Shazam Thing

So I see that Jeff Smith is a fan of Tarot, Witch of the Black Rose. Issue #36 in particular.

I kid, I kid. I always open a Shazam title with trepidation, because creators are often trapped by the original concept of the character. Shazam is often seen as a children's book and the 70s revival didn't do anything to change that perception. Most of the stories seem to be this odd mixture of what someone thinks a post Comics Code Authority C.C. Beck story is like mixed with 70s camp. There is also this "hands off" policy that seems to be applied to the Marvel Family, with the feeling being that if they are changed to be contemporary (grim and gritty) then it will forever ruin the characters as a viable property.

I enjoyed the first issue of Shazam and the Monster Society of Evil by Jeff Smith. Hopefully when this series is completed DC will get around to collecting the original Golden Age story in a trade because I hear it is a classic tale. There were a couple of interesting twists to the first chapter of the story by Smith. The Billy/Marvel dynamic is presented differently and could be interesting. The idea of the host hero has been done before (Specter, etc) but I will wait and see what Jeff Smith pulls out of his sleeve for this. Billy and Mary are portrayed nearly as toddlers, which would go far to explain the the naive aspect of the characters more and makes their cheesy innocence as heroes understandable. The Power Pack series did this in their original run at Marvel, though I doubt Jeff Smith will allow the Marvel Family to lose their innocence like the Power children did. I've always seen the Marvel Family as the avatars of good magic in the DCU. Someone has to be the nice guys because they are intimately tied into the spirit of the universe, which in the DCU isn't an uncaring thing, it is alive and tries to take care of its occupants.

On another note, if I had been allowed to write the Shazam mini series it would have turned out with an entirely different vision.

Tags: Shazam Monster Society Swamp Thing

Reality Checked

I've still got internet! Since it was supposed to get disconnected a couple days ago I may as well use it until it goes out and I get stranded in the real world again. Okay, here is one for the Woo-Woo's.

For the reality impaired, this is an example of how the universe really works:

Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

See that? Guess who does all the work? You do.

It does not work this way:

Lather, Divine Intervention removes the grime, Rinse, Repeat.

Feel better? I know you do. Just think, I did this for free and am not asking for 10% of your income as a tithe, either. You are very welcome.

Tags: Reality

This is how they did it before the internet

In this scene from Showcase #37 (Mar-Apr 1962) the character of Col. Henry Casper doesn't just break the 4th wall he demolishes it with a wrecking ball.

At the end of the tale of the tragic first appearance of the Metal Men a character directly addresses the reader, urging them to write in and ask for more stories about the plucky robots. In the newsstand era letters from fans could give an Editor an indication of how a title like Showcase or a certain characters appealed to readers. In the Silver Age national sales figures could take weeks to be collected, and often Editors had to plan ahead and use their savvy to determine what would sell 6 months into the future. This helped make anthology magazines successful back then as an Editor could rely on semi-stable and predictable sales based on what was on the covers. It was in this era that the anecdotal 'Purple Gorilla' theory was applied to comics, in that Editors leaned towards cover art that had lots of purple and featured a gorilla, because in their experience that was what got noticed and therefore sold well. The DC Go-Go checks helped too, as the buyer could easily identify a DC comic sticking up behind others in a crowded rack. Today sales figures are almost immediately available and comic companies host their own forums, read blogs and other independent forums to gauge reader interest.

Doc Magnus is clearly in his own little brain-world mooning over his Metal Men Heroclix set in this panel so it isn't too odd that Col. Casper is acting as an outside observer to events. As far as this panel goes Casper actually may be a figment of the Doc's imagination at this point. The unreal aspect of the scene fits nicely with later characterization of the Doc being unbalanced mentally. That Casper's comments breaks the 4th wall is probably a mistake forced upon the creators due to space limitations at the end of the story. No room for a text box so they opted for Casper to chat up the reader.

Tags: Metal Men Silver Age

Grocery Store Artifact: Jaws of BLOOM!

