec 30 00:08:56 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1457.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI think that Marvel’s mistakes, in order of increasing stupidity, were:
\n1) Attempting to dominate the collector’s card industry by buing Fleer and
\n Skybox, who used to license Marvel characters for their own profit.
\n2) Attempting to dominate the comic book marketplace by flooding the market
\n with cheap comics with a complete disregard for quality.
\n3) Attempting to dominate comic book distribution by buying the #3 comic
\n book distributor, converting them into a Marvel-only distributor, and
\n refusing to distribute their comic books to the direct market via any
\n other means (at least they weren’t stupid enough to try to screw their
\n news-stand distributors). (Then they closed all but one distribution
\n warehouse when they discovered that were losing more money than ever.)
\n ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1460, from mholcomb, 89 chars, Mon Dec 30 00:14:02 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1458.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nWhere is Stan Lee? I haven’t followed the inner workings of Marvel for a
\nwhile…<\/p>\n

MAR.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1461, from hmccracken, 229 chars, Mon Dec 30 09:32:54 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1460.
\n————————–
\nStan’s still there, but he’s on the west coast and may be something of a
\nfigurehead. I think he’s mostly involved with turning Marvel characters
\ninto movies and TV shows (most of which have been famously unsuccessful).
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1462, from hmccracken, 648 chars, Mon Dec 30 09:47:39 1996
\nThis is a comment to message 1459.
\n————————–
\nYup, I forgot about the awful things that Marvel did to the comic-book
\ndistribution business. <\/p>\n

In a way, I kind of take it personally, since I used to publish a magazine (_Animato_) that was sold
\nthrough these channels. We had three major distributors competing for our business — Diamond, Capitol
\ncity, and Heroes World. By the time Marvel was done tampering with the market, there was only one
\ndistributor left who’d be a customer for _Animato_ — Diamond. I’m no longer publishing _Animato_, so it
\ndoesn’t affect me, but I feel for all the other little guys who are suffering.<\/p>\n

Looks like it wasn’t a smart move for Marvel, either.<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1463, from hmccracken, 599 chars, Thu Jan 2 20:12:48 1997
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: He’s Everywhere
\nYou can debate the quality of Scott Adams’ _Dilbert_ comic strip,
\nbut you can’t deny that it’s popular. Dilbert himself is currently
\non the cover of at least THREE major magazines: _Fortune_ (for an
\narticle on business management), _Newsweek_ (for a “the year in
\ncartoons” feature), and _People_ (he’s one of their most fascinating
\npeople of 1996).<\/p>\n

Other comics characters have appeared often on magazine covers –the
\nPeanuts, Pogo, Doonesbury, and Li’l Abner gangs come to mind —
\nbut I don’t know if anyone’s ever scored a hat trick in one week like
\nthis before.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1464, from jgoddin, 186 chars, Fri Jan 3 00:18:18 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1463.
\n————————–
\nI also saw Dilbert and Dogbert of the cover of a magazine called
\nFunny Things. At least I think that is what it was. I’ll look
\ntomorrow when I go by my favorite magazine monger’s store.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1465, from nicolas, 337 chars, Sun Jan 5 14:22:02 1997
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Franquin
\nAndre Franquin died today at the age of 73. He was a belgian comic book
\nartist. In europe he was famous for his books about Gaston Lagaffe, a lazy
\nboy that worked in a mailroom. He is also known as the creator of the
\nMarsupilami.
\n—
\nNico Veenkamp Cybrarian at large
\nhttp:\/\/www.xs4all.nl\/~nicolas\/index.html<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1466, from hmccracken, 243 chars, Sun Jan 5 19:41:06 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1465.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nGee, that’s too bad. Thanks for the obit, Nico.<\/p>\n

Despite Franquin’s fame in much of the world, in the U.S., he is
\nonly known for Marupilami — and only because Disney produced
\na cartoon series that used the character a few years ago.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1467, from nicolas, 248 chars, Mon Jan 6 00:59:37 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1466.
\n————————–
\nNot many people know that he also did two or three albums with very dark,
\nsometimes even sick humour. he didn’t produced much lately in either of his
\nseries.
\n—
\nNico Veenkamp Cybrarian at large
\nhttp:\/\/www.xs4all.nl\/~nicolas\/index.html<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1468, from hmccracken, 447 chars, Sun Jan 12 18:04:54 1997
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: He’s at it again…
\nDilbert is on the cover of the current _TV Guide_, promoting a
\nrather unfunny feature within about his favorite TV shows.
\nThis little guy has to be the most overexposed cartoon character
\nsince Garfield’s initial burst of popularity in the late 1970s.<\/p>\n

Dilbert, incidentally, may become a TV character himself soon:
\nThe Fox network is planning a TV version of strip, which may be
\neither live-action or animated.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1469, from jgoddin, 519 chars, Sun Jan 12 19:54:12 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1468.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1468.
\n————————–
\nI read somewhere that Scott Adams said the best show on TV now is
\nBabylon 5.
\n I think one reason why Dilbert and crew are everywhere is because
\nso many of us identify with his workplace. For a while there it was
\nlike he worked where I do. He would have to just to be able to put
\nthe idiocy down on paper. The really scary thing is that so many
\npeople feel that way!
\n He puts the thought to paper that “So-called Management is killing
\nthe work environment and is clueless about people and what might really
\nwork.” <\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1470, from jgoddin, 119 chars, Tue Jan 14 21:30:02 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1468.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAccording to the radio this a.m., the TV Dilbert will be
\nLive-Action. Personally, I’d have preferred it animated. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1471, from hmccracken, 114 chars, Wed Jan 15 09:32:18 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1470.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nGee, I wonder how they’ll portray such characters as Dogbert
\nand Catbert? Not wth guys in suits, I hope.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1472, from jgoddin, 108 chars, Wed Jan 15 23:03:00 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1471.
\n————————–
\nor Ratbert even. \ud83d\ude42 And what special effect are they going to do
\nwith Dilbert’s tie…. the mind boggles.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1473, from hmccracken, 320 chars, Thu Jan 16 09:29:57 1997
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: What’s up with Superman
\nI have belatedly heard that Superman, the Man of Steel, has
\ngiven up his caped costume for a new supersuit, and has
\nsome new superpowers. These developments were apparently the
\nsubject of a stinging editorial in the New York Times a couple
\nof days ago. Anyone know the details?<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1474, from dgh, 1763 chars, Thu Jan 16 21:03:29 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1473.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1473.
\n————————–
\nHere’s what I posted when the subject came up over in sf\/media:<\/p>\n