Recently in my area the Food Lion chain of stores changed their name to Bloom. The interior of the one I patronize is nice enough and appears a little more upscale, which is a welcome change for the area. The Food Lion corporate persona had a 70s look and inefficient layout. The upgrade fits the locale better, catering to the demographic who will be occupying all the condos being built in the area.

The Food Lion symbol is distinctly old world and is busted. As part of its new hotness and corporate green-imagery the Bloom stores have as their logo a stylized flower, signifying nature, health, natural foods and rampant tree-huggery.

To me it looks less like a flower and resembles more the hungry, tooth-lined gullet of some horrific beast. The logo on the entrances looks amusing when the door is in operation, belying their harmless, earth-friendly appearance. When a customer approaches the doors they open wide like the jagged maw of some Lovecraftian behemoth to engulf hapless prey. They then snap shut behind them as the customer is pulled to a horrible death. Or waits behind someone who has too many items for the express line. Either or.

The door decal and the way it operates reminds me of the National Geographic advertisement about sharks that appeared on some buses a while back.

Disclosure: In case anyone was wondering, I have never worked for Food Lion or Bloom and their companies are not a part of any of my previous behind-the-scenes Grocery Store Artifact posts.

He'd rather be on Earth-Zoo Crew

One for Brandon, before I drop off the face of the earth.

A quick trip to the Wayne Foundation Cultural Center of Gotham by Batman and Robin confirms their worst fears and the evidence can not be denied. The Dynamic Duo has come to the horrifying realization that while in battle during the most recent Crisis on Multiple Earths they have been transported to and are now trapped forever on Earth-Suck.

Tags: Batman Meme

When comic books were not for girls! Part 4

In the story Curse of the Witch from Out Of The Night #7 (March 1953) young wife Linda is cursed to periodically change from a sweet and loving spouse into an ugly, raging, psychotic monster driven to kill that which she loves. On the onset of the first night of her "curse" Linda viciously Kuberted her puppy for no reason. You'd think her husband Paul would just make himself scarce and walk on eggshells like every other male on the planet when that happens to the women in their lives, but instead he seeks a cure for her condition by obtaining a rare herb that will end Linda's murderous sprees. Once the counter-spell is used Linda is freed of the curse and changes back to her former attractive self.

I recall a story with a similar plot by Alan Moore during his Swamp Thing run, the differences being that in 1953 a writer could only hint at menses and was not able to depict it as graphically as the creators of the 1980s. I am so glad the comics of today don't have such icky subject matter as content. I like my comic books to be post-menopausal and free of oogy biology, thank you.

Notice that when possessed by the curse Linda gains superhuman strength but nonetheless gets knocked out by one punch from her husband. Yes, Linda has the strength of 10 women but still is not as strong as a man.

That's because in 1953 comic books were not for girls!

Tags: When Comic Books Were Not For Girls! Seduction of the Innocent

Comic Book Ad: Fruit Pies & Propaganda

Making fun of the Hostess Fruit Pie ads that appeared in comic books of the 1970s has been done to death, sure. But this ad is here because of the righteous kick-buttery of Captain America. In comparing all the Hostess ads it is interesting that out of all them the character that most engages in a violent brawl is Captain America. I don't recall ever seeing a pie ad featuring Cap that didn't have him beating the crap out of someone.

In most of the ads with Cap in them he always does two things before sharing pastry.

1. Gets really, really ticked. Like, 'someone took over our embassy' or 'invaded our shores' angry.
2. Beats people near to death.

Heaven forfend that the symbol of America use some diplomacy first. The ads with Batman, Captain Marvel and Superman usually show the heroes using minimum force to get the job of promoting treats done. Even 70s era stupid Hulk had him for most part talking it out with the enemy instead of throwing down. Not Cap!

In most of the ads that portray some violence the sound effect from a punch is usually on the order of a meek 'wam', as if the hero is tapping someone on the shoulder to get their attention. Aquaman of course delivered the most feeble punches ever portrayed in the ads when he hit that squid guy and ice giant in their respective necks.

Cap's punches are like Manifest Destiny! Like America, Cap doesn't fool around and lets you know who's the boss, whether it be in a rumpus room or geopolitical theater. A punch from Captain American is symbolic beyond delicious pastries and is backed by all the strength of the Declaration of Independence and a writ of Habeas Corpus combined.

Also, from the 'funny because it is true' department is the notion that people would not vote in a Presidential election because of inclement weather. This ad was published during the American Bicentennial so it is none too surprising that it contains strong rhetoric and propaganda.

Tags: Comic Book Ad

Heroes do it in a crisis

I don't get why some people don't like Superman. They say he's boring. Too powerful. A goody-goody. Well, those are people who don't know that comic books are all about the subtext. This panel from Superman Family #206 reveals that the man of steel isn't as pure in heart as people think. Way back in July 1979 he was having sex in public with girlfriend Lois Lane high up over the city of Metropolis. Check out his silhouette. The only thing Supes is wearing is that cape.

Superman. Not a Boy Scout.

Tags: Seduction of the Innocent Superman

It's all about me

Hmp. Couple of heavy posts lately.

One of you may be asking...Where's the mildly amusing? Well, before you bitterly edit your news reader subscription let me inform the few of you seeking entertaining commentary and not finding it for the last week or so is because I'm in a lousy mood and I'm sharing it. The internet lets me ensure that my bad mood spreads further than the confines of my immediate family and I'm taking advantage of it.

Fact is, I have no idea what I will be doing and where I will be living in about a week or so. Many shoes are in the air waiting to drop. Unfortunately all the metaphorical footwear are being held in the clumsy, less than competent hands of others. Sure, control is an illusion but there are some Cockrum-era Princess Projectra-level illusions momentarily in control of my life and the welfare of my family. The result is I am annoyed. Without breaking my pledge not to air "Woe Is Me" tales like many bloggers, clues to the reason can be found here and here.

I realized how upset I was getting when I read the recent issue of X-Men with some sort of art by Humberto Ramos. I was feeling pretty irrational over how bad the art is.

It was as if all the worst elements of poorly-executed 70s manga and comics typical of 90s Marvel was all blended together, concentrated into a viscous, ink-like substance and smeared all over the pages of a book by a brain-damaged monkey in the middle of a feces-throwing tantrum. Usually, I just frown and take the title off my list for a few months if I am not feeling sufficiently X-Hungry to put up with art or story I fail to appreciate. But in the case of X-Men #195 this time around I was irritated enough that my Crap-O-Meter pegged out and and my escapist refuge became an unpleasant chore I no longer have the patience to deal with. The comic book industry should be grateful they didn't publish any L**f**d this month that I noticed. The economic holocaust to local comic book retailers would have been horrific as I dropped all titles off of my pull list (except for anything related to Fables or Mouse Guard).

Not that anyone is going to file a missing persons report, but I may disappear for a few weeks until I have access to the net and my computers and hardware again. Any future Grocery Store Artifact entries will likely be from the viewpoint of the angry, recovering from a recent food-poisoning consumer with a unique perspective and not as one from from behind the scenes.

I've finally got a meeting with a few corporate types higher up on the food chain early next week. We'll see what happens.

Tags: Narcissism

Tales of the Spam Filter

This slipped through the crap filter this morning:

Dear XXXXX XXXXX,

It may surprise you recieving this letter from me, since there was no previous correspondance between us. My name is Barr. Lai Tuck Yew a Malaysian national and personal Attorney to Late Mr Martins XXXXX, who was hereinafter called my client.

My purpose of contacting you is for you to help secure the funds left behind by my late client, to avoid it being confiscated or declared unserviceable by the Bank.
Where this fund valued ($US 3,600,000.00) Three Million Six Hundred Thousand United States Dollars deposited by my client before his death.

This Bank has issued me a notice to contact the next of kin or the account will be declared unserviceable and the fund diverted to the Bank treasury, So far all my efforts to get a hold of someone related to this man has proved abortive. Hence, I have contacted you.