He lost his powers when the sun went out, you see, but they didn’t come back
\nwhen Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) sacrificed himself to reignite the sun, they
\ndidn’t come back. Eventually, he got them back by flying into the heart of
\nthe sun. He doesn’t know it yet, but they’re not the same powers that he had
\noriginally. “Instead of the living solar battery he’s always been, Superman
\nis now an energy being. Instead of bullets bouncing off him, they now either
\npass through Superman or get caught in his energy matrix. Superman doesn’t
\nexactly fly anymore; he zaps from place to place like a bolt of lightning,
\nthough he has problems with the landings at first.” “The other big change is
\nthat when Superman changes from his energy form into his human form, Clark
\nKent has all the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of a normal human being.”
\n(Previews, January 1997, Vol. VII, No. 1, pp. 62-63).<\/p>\n

Let’s see here. The fans hated it when John Byrne revamped Superman some
\nyears ago and DC gradually made him back the way he was before, except that
\nthey kept the part about him not getting his powers until his Senior year in
\nHigh School. Byrne’s changes were mostly subtle, affecting *how* his powers
\nworked more than *what* his powers were (they were mental, instead of solar,
\nbut even Superman didn’t understand exactly how they worked-they just did).<\/p>\n

Now DC goes and turns Superman into a glorified Ray\/Flash\/Captain Atom? And
\nthey think the fans are going to sit still for this? Well, I’m not going to!
\nI’m cancelling *my* subscriptions to *all* of the Superman titles. (Hey, I
\n*liked* what Byrne tried to do. It was pretty obvious that *he* had read
\nNiven’s short story…)
\n ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1475, from jgoddin, 241 chars, Thu Jan 16 21:06:15 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1473.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nNew suit is blue and white striped. New logo is jaggedy and
\nsupposedly represents his energized state. Bullets no longer
\nbounce off of him. His energy field will capture them. Lois
\nknows he is Clark Kent. I think that is the highlights. <\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1476, from hmccracken, 804 chars, Fri Jan 17 09:31:23 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1475.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1475.
\n————————–
\nGeez, in other words, they’ve changed everything that made
\nSuperman appealing, at least to me. Presumably, it’s all
\nfor the sake of publicity, and he’ll return to his old
\nself eventually.<\/p>\n

For me, the following rules must apply for the Man of Steel
\nto be himself:<\/p>\n

1) Clark Kent must be mild-mannered fellow.
\n2) Lois Lane must love Superman and be unaware that Clark and
\n Superman are the same fellow.
\n3) Superman must be the last survivor of the planet Krypton.
\n4) The primary supporting cast should consist of Lois, Perry
\n White, and possibly Jimmy Olsen.
\n5) Superman must stand for Truth, Justice, and the American Way.<\/p>\n

Except for the early comics, the Fleischer cartoons of the 1940s,
\nand the first couple of Christopher Reeve movies, they always
\nseem to be tampering with these laws.<\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1477, from jgoddin, 181 chars, Fri Jan 17 23:34:52 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1476.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1476.
\n————————–
\nSomeone on the
\nW
\nSomeone on the Web said DC could come up with no original thoughts
\nanymore so they were ripping off the concept from someone elses’
\nfemale character ‘of light.’ <\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1478, from dgh, 173 chars, Sat Jan 18 00:30:55 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1475.
\n————————–
\nLois knowing that Clark Kent is Superman is old news (it happened a few
\nyears ago) and has nothing to do with the upcoming changes to his powers.
\n ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1479, from hmccracken, 280 chars, Sat Jan 18 19:39:04 1997
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: From now on…
\nI shall list magazines that DON’T have Dilbert on the cover —
\nit should be a lot easier. Scott Adams’ nerdy engineer is on
\nthe cover of _Life_ and a business magazine called _Opportunities_.<\/p>\n

How long before we see him on the _National Enquirer_?
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1480, from dgh, 444 chars, Sun Jan 19 00:21:51 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1477.
\n————————–
\nWell, I think that someone is wrong, because Superman is [going to be] an
\nenergy being, not a light being. The Ray (male) is a light being. Dr. Light
\n(female) is a light being. Superman’s new mode of travel is more like the
\nold Johnny Thunderbolt character. In fact, Superman’s new [as of yet,
\nunpublished] powers seem to have been cribbed from a variety of other
\ncharacters, and not from any one specific character.
\n ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1481, from lkaplan, 777 chars, Sun Jan 19 14:01:02 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1479.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nRe: From now on…
\n>How long before we see him on the _National Enquirer_?<\/p>\n

“Dilbert Fathers Brenda Starr’s Love Child”<\/p>\n

“Catbert and Garfield — “Yes, we want the whole world to
\n know we’re in love””<\/p>\n

“Exclusive Photos – Wally The Programmer Has Hair Weave”<\/p>\n

“Pointy-Haired Boss Has Secret Brain Transplant In Sweden”<\/p>\n

Actually, Harry, you’re absolutely right!<\/p>\n

Hopefully, though, all of the publicity will not damage the “essence of
\nDilbert” — after all, Calvin and Hobbes was just as wonderful even after
\nit (they?) became popular … and if we’re lucky, all of this publicity
\nwill yield some really nasty new ideas for the strip.<\/p>\n

My sister went to a talk given by Scott Adams last year and had a terrific
\ntime, apparently he’s a wonderful public speaker.<\/p>\n

-Len<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1482, from hmccracken, 334 chars, Sun Jan 19 16:05:47 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1481.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1481.
\n————————–
\nSpeaking of Calvin and Hobbes, the overexposure of Dilbert makes me
\ngladder than ever that Bill Watterson was so extreme in his
\ndesire to keep C&H a *comic strip*, not a merchandising bonanza.
\nI’m not sure if C&H *ever* appeared on the cover of a major magazine,
\nand I’m sure it’s because Watterson didn’t want it to happen.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1483, from jgoddin, 270 chars, Mon Jan 20 01:28:55 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1482.
\n————————–
\nFor Christmas I got a copy of the newest C&H book with the last
\nyear’s strip. I found it when I was Christmas shopping and it
\nbecame a gift to me. \ud83d\ude42 I made a copy of the last one and
\nposted it over my desk at work. It help remind me to make
\nevery day an adventure.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1484, from mholcomb, 167 chars, Mon Jan 20 21:05:49 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1476.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n>3) Superman must be the last survivor of the planet Krypton.
\n>
\nTechnically, this is not true…but that is the way the comic book
\ngenerally plays him out as…<\/p>\n

MAR.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1485, from hmccracken, 225 chars, Mon Jan 20 22:51:36 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1484.
\n————————–
\nI know it’s not true — there’s Supergirl, Krypto, and who knows
\nwho else. But the concept had a lot more appeal before we knew
\nthat seemingly have the inhabitants of Krypton survived the
\nexplosion. To me, at least.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1486, from tmorris, 261 chars, Sun Jan 26 23:13:29 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1481.
\n————————–
\nRe: From now on…
\n>My sister went to a talk given by Scott Adams last year and had a terrific
\n>time, apparently he’s a wonderful public speaker.<\/p>\n