I am actually asking for your consent to present you to the Bank as the Next of Kin/beneficiary of my late client's fund, since you have the same last name, so that the proceeds of this account can be paid to your account,then we can share the fund on a mutually agreed, based on percentage.

All the legal documentations to back up your claim as my client's Next of Kin I shall provide them. All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us achieve this transaction.

The intended transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any infraction of the law. However, if this business proposition offends your moral ethics, do accept my sincere apology. If on the contrary you wish to achieve this goal with me kindly get back to me with your interest via this email address for further explanation.

Kindest Regards,

Barr. Lai Tuck Yew
(LLB Hons.)

Notice how I colored the text brown like crap? I'm ever so clever. The phrases "All I require is your honest cooperation" and "if this business proposition offends your moral ethics" just kills me. I'm less offended than I am insulted. Then again, there are a steady stream of suckers who respond to propositions like this.

So this lawyer's name is Lai Tuck Yew?

Hmmm. First name Lai, the letter T from the middle name and the last name of Yew. Put it all together and it sounds just like:

Lie to you

Not too cute.

Tags: Annoyances scam spam gullible

Shouting in a movie theatre

Full scale urban warfare has not yet come to American cities and the average citizen is not yet exposed to the realities of the battle field that people of other countries recognize as a part of daily life. Hopefully, it never will be. I doubt that our cities will be immune from an increase in that activity for long. It is possible that someday soon a trip to the mall will be a risky prospect. The only reason I believe that is from my firmly held belief that any modern, industrialized and technologically advanced country can fix any problem if they truly want to. For example, if the American public, government and business really did not want illegal immigration or rampant insurance fraud to occur it wouldn't. There is profit in allowing certain things to occur. If American cities someday come to resemble a crater-scarred urban landscapes it is because we, the people, allowed it.

Don't confuse that statement with any opinion of the the War on Terror, either. What I mean is, there is something wrong with a system that allows two different, unrelated people supposedly born several years apart, who entered the country via geographically different ports years separate from the other, who lived in different areas of the country yet can walk in together into my office one day looking for employment, who possess social security numbers differing only by the final digit. Imagine the odds against that. Now try to calculate the odds against those final digits being different by only one sequential number. Furthermore, since they have the "proper" documents we can not report or investigate that their proofs of identification are not forged or being used inappropriately. That shenanigans like that are allowed means there is a reason for it other than incompetence, usually connected to someone making a huge profit.

It is fully understandable that response agencies treated the recent guerrilla advertising gimmick of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force cartoon with caution. It is a common tactic to hide bombs in innocuous or familiar, non-threatening objects. The idea of the Trojan Horse goes way back.

But like many I will have to take to task the media for making what should have been a minor note of concern into a major issue. Officials did the right thing in investigating but the media acted like a school of sharks that smelled blood in the water. They participated in an frenzy of fear-mongering and perpetuating a panic for the sake of 20 seconds of a ratings spike. There were many broadcasts that reported the ad displays as "fake bombs", which is not what they were at all. In watching the broadcasts my critique of the the reporters is that they were unhinged and absolutely delighted at the prospect that the Lite-Brite devices may have been explosives. Their initial reporting was merely Part 1 of a series. If the devices were hazardous then their primary reporting would have smoothly flowed into Part 2, then Emmy Awards and Pulitzers would have followed. Unfortunately for them and their story, Part 2 turned out to be a non-event and that is where their series fell apart. To note the obvious, perhaps in the future it would be better to report on what actually happens and not what might happens.

It was interesting to observe in broadcasts that the media censored the upraised middle "finger" of a cartoon character that had a "hand" consisting of three pixel blocks. It was further amusing to see that the blurring of the offending gesture was creating by utilizing circles. Someone cleverly realized that pixelating the image would probably have still revealed the gesture.