And he has a very amusing web site, too.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.unitedmedia.com\/comics\/dilbert\/<\/p>\n

Tim<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1487, from switch, 5668 chars, Mon Jan 27 07:43:35 1997
\n————————–
\nTITLE: DC Comics
\nOver the past two years, I’ve fallen way behind in my comics. Sort
\nof. I have the comics, I just haven’t had the time to read them.<\/p>\n

Lately I’ve been sorting through the pile, and I’ve noticed
\nsomething: DC Comics are actually getting better.<\/p>\n

For the longest while, the only title I could stomach was Batman (and
\nrelated titles), and even some of those were a little frustrating.
\nThe whole episode (a better word might be “spectacle”) with Azrael
\nand Bane was frustrating and obnoxious. The endless tinkering with
\nSuperman, from his longer locks (which seem to be getting longer with
\neach new artist) to his new, electrifying outfit and powers, seems
\ninappropriate for a comic-book icon. And this is just the tip of the
\niceberg.<\/p>\n

WONDER WOMAN
\nIn catching up with the stuff I’ve missed, I read through all the new
\nWonder Woman comics since John Byrne took over. In some ways, it’s
\ntypical Byrne: one of the first things he does is bring Darkseid
\ninto the game, as he (again) trashes Themiscyra (aka Paradise Island)
\nin his quest for the Greek gods’ power. He also reaches into DC’s
\npast to bring back some characters we haven’t heard from in a while,
\nsuch as the Phantom Stranger, Vandal Savage, and Arion.<\/p>\n

Also typical Byrne is the resurrecting of things that had been left
\nbehind during Wonder Woman’s makeover in 1987 (engineered by George
\nPerez, and still probably the best interpretation of Wonder Woman
\nyet). This is good and bad: on the one hand, he brings back the
\ninvisible plane, with a twist; it’s an alien device which she can
\ncarry in the palm of her hand, but it can morph into any vehicle she
\ncan imagine. Tres cool.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, there is the introduction of a new Wonder Girl, an
\nirrepressible 14 year-old named Cassandra, daughter of Diana’s
\n(Wonder Woman’s) boss at Gateway City’s museum. (Cassandra is also
\nthe one who comes up with the idea of giving Diana the last name
\nPrince.) During one adventure, Cassandra dons the sandaled wings of
\nHermes, some safety goggles, and a Wonder Woman t-shirt and speeds to
\nDiana’s rescue, calling herself Wonder Girl. It’s cute, and it would
\nbe nice if it ended there with that one outing. Unfortunately, all
\nsigns point to Cassandra, a young adolescent with no training and no
\nsuper-powers, taking the title of Wonder Girl and proceeding on more
\nadventures. Oy.<\/p>\n

Artwise, Wonder Woman is good enough, though Byrne seems to have
\nbitten off more than he can chew, what with writing, pencilling, and
\ninking the title. Often, the inking looks a little too rushed, and
\nthe panels are way too large. I’m normally a fast reader, but I used
\nto go through an issue of George Perez’s Teen Titans in twice the
\ntime I spend flipping through Byrne’s oversized panels. Of course,
\nthis seems to be a trend with many comics these days, which is a
\nshame.<\/p>\n

The stories aren’t quite captivating as yet, but I expect that’ll
\ncome soon, as Bryne develops his own feel for the character.<\/p>\n

JLA (JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA)
\nI’ve been reading Justice League of America for as long as I could
\nread. As time goes on and creative teams change, I find myself
\nabandoning the title for long stretches of time. Somehow, though, I
\nalways manage to get back into it just as one team is on the way out
\nand another one is about to move in. I picked up the last few issues
\nof Justice League of America, where Crimson Fox is killed, the Yazz
\ntakes his (her? its?) alien charges elsewhere, and we find out Ice
\nis a lesbian (don’t get me started on the trendiness of lesbianism
\nthese days in popular culture).<\/p>\n

But now, under the moniker of JLA (and starting over at #1 yet again),
\nwe have the new Justice League. Sort of. The title characters are
\npretty much the same as when I was young: Superman, Batman, Wonder
\nWoman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Aquaman.<\/p>\n

The only hitch is that all of these characters, save Batman and the
\nMartian Manhunter, have been reworked in the last ten years. In two
\ncases (Green Lantern and Flash), we have two different people filling
\nprevious JLAer boots. Writer Grant Morrisson hit the ground running
\nwith JLA #1, starting us off with a crisis of world-shattering
\nproportions and handling the characterizations and inter-character
\nchemistry with aplomb. And he certainly knows how to write a story: the
\nend of JLA #3 has me breathlessly awaiting the next installment–
\nsomething I haven’t felt in a mainstream comic for a long time.<\/p>\n

NIGHT FORCE
\nAlso resurrected (a fitting description) is DC’s Night Force, my
\nfavourite horror comic of the 1980s. The big question that everyone
\nasked when this was announced was: we know Marv Wolfman can still write,
\nbut is it really Night Force without Gene Colan’s dynamic and very
\ncreepy work?<\/p>\n

The answer is a resounding yes. Brent Anderson does a very good job–
\nmore so, it seemed, than Wolfman. The elements are all there, and
\nthey’re quite fresh, but it feels as if the first story should have
\nplayed out to five or six issues instead of hurrying through only
\nthree. The fourth issue was different: a one-issue tale that could easily
\nhave been an episode of the classic Twilight Zone, if they’d had the
\neffects budget. Also, they went with a different artist, another fave:
\nEduardo Barreto’s clean and dynamic lines are nowhere near as scary as
\nColan’s more textured work, but this story didn’t need it; in fact, given
\nthe rapid-fire pacing of this issue, more dynamism was required. I’d like
\nto see Barreto doing more superhero comics, to teach these young guns that
\nsupposed “detail” lines can’t disguise bad drawing.<\/p>\n

Okay, that’s enough for now. Time to read more comics.<\/p>\n

Emru<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1488, from jgoddin, 99 chars, Wed Jan 29 01:38:13 1997
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Comic-Con International 1997: San Diego
\nI posted convention info over in sf\/calendar #1830.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1489, from dgh, 233 chars, Sun Feb 9 17:37:37 1997
\n————————–
\nTITLE: A B5 reference in a non-B5 comic…
\n_Troublemakers_ from Acclaim Comics (Valiant Heroes), written by Fabian
\nNicieza, p. 7: “Who are you?” “I’m who I’ve _always_ been– and who I always
\n_will_ be–”
\n ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1490, from hmccracken, 365 chars, Sun Mar 9 01:04:00 1997
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Marvel Update
\nAccording to Saturday’s _New York Times_, the latest update in
\nthe saga of Marvel Comics’ business woes is that financier
\nRonald Perelman has lost control of the company to Carl Icahn.
\nGiven the awful things that Icahn did to once-proud TWA, it’ll
\nbe interesting to see what he does in the comics biz — but
\nprobably not very pretty.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1491, from jgoddin, 32 chars, Sun Mar 9 17:10:14 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1490.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nThe term Grim leaps to mind….<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1492, from hkenner, 104 chars, Sun Mar 9 17:17:28 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1491.
\n————————–
\n))The term Grim leaps to mind….<\/p>\n

True. So long as it is kept dissociated from the term Natwick.<\/p>\n

–HK<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1493, from hmccracken, 958 chars, Tue Mar 11 16:38:06 1997
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Obituary: Stan Drake
\nStan Drake has died in Connecticut, at the age of 75. In the
\n1950s, Drake created and illustrated _The Heart of Juliet
\nJones_, a beautifully-drawn soap opera comic strip that
\nwas very influential. (It was written by Eliott Caplin, Al Capp’s brother.)<\/p>\n

_Juliet Jones_ was one of the most realistic-looking of all strips, but in
\nthe 1980s, Drake’s career took an interesting turn when he became the
\nartist on _Blondie_. He did a nice job of emulating Chic Young’s drawing
\nstyle (two other artists drew the strip in between Young’s passing
\nand Drake’s arrival), and eventually gave up _Juliet Jones_ to
\nfocus on drawing the adventures of Dagwood and Blondie.<\/p>\n

There’s no doubt, of course, that _Blondie_ will go on; Drake
\nhad already begun handing off much of the work on it to an
\nassistant, and I assume the assistant will take over the
\nart chores and get a byline along with the strip’s author,
\nDean Young (Chic’s son).
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1494, from jgoddin, 98 chars, Thu Mar 13 20:59:39 1997
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: 18 years ago today
\nDennis the Menace first appeared as a regular comic strip in newspapers<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1495, from jjanney, 302 chars, Thu Mar 13 22:58:17 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1494.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1494.
\n————————–
\nre: 18 years ago today<\/p>\n

That can’t possibly be right. I remember seeing it in the paper when
\nI was something like nine or ten, and I’m thirty-seven now. It wasn’t
\nnew then, either.<\/p>\n

Ketcham had another strip going at about the same time, about some
\nsailors in the Navy. I forget the name of it now.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1496, from jgoddin, 186 chars, Fri Mar 14 00:20:20 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1495.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1495.
\n————————–
\nYou could be right about the syndication. I’ll check and see if
\nI can find out more info from the thing I was reading today at
\nlunch. I wondered at the time if they had meant a TV show.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1497, from hmccracken, 234 chars, Fri Mar 14 04:44:09 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1495.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n_Dennis the Menace_ first appeared in, I think, 1951. The Ketcham
\nsailor strip was _Half Hitch_, a _Beetle Bailey_-like strip that
\nran for a few years in the 1970s (and was later retitled _Poopsie_,
\nafter a talking seagull).
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1498, from jdow, 80 chars, Fri Mar 14 05:53:53 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1494.
\n————————–
\nOnly *18!!!* Ghu – I thought I’d been seeing it FAR FAR longer than THAT!
\n{O.O}<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1499, from jdow, 76 chars, Fri Mar 14 05:55:08 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1497.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1497.
\n————————–
\nYeah – *THAT* I believe. (Good info source that matches my memories.)
\n{^_-}<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1500, from hmccracken, 367 chars, Fri Mar 14 20:18:01 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1499.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nAlong with _Peanuts_ and _Beetle Bailey_, _Dennis_ is one of the
\nthree big comic-strip hits of the early 1950s that are still
\nimmensely popular. _Peanuts_ and _Beetle_ are still being done
\nby their creators, nearly 50 (!) years later; Hank Ketcham
\nonly recently turned over the daily _Dennis_ panel to other
\nhands, and I believe he still keeps an eye on it.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1501, from jjanney, 263 chars, Fri Mar 14 21:09:36 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1497.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n> _Half Hitch_<\/p>\n

That’s the one. The seagull is about the only thing I remember, so it
\nwas probably the most interesting part of the strip.<\/p>\n

The few early strips of _Dennis the Menace_ I’ve seen make it look
\nlike the original Dennis really was a mean little kid.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1502, from jjanney, 114 chars, Fri Mar 14 21:50:45 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1500.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n_B.C._ is still going strong. I don’t think it’s quite as old as
\nthose others, but it’s been around for a while.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1503, from jdow, 75 chars, Sat Mar 15 00:27:17 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1501.
\n————————–
\nHe surely was more dynamic than the Dennis I see these days.
\n{O.O}<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1504, from hmccracken, 114 chars, Sat Mar 15 07:32:32 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1502.
\n————————–
\nYup, BC started in the late 1950s, along with Miss Peach. In
\nboth cases, the Peanuts influence is clear.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1505, from lkaplan, 948 chars, Tue Apr 1 18:04:43 1997
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: April 1 cartoonist swap
\nHas anybody checked out the comics in their local newspapers today? A group
\nof cartoonists swapped strips for April 1 – the results are pretty funny!
\nWhat I’ve got here:<\/p>\n

Blondie by Garfield’s Jim Davis
\nGarfield by Blondie’s Young&Drake<\/p>\n

9 Chickweed Lane, Hagar’s Chris Browne<\/p>\n

Rose is Rose, 9 Chickweed Lane’s Brookes<\/p>\n

Hagar the Horrible, NonSequiter’s Wiley<\/p>\n

Mother Goose and Grimm, For Better or For Worse’s Lynn Johnson
\nFor Better or For Worse, Goose and Grimm’s Mike Peters<\/p>\n

Dilbert, Family Circus’ Bil Keane
\nFamily Circus, Dilbert’s Scott Adams<\/p>\n

Dennis the Menace, by whomever is drawing Snuffy Smith these days (no name
\ngiven)<\/p>\n

Jump Start, w\/Mort Walker<\/p>\n

Shoe, Mort Walker<\/p>\n

Beetle Bailey has a guest visit by one of MacNelly’s characters.<\/p>\n

Baby Blues, by Bentley (Herb & Jamal)<\/p>\n

Luann, by Bizarro’s Pirara<\/p>\n

Non Sequitur, by Armstrong (I don’t recognize the name)<\/p>\n

Gasoline Alley has some visitors, also.<\/p>\n

-Len<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1506, from hmccracken, 111 chars, Tue Apr 1 20:34:36 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1505.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1505.
\n————————–
\nThanks for the lineup! _Non Sequitur_ was done by Robb Armstrong,
\nwhose usual strip is _Jump Start_.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1507, from grekel, 54 chars, Wed Apr 2 07:58:38 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1505.
\n————————–
\nhere we got a great Bizarro by Bill (Zippy) Griffith!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1508, from hkenner, 1008 chars, Sat Apr 19 12:22:15 1997
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Al Capp on his art
\nAs other Bixen may know but I didn’t till recently, an outfit called
\nKitchen Sink Press (2 Swamp Road, Princeton, WI 54968) has been engaged
\nin reprinting the L’il Abner episodes, complete, in year-by-year
\nvolumes. A friend has just sent me Vol. 15 (1949 episodes). Ron
\nGoulart’s introduction informs us that in the mid-1950’s the Famous
\nArtists School added a 24-lesson Cartoon Course to its mail-order
\ncurriculum. Al Capp’s major contribution was Lesson 21, 10,000 words
\nin a profusely illustrated 32-page section to give a day-by-day
\ncommentary on a specific L’il Abner sequence. The typical comment on
\none panel goes, “The well-groomed lawyer makes a good visual contrast
\nto the wild and wooly Scraggs. His coat sleeve is drawn lighter
\nto relieve the solid black of thje coat, which was drawing interest
\naway from the center of action.”<\/p>\n