Now that the reality behind the devices is revealed the media has to create and perpetuate a new story. They do this in a manner that is equally dangerous in the entire event afterwards one to be ridiculed. The other side of the wingnut spectrum is now getting a lot of airtime. Now individuals that completely dismiss the idea that what officials did was wrong, over-reacted and that everyone else who was concerned about the devices and the ensuing event was stupid are getting their say. They are letting the "fact" be repeated that in other cities the Mooninite devices were in place for several weeks without being noticed or commented upon by citizens. What does that have to do with the price of cheese in Nebraska? As the politically-motivated escalation of the government Terror Threat Alert levels has revealed, playing up fear leads to desensitization. Doing the opposite has the same effect.

People forget that there are bad guys out there and they are all over the place. These damaged creatures put toxic powder in envelopes and mail them. They place explosives in boxes, trash cans, backpacks, toys and flashlights and put them in public places. So it was a good thing that the devices, when eventually noticed, were called in and people took appropriate actions. Bad was the media frenzy.

Somewhere in the middle will be the rational people who will notice something amiss, report it and equally rational officials will investigate and resolve or escalate a situation as it is required. Sadly, they don't run the country.

Tags: Boston Mooninite

The Earth Moved

With the possible exception of the Warren or Conan black and white magazines the sex act was not usually shown in main stream comic books. Not in Marvel and definitely not over in DC. There was plenty of risque' poses, editorial swimwear and the usual skimpy costumes but depictions of the act where usually not shown. When it came to showing sexual acts comic books used the equivalent of a Bollywood romance scene, just when things got intense everybody would suddenly start dancing. This changed a bit with the Steve Gerber run on Guardians of the Galaxy in the 1970s.

The Guardians of the Galaxy were a team of genetically modified humans bred to survive in harsh extraterrestrial conditions who existed in an alternate Marvel Universe where Earth and the solar system was was conquered by the Badoon. Charlie was dense and powerful, Martinex was made of crystal could exist in extreme cold and Nikki could live in extremely hot environments. Vance Astro was an astronaut who had lived in suspended animation while traveling at sub-light speeds and was the link to the heroic past. He would later change his possible future by meeting his younger self and activating the boys' latent mutant powers. The young Vance would then join various groups to include the Avengers. The non-humans of the group included Yondu, a warrior from another world and later, Starhawk, a mutant who shared a single body with his adopted sister.

The Guardians first appeared back in 1969 in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 and after a 1974 guest-appearance in Marvel Two-In-One #4-5, were later revived as a regular feature in Marvel Presents #3 in 1975. Their story was directly related to a throw-away tale in the original Silver Surfer series. One of the great things about the 70s and 80s was that often when a series was canceled the story would continue or be concluded in other titles. This was back when sales for even a failing book were much larger than some of the top-selling books of today. The fan base who wanted to read a character's adventures was large enough that it would not harm a title to have a guest-appearance form a failed book and could even boost sales. The Dark Fist story in Iron Fist by Claremont & Byrne concluded in Marvel Team-Up and was all the better for it. Captain Marvel saw the end of a space saga finish in another title, giving readers closure. Guardians of the Galaxy was one of those stories that also finished their arc elsewhere. Their story continued as guest-stars in various magazines, really coming to an end with the Korvac Saga in the Avengers title. There was a later series that I don't look back on with fondness because of the slavish adherence to 90's Marvel characterization and by relying heavily on elements of the X-Men, including the Phoenix. The series also adhered to the maxim that "Every Super Hero Team Needs A Wolverine" by introducing Logan's many times great-granddaughter as a despotic villain.

The series was best in the 1970s, when Marvel was freaking crazy and would publish anything no matter how odd, to see what worked and what didn't (Spider-Man and Doctor Strange being examples). The mid-70s were a good time for Marvel as they attracted older readers seeking a deeper context than what other companies would be giving in comparison. While I dislike hippies in general the modern sell-out professional hippie of the 70s was a different breed and wrote some darn good comics.