That second sentence is typical of Capp’s attention to visual detail.<\/p>\n

All interested Bixen are hereby urged to get this book. <\/p>\n

–HK<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1509, from hmccracken, 535 chars, Sat Apr 19 17:02:27 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1508.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1508.
\n————————–
\nI haven’t kept up with Kitchen Sink’s _Li’l Abner_ collections, but
\nthe company is doing an admirable job — it’s now about half
\nway through reprinting the strip’s 40-year run. And the books
\nare models of what comic strip reprints should be, in terms
\nof reproduction size and quality and introductory materials.<\/p>\n

Although Capp always worked with assistants who did much of
\nthe drawing, _Li’l Abner_ was a remarkably well-staged and
\ndesigned strip, which tended to jump off the page in
\ncomparison with the comics around it. <\/p>\n

— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1510, from mholcomb, 1060 chars, Fri Apr 25 00:01:23 1997
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Restoration of comic book and value?
\nWhat is the typical relationship of these two items?<\/p>\n

I am in negotiation for an Amazing Fantasy #15 that has been restored.
\nThis is the first copy of the book I have ever found in my searchs of comic
\nbook stores so I am excited. I normally don’t consider restored books at
\nall, but since this one is tough to find (and getting more and more
\nexpensive every day) I am looking at picking it up.<\/p>\n

I have seen a fax’ed copy of the work done on the book and it was called
\n‘extensive’.
\nI plan on asking for the condition of the book before restoration and after
\nas the restoration expert views the book. The lady is out of Boston…so
\nif anyone knows of her work I would like to hear about her…Susan
\nCiccino(sp?) was the name on the fax.<\/p>\n

The dealer that has the book normally does not deal in restored books
\neither, and I have been dealing with him for almost 20 years so I feel he
\nis shooting me pretty straight on the deal.<\/p>\n

I would be interested in hearing any and all comments on this pending
\npurchase…<\/p>\n

MAR.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1511, from hmccracken, 355 chars, Fri Apr 25 11:51:18 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1510.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1510.
\n————————–
\nI’m not an expert on comic-book restoration, but I do know that
\nSusan Ciccino (sp?), is very well-known and highoy-regarded —
\nshe’s probably the leading expert in the field. So I’d imagine that
\nshe’s done a good job.<\/p>\n

I guess the most important test is for you tok examine the book
\nand see for yourself whether it looks like it’s in nice shape.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1512, from dgh, 92 chars, Fri Apr 25 23:16:04 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1510.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n>Amazing Fantasy #15
\nIs that the first appearance of Spider-Man?
\n ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1513, from hmccracken, 82 chars, Fri Apr 25 23:49:39 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1512.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1512.
\n————————–
\nYup! Spidey’s first appearance, and the last issue of
\n_Amazing Fantasy_.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1514, from mholcomb, 80 chars, Sat Apr 26 09:37:04 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1512.
\n————————–
\n>>Amazing Fantasy #15
\n>Is that the first appearance of Spider-Man?
\n>
\nYes.<\/p>\n

MAR.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1515, from mholcomb, 959 chars, Sat Apr 26 09:37:06 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1511.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n>I guess the most important test is for you tok examine the book
\n>and see for yourself whether it looks like it’s in nice shape.
\n>
\nI asked for two things from the restoration expert via the current owner:<\/p>\n

Condition prior to restoration.
\nCondition after restoration.<\/p>\n

It seems obvious that both the owner and the restoration expert should know
\nthese to pieces of information. If I was going to have a book restored I
\nwould want to know where I was coming from and where I went to…<\/p>\n

For example: If I have a book that is G and decided to have it restored, if
\nthe restoration process can only get me to G+ then why do it? But if
\nrestoring the book gets me to VF or higher, I think it would be worth it.<\/p>\n

Same thing goes for a book that is P but somehow the restoration process
\ngets it to NM, I would be concerned about how much of the book was
\n‘real’….<\/p>\n

For the money I am planning on spending, I am still unsure if I should buy
\na restored book….<\/p>\n

MAR.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1516, from jdow, 162 chars, Sat Apr 26 16:22:53 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1515.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nPrecisely what is involved in a typical restoration? Are new pages made to
\nreplace the damaged pages? Are they somehow “mended”? Are they merely recolored?
\n{^_^}<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1517, from mholcomb, 446 chars, Mon Apr 28 08:13:41 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1516.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n>Precisely what is involved in a typical restoration? Are new pages made to
\n>replace the damaged pages? Are they somehow “mended”? Are they merely
\n>recolored?
\n>
\nMending, removing (?) chips on the cover, enhancing the color and gloss of
\nthe cover, erasures of marking on cover and\/or pages…according to the
\nspec sheet I saw on the book I am looking at…<\/p>\n

I do not believe new pages are made…that would sort of invalidate the
\nbook IMHO.<\/p>\n

MAR.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1518, from hmccracken, 107 chars, Mon Apr 28 17:06:35 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1517.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–<\/p>\n

Don’t they sometimes replace damaged pages with ones from another
\ncopy of the same book, though?
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1519, from mholcomb, 142 chars, Tue Apr 29 08:31:39 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1518.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\n>Don’t they sometimes replace damaged pages with ones from another
\n>copy of the same book, though?
\n>
\nI really don’t know about that….<\/p>\n

MAR.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1520, from hmccracken, 208 chars, Tue Apr 29 17:54:29 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1519.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nIt makes sense that that would sometimes be an effective way
\nof restoring a comic, and one that most collectors would be
\nreasonably comfortable with. An original page is an original
\npage, after all.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1521, from mholcomb, 66 chars, Wed Apr 30 10:51:38 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1520.
\n————————–
\n> An original page is an original
\n>page, after all.
\nAgreed.<\/p>\n

MAR.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1522, from hmccracken, 473 chars, Fri May 30 00:13:36 1997
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Feiffer Loses His Voice
\nJules Feiffer, who has been the flagship cartoonist of _The
\nVillage Voice_ since 1956, has left the paper in a dispute over
\nmoney. Feiffer didn’t want more dough; the paper wanted to stop
\npaying him his $75,000 salary, and to simply pick up his
\nwork from the syndicate instead.<\/p>\n

It’s a big loss for _Voice_ readers, but Feiffer’s work will
\nstill be syndicated, so he’s not leaving cartooning altogether.
\nBut it is the end of an era.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1523, from hmccracken, 338 chars, Fri May 30 00:19:45 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1508.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI regret to report that I’ve heard that Kitchen Sink, the publisher
\nof those fine _Li’l Abner_ reprint volumes, is going out of business.
\nI hope the reports of its demise are false; it
\nsis most of the way through reprinting _Abner_’s great days, but
\nstill has about 20 more volumes to go to complete the entire run of
\nthe strip.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1524, from dgh, 325 chars, Mon Jun 2 03:27:47 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1523.
\n————————–
\nThey also reprint all of Will Eisner’s stuff, so I hope not. They have three
\npages of listings in June 1997 Previews (for comics and related items that
\nare scheduled to ship in August 1997) and two full-page ads. I’ll try to
\nremember to check again in the July issue (about 3 to 4 weeks from now).
\n ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1525, from jgoddin, 87 chars, Tue Jun 3 22:30:33 1997
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: San Diego Comic Con
\nIs anyone from here going to attend this year???
\nJuly 17-20<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1526, from dgh, 114 chars, Mon Jun 9 10:33:38 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1525.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI was thinking quite seriously of going, but I won’t be able to after all.
\nPerhaps next year.
\n\t ,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1527, from jgoddin, 39 chars, Tue Jun 10 02:35:29 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1526.
\n————————–
\nToo bad David. It would have been fun!<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1529, from bhowden, 256 chars, Mon Jun 23 12:08:20 1997
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Donald Duck Jr Woodchuck comics
\nMy cousin has issue’s 1 – 6 except 5 of the Junior woodchuck comics that
\nwere part of the Donald Duck series. Does anybody have any idea if it
\nis possible to get issue #5, and ballpark what it would be worth?
\nBrian.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1530, from hmccracken, 413 chars, Mon Jun 23 20:42:20 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1529.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI don’t know offhand how much issue #5 would go for, but you can
\nfind out by checking the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, which
\nought to be readily available at any book store with a large
\ncollectibles section. In good shape (I’m guessing here) it might
\ngo for somewhere between $10-$25.<\/p>\n

If you can’t find it for sale at a local comic-book store, try
\nadvertising for it in _The Comic Buyer’s Guide_.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1531, from jgoddin, 53 chars, Mon Jun 23 21:17:19 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1530.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1530.
\n————————–
\nOr check at a convention like San Diego’s Comic Con.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1532, from bhowden, 80 chars, Tue Jun 24 11:59:19 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1530.
\n————————–
\n>>>Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide
\nI don’t supose they have a web site?
\nBrian<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1533, from jgoddin, 233 chars, Thu Jul 10 22:23:36 1997
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: San Diego Comic Con
\nJuly 17-20, 1997
\nIf anyone is going to attend, drop by Artist
\nAlley and say Hi! I am working as part of staff
\nfor the Charity Auction so I will be there most
\nof the time. We could even manage a Bix Bash…<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1534, from jgoddin, 221 chars, Sat Jul 12 02:24:29 1997
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Tintin
\nIs this available in the U.S.?? And what is it like??
\nI know it is Belgian and has won international awards.
\nAnd one of the artists is Phillipe Goddin. \ud83d\ude42
\nDistant kin most likely. That is why I’m curious.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1535, from jjanney, 801 chars, Sun Jul 13 23:18:10 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1534.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1534.
\n————————–
\nre: Tintin<\/p>\n

I have some fond childhood memories of that. It’s an adventure strip.
\nTintin and his dog Snowy travel around the world, solving mysteries,
\nfighting bad guys, meeting interesting people, and generally having an
\ninteresting time. There’s some science fiction in it, too: in one
\nbook they join an expedition to the Moon (with some sinister
\nstowaways, naturally).<\/p>\n

The books are be available in the U.S. I bought one for my nephew a
\nfew years ago at a local bookstore. I don’t have the publisher handy.
\nI think a lot of it was written or is set before WW2. Some of the
\ncharacterisations of foreigners are probably politically incorrect
\ntoday. Interestingly enough, I don’t think the U.S. is ever mentioned
\nat all, although Tintin travels to various imaginary countries in
\nSouth America.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1536, from dgh, 484 chars, Mon Jul 14 02:59:44 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1535.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nI believe there are one or two books with Tintin in the US. One is _Tintin
\nin America_, where he gets involved with gangsters. I think the other one
\nhas a Wild West theme, but it could have been part of _Tintin in America_
\n(it’s been a while since I read all the books, mostly in Icelandic, some
\nin Danish and Norwegian, and a few in English). The author was Herge (with
\nan accent mark over the second e). The entire set was recently rereleased
\nin the US.<\/p>\n

,
\n |) \/\\ \\\/ | +)<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1537, from jgoddin, 85 chars, Tue Jul 15 02:54:00 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1536.
\n————————–
\nThanks guys. Guess I will call my friendly bookmonger and see
\nif they can find some.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1538, from lkaplan, 309 chars, Tue Jul 22 21:02:53 1997
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Family Circus vs. Dilbert?
\nWe may be seeing the beginnings of some foolishness between Bill Keane and
\nScott Adams. The Family Circus today (Tuesday) was drawn by Billy, and
\nfeatures Dad telling Billy how bad his drawings are, and how Scott Adams
\ncould draw Dilbert better.<\/p>\n

This could be fun …<\/p>\n

-Len<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1539, from hmccracken, 1862 chars, Sun Jul 27 20:48:08 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1534.
\n————————–
\nI apologize for the very belated response to your Tintin inquiry —
\nI should have replied right away, because I’m a Tintin fan.
\nThe strip was created by Belgian cartoonist George Remi, who
\nworked under the pseudonym Herge, in the 1920s, and has been
\ntremendously popular ever since. Not so much so in the U.S.
\nas in much of the world, but you should be able to find Tintin
\nvolumes in a bookstore with a good children’s section, or try
\na literate comic-book store.<\/p>\n

Tintin is a young man of indeterminate age (somewhere between 15
\nand 25, I guess) who travels around the world as a reporter
\nwith his dog Snowy, his friend Captain Haddock, his friendly
\nantagonists the policemen Thompson and Thomson, and other
\ncharacters. The stories are beautififully drawn, often very
\nfunny, and exciting and suspenseful — Herge’s art was extremely
\ncinematic, in a style that blended realism and comic distortion
\nin a very effective way.<\/p>\n