It was in Marvel Presents #7 (Nov 1976) that Steve Gerber created a blip of controversy with his run. While fighting the Badoon the Guardians came across the Topographical Man, a planetary-sized humanoid creature who fed on exploding galaxies. The TM was also an energy vampire, and absorbed the psyche of Vance Astro while he did battle with one of its avatars. Various alien races had also come to live on the planetary creature, though they acted more like prisoners of hell than willing settlers. At the same time Vance was fighting an avatar, Nikki was being convinced by a cult to commune with the Topographical Man in order to convince it to stop its plans of destruction. Nikki allowed herself to be strapped into a machine that separated her spirit from her body and she went to have a chat with the big guy.

But a few moments after being introduced to the Topographical Man, Nikki decided words were cheap and instead of communing proceeded to have hot sweaty space sex with it by bringing the spirit of Vance Astro to the fore of the creature's consciousness. The idea was that an act of love and creation would destroy a creature of anti-life.

The mind of Vance Astro was all for it as the sexual tension between the pair had been building for a while. Nikki was very uninhibited and since Vance was unable to remove his space suit for fear of dying, he was the safe boyfriend she didn't have to commit to, which made Vance a little crazed. Nikki and Vance wasted no time and got busy, much to the delight of the planetary population who had a front row seat to the spectacle. When I read this I really felt for those doomed people that had unfortunately settled on the equator. At least they died quickly.

As far as the sexual imagery goes, if not for the entire context of the story I would have suspected they were really sneaking in scenes of soft core porn rendered by artist Al Milgrom. Note the positions of the couple, the almost-obscured ecstatic grin Nikki displays in the first panel of the second page and the jet of energy from the Topographical Man's abdomen. But Gerber draws the reader away from the idea of titillation as the sexual themes continue beyond the art. True, the same effect could have been achieved by Nikki and Vance having a dialog, holding hands and agreeing to chose life instead of death, but that would have made for some boring pages. The climax of the story, literally, was an orgy of death for an entire civilization as they changed form into some new entity. The scene was probably handled as well as could be expected given the medium and the era.

Bear in mind that this was before the internet and the near instant critiques and analysis that accompanies and sometimes precedes the release of a book. If a reader desired a professional or semi-professional review of a title one had to wait for an industry magazine, fanzine or rely on the local comic book store. Marvel Presents #7 was one of those books that had the proprietors talking and the customers buying. I witnessed at least a few sales pushes emphasizing the covert sexual content over the story (I saw similar tactics with Conan) but that was the rarity. The story was not of the"tee-hee, lookit her underwear" style that permeates many current titles but instead portrayed a mature act in a way that didn't insult either the younger reader that might miss the subtext or the older audience that would understand it.

Bring Jugger Grimrod to 616

Why? Because of the marketing truism that "Every super hero team needs a Wolverine."

I wish it wasn't a fact, but it is.

Even die hard fans of Logan are weary of him being everywhere all the time. As a rule fans recognize X-23 for what it is, Logan with breasts, and despise the character with a passion usually reserved for Arana and Girl-Scorpion. Saberclaw is in Avengers Next and being in an alternate future probably isn't available for a role in the regular Marvel Universe. Plus, he's stupid. So it is time to bring in some old fresh blood in, and that is from Jugger Grimrod!

Grimrod isn't doing anything at the moment and he could use the work! Jugger is a member of the Alien Legion, a book about an interstellar police force made up of various extraterrestrial soldiers that first appeared in the 1980s. Before L.E.G.I.O.N., I might add.

Grimrod is hard core. Like Wolverine, Jugger is a bad ass killing machine. He is animal in nature, morally ambiguous and likes copious amounts of booze and drugs (Attention, Marvel! That is good for years of preachy subplots right there!). He is also the best at what he does in his universe. And also like Logan he has claws.

Sure, Jugger sports a single blade that is in the cuff of his battle armor but it extends with a 'snic' sound, almost like the one's Logan sports. I don't know what it is made of but the blade can just about cut through anything and Jugger uses it about once an issue. He even used it on family members just like Wolverine.