I’m talking about Herge at his peak, from the 1940s until the
\nlast Tintin story he did, in the 1970s — the early Tintin
\nadventures were crudely drawn, and as Bixen Emru Townsend
\nhas pointed out, they were often racist and generally xenophobic.
\nHerge eventually redid the early stories, improving the art and
\nediting out some of the unfortunate moments.<\/p>\n

The strip was always credited to Herge, and wasn’t continued after his
\ndeath in the 1980s (unless it’s been recently revived), so I
\nguess the Goddin you mention was one of Herge’s many assistants.
\nNumerous books have been written about Herge and his work —
\nI have two in French and one in English. And years after his
\ndeath, he continues to make the news — I’ve heard lately that
\nhe’s been accused of having been a Nazi collaborator of sorts.
\n(That’s probably a harsh way of putting it, but he may have
\ndealt with the Nazis in order to keep Tintin in print during
\nWWII.)
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1540, from hmccracken, 286 chars, Sun Jul 27 20:55:15 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1533.
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nSo how was the San Diego Convention this year, Jean? I would have
\nliked to have gone, but I’ve been to California twice in the
\npast couple of month sand will be going again twice iin the
\nnext few weeks. Too bad none of my journeys fell close enough
\nto the Con for a sidetrip.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1541, from jgoddin, 97 chars, Tue Jul 29 21:33:45 1997
\nThis is a comment to message 1540.
\n————————–
\nComic Con was Huge as usual. approx 35,000 folks. I’ll post
\nmore after I unpack everything. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1542, from switch, 3716 chars, Mon Mar 2 22:56:34 1998
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Obituary: Archie Goodwin
\n**********
\nDC COMICS
\nDIRECT CONTACT
\nSPECIAL EDITION
\n**********
\nDC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
\nDC Comics Hotline (212) 636-5461<\/p>\n

March 2, 1998 #5<\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

ARCHIE GOODWIN DIES AT AGE 60<\/p>\n

The comic book industry has lost one of its dearest members with the
\ndeath of Archie Goodwin, who passed away on Sunday, March 1 at the age of
\n60, following a long battle against cancer. A veteran of over thirty
\nyears in comics, Goodwin spent the past nine years as a Group Editor for
\nDC Comics, overseeing a team of editors and personally editing titles
\nincluding STARMAN, AZRAEL, and BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT.
\nLooking back over his long and distinguished career, it seems that he
\nmanaged to work with almost every existing comics professional, either
\ndirectly or indirectly, and inspire all of them to reach new heights in
\ntheir chosen fields.<\/p>\n

Goodwin was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1937 and grew up in Tulsa,
\nOklahoma. After graduating from New York City’s School of Visual Arts in
\n1958, he began his comics career in 1965 as both a writer and Editor in
\nChief for the Warren-published black-and-white magazines Creepy, Eerie,
\nand Blazing Combat. He would divide his time between writing and editing
\ncomics for the rest of his life, excelling at both and continually
\nraising the standards for the medium as a whole. As an editor, in
\naddition to his time at Warren and DC, he served a term as Editor in
\nChief of Marvel Comics, and went on to found and edit Marvel’s
\ngroundbreaking anthology magazine, Epic Illustrated, and the Epic Comics
\nimprint that followed it. As a writer, he worked on nearly every major
\nsuper-hero character, including Batman, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and the
\nIncredible Hulk, and also wrote for the syndicated newspaper comics
\nstrips Secret Agent X-9, Star Wars (with artist Al Williamson) and Tarzan
\n(with artist Gil Kane). His last major writing project was the
\nhighly-praised graphic novel Batman: Night Cries with artist Scott
\nHampton. <\/p>\n

“Archie Goodwin was the consummate professional and as true a gentleman
\nas anyone I’ve ever met,” remembers DC’s Executive Vice President &
\nPublisher Paul Levitz. “His humor kept everyone around him from becoming
\ntoo full of themselves, their problems, or every forgetting how lucky we
\nall were to be here.<\/p>\n

“If the ultimate test of an editor is the quality of work produced under
\nhis auspices, Archie goes unchallenged as the ultimate editor. In almost
\nfour decades behind an editor’s desk, the best talent in comics
\nconsistently did their best work for him, and asked for the opportunity
\nto do more. And yeoman talent often rose to heights they would not equal
\nin their careers.<\/p>\n

“As a writer, he stood atop his profession longer than anyone. He won the
\nearliest awards bestowed by his peers, the Academy of Comic Book Arts’
\nShazam Awards, in 1975 for his work on MANHUNTER with artist Walter
\nSimonson. And he won in the most recent awards voted by industry
\nprofessionals, the Eisner Awards last summer, for his contribution to
\nBATMAN BLACK & WHITE.<\/p>\n

“As both writer and editor, he taught and shared his gifts liberally with
\ncollaborators and co-workers. But try as we might to dissect his success,
\nno amount of knowledge, craft, or ever talent could adequately explain
\nit. He was simply Archie.”<\/p>\n

Goodwin is survived by his wife, Anne T. Murphy, and his two children,
\nJennifer and Seth. Funeral and memorial service arrangements will be
\nannounced shortly<\/p>\n

Photos and a selection of self-caricatures by Goodwin are available upon
\nrequest. A full list of Goodwin’s awards, which was not yet compiled at
\npress time, will also be made available.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1543, from switch, 3577 chars, Thu Nov 5 22:29:41 1998
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Bob Kane: RIP<\/p>\n

From today’s Direct Contact:<\/p>\n

BOB KANE DIES AT AGE 83<\/p>\n

Bob Kane, the comic book artist and writer who created the mythic hero
\nBatman for DC Comics while still in his teens, died at his home in
\nCalifornia on Tuesday, November 3. He was 83 years old.<\/p>\n

The writer, artist, and self-described “doodler” once said that he was
\ninspired by the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci to create the iconic comic
\nbook hero. Unlike Superman, who debuted in DC Comics’ ACTION COMICS #1 in
\n1938, Batman (who premiered in DETECTIVE COMICS #27 in May 1939) is an
\nordinary human being.<\/p>\n

The now-legendary tale follows a young boy, traumatized by the murder of
\nhis parents before his eyes, who vows to avenge their deaths by bringing
\ncriminals to justice. A teenaged Bruce Wayne uses his vast fortune to
\nstudy criminology, train his body to athletic perfection, and assemble an
\nassortment of vehicles and weapons to fight crime in his home of Gotham.
\nWhen he is startled one night by a bat outside his window, he decides to
\ncostume himself as a “bat” man in order to strike fear in the “cowardly
\nand superstitious” hearts of criminals. <\/p>\n

Batman proved to be an immediate hit, not only in comic books but in
\nnewspaper strips and movie serials. In the ensuing decades, the character
\nwould star in DC comic books, animated television series, a hit
\nlive-action television show in the 1960s, and four top-grossing Warner
\nBros. feature films. The toys based on the character have been consistent
\nbest-sellers for more than a decade. Batman’s image guarantees success in
\nlicensed products ranging from t-shirts and Halloween costumes to a
\nNASCAR racecar. Along with Superman and Wonder Woman, Batman is the only
\ncharacter to remain in continuous publication, with new stories every
\nmonth, since 1940. Batman currently stars in four monthly comic books
\n(BATMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS, BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT AND BATMAN: LEGENDS
\nOF THE DARK KNIGHT) as well as appearing in a host of graphic novels and
\ncrossovers. He also stars in the current series The New Batman\/Superman
\nAdventures on the Kids’ WB! and is poised to leap into the 21st Century
\nin the upcoming new animated series Batman Beyond on Kids’ WB!<\/p>\n

Besides creating the Dark Knight, Kane was also the cartoonist on the
\ncomic series when Robin, the Boy Wonder, made his first appearance, as
\nwell as the Joker, the Catwoman and the Riddler, among others. Kane also
\ncreated the television cartoon characters Courageous Cat, Minute Mouse,
\nand Cool McCool. In recent years, he served as a consultant on the Batman
\nfilms.<\/p>\n

Jenette Kahn, President and Editor-in-Chief of DC Comics, said, “Bob Kane
\nis a giant in the field of popular culture, one of a handful of people
\nwho launched the comic book industry and who gave the world a group of
\ncharacters so colorful and inventive that they continue to captivate
\nevery new generation. Bob will be greatly missed, but he has left a
\nlegacy that will keep his memory alive.”<\/p>\n

Kane is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Sanders Kane, an actress, his
\ndaughter Ms. Deborah Majeski of New Jersey, his grandson Matthew Alderman
\nand his sister Ms. Doris Atlas of New York.<\/p>\n

Private services will be held at Mt. Sinai Mortuary in Burbank,
\nCalifornia on November 6, 1998. In lieu of flowers, the family requests
\ndonations be made to “Feed the Children,” “Make a Wish Foundation,” the
\nWestside Children’s Center (Santa Monica, CA), the Bay Area Youth Center
\n(Hayward, CA) or any other agency providing services to hungry, homeless,
\nabused or abandoned children.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1544, from jdow, 46 chars, Fri Nov 6 01:25:45 1998
\nThis is a comment to message 1543.
\nThere are additional comments to message 1543.
\n————————–
\nAnd may he rest in well diserved peace.
\n{‘_`}<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1545, from hmccracken, 408 chars, Fri Nov 6 20:02:36 1998
\nThis is a comment to message 1543.
\n————————–
\nThanks for the obit, Emru.<\/p>\n

When I was a kid, the rumor in my family was that my Aunt Goldie
\nknew Bob Kane. (They both lived in Vermont.) I never confirmed it,
\nbut was impressed nonetheless. Even earlier, I was a fanatical
\nfollower of the 1960s TV show, when it was first on (I was about 2).
\nSay the word “Batman” to me and the first thing I think of is
\nstill paunchy old Adam West in his Batsuit.
\n— Harry<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1546, from jjanney, 147 chars, Tue Jan 5 23:42:40 1999
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: New year, new artists?<\/p>\n

It looks like somebody different is drawing Sally Forth and maybe also
\nRex Morgan, M.D. Anybody notice any others?<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1547, from hmccracken, 757 chars, Wed Jan 6 11:43:37 1999
\nThis is a comment to message 1546.
\n————————–
\nHmmm, I don’t follow either strip regularly, but SF is still signed
\n“Mac.” That’s the guy who’s been drawing it for years, but he’s
\nalways done it in an imitation of the amateurish style of Greg
\nHoward, the strip’s creator. When Mac started, he briefly drew
\nSF in a slightly slicker style, but readers complained. The strip
\ndoes look a bit more elaborate than I recall; maybe Mac is just easing
\naway frog Howard’s look.<\/p>\n

Rex Morgan MD I’m not sure about; it’s signed by Tony Di Preta, a veteran
\ncartoonist (he used to draw Joe Palooka). But I’m not sure how long he’s
\nbeen drawing Rex or, for that matter, if he really IS drawing the strip —
\nit
\n‘s common for the credits on story strips to bear little relation to who’s
\nactually doing the work.
\n— Harry
\n,<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1548, from lkaplan, 80 chars, Fri Jan 7 12:36:23 2000
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Don Martin has died
\nhttp:\/\/ap.tbo.com\/ap\/breaking\/MGIHLYP063C.html<\/p>\n

-Len<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1549, from jdow, 135 chars, Sat Jun 3 00:27:38 2000
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Charles Shultz tribute
\nhttp:\/\/www.unitedmedia.com\/comics\/peanuts\/tribute\/index.html<\/p>\n

We miss you, Charlie.
\nMay God bless.
\n{^_^}<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1550, from lkaplan, 198 chars, Thu Jun 8 13:56:54 2000
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Jeff MacNelly has died
\nArggh … cartoonist Jeff MacNelly (“Shoe”) has died at age 52, he’s been
\nbattling lymphoma since late last year:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/ap.tbo.com\/ap\/breaking\/MGITF09M89C.html<\/p>\n

-Len<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1551, from jjanney, 261 chars, Tue Jun 27 01:23:25 2000
\nThere is\/are comment(s) on this message.
\n————————–
\nTITLE: Rex Morgan, M.D. has a new look<\/p>\n

… and it’s astonishingly like the soap opera parodies Bill Watterson
\nused to draw in Calvin and Hobbes \ud83d\ude42 I still find it disconcerting
\nto see a bunch of strangers running around pretending to be familiar
\ncharacters.<\/p>\n

==========================
\nanimation\/comics #1552, from lkaplan, 337 chars, Tue Jun 27 13:05:51 2000
\nThis is a comment to message 1551.
\n————————–
\nRe: Rex Morgan, M.D. has a new look
\n>… and it’s astonishingly like the soap opera parodies Bill Watterson
\n>used to draw in Calvin and Hobbes \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

ROFLMAO!<\/p>\n

But you’re absolutely right … I wonder if Waterson is back, incognito?
\nAnd if so, what’s going to happen to what used to be a very distinguished
\ncomic strip?<\/p>\n

Heheheh …<\/p>\n

-Len<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

========================== animation\/comics #201, from davemackey, 192 chars, Sat Mar 3 23:56:39 1990 This is a comment to message 194. There is\/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 194. ————————– Am I to presume the Bugs Bunny comic to be coming from DC Comics, possibly drawn by John Costanza (as was the … Continue reading “BIX Animation Conference: comics”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1220","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harrymccracken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harrymccracken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harrymccracken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harrymccracken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harrymccracken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1220"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/harrymccracken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1221,"href":"https:\/\/harrymccracken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1220\/revisions\/1221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harrymccracken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}