Marvel could do worse than transport Grimrod to the 616 realm. Instead of creating a new Wolverine rip-off just use one you already have in stock. Fans will show less cynicism that way. With the Annihilation story line there is the perfect opportunity for Grimrod to appear. Being a science fiction character who is also a space-pilot Grimrod could easily accidentally slip into the 616-verse what with all the dimension-hopping and haphazard Negative Zone warps opening up all over the place.

Tags:

Blogchix get no respect

Here is my rambling rant-response to this post at Dance of the Puppets.

One of the unfortunate things I see on the net often mirrors something that happens in retail with some customers. A customer will make some assertion about something they are not satisfied with and then keep pressing forwards with it. They continue to pursue a problem that was quickly fixed as they requested (and more besides). In no time at all the customer has escalated a situation to absurd levels because pride does not allow them to stop or step back.

Something similar is what I believed occurred between Marionette and Scipio. That's how it looks to me, but then I'm not inside either of their heads so it may be something that they will have to disagree to agree on.

I have always seen Scipio's comic blogging site as an extension of and part of his business. If I was in a similar place I would feel reflexively defensive or proprietary about a shtick that I might see appear on another site. One problem at the non-professional level of blogging is that the participants are not taken seriously and are seen as a community of amateurs. Often, original content is seen as fair game for others to exploit beyond the spirit of fair-use. Questions would arise, and I think fairly so, in regards to familiar content showing up when it was not part of any recent blogging activity or an example of 'sharing the joke'.

When I started the Head Injury Project documenting Hal's mishaps in a flickr set I was concerned I would be annoying or stepping on the toes of a blogger I liked. In the beginning I acknowledged the entire project started because Scipio generated the idea. As far as I know, he didn't have a problem with me doing it. If he did I would have shelved the idea at the time so I am grateful he didn't. Hal's injuries are one of those amusing artifacts of the comic book market of the era. Companies could recycle ideas knowing that an event would not likely to be recognized by readers a few months after it was printed due to the majority of sales being from impulse buyers. The images are there for posterity and I don't mind if anyone uses them as long as they recognize the effort that went into finding, cropping the panels and posting them. I only update it now as I come across samples during normal reading or unless someone points one out. I should check all my old JLA books for examples but I get cross-eyed reading all those Silver Age books in one sitting.

As far as I can tell (geography, reader counts and site hits aside), comic book bloggers are actually a kind of a small and interconnected community. There are many, many of them out there on the net but the relationships among them are actually kind of limited and nearly incestuous. I may have that assumption entirely wrong but from someone not using my blog for business promotion that is how it looks from my side. Wherever I look I see the same names repeatedly appear. That means I either don't search far enough out from familiar environs or the community is as localized as I think it is, regardless of geographic location. Nearly every comic book site in what I call the Local Group of the Blogverse kind of feeds off the others a little bit. A certain post will pique interest in a subject and everyone will enthusiastically join in on the fun, picking up and running with ideas, memes and subjects until the gag ages and another replaces it.

Like most bloggers I have experienced seeing a few posts on other sites that were similar to some of mine, but the out-of-context panel game has a small board to play on so I mentally file it as coincidence. I've also seen a few that were direct swipes (not just from text-mining for spam) and one that I believe was an honest error in re-posting by a 3rd party who did not know where they got the image from. I pointed it out to the re-poster only because it required some extensive photo-manipulations on my part (extensive for me, because I am not that good at it) and because I was feeling sensitive that day about recently discovering many of my posts cut and pasted onto spam sites and linked to bogus home loan scams thereby giving the impression that I condoned what was being sold. There was even one instance of entries being buried 4 pages deep on what was represented as a "comic book news site". Normally not a problem with proper linkage but search results took the user clicking through not to the article and not to my site but to the main page, which was selling back issues of comics for improbably low prices.

In a March 2006 post Marionette riffed on and expanded on a concept that has since grown beyond it's origins (though still 'belonging' to Scipio) that many found humorous and contributed to. Recently a similar post was made. To be honest, when I saw Scipio's recent entry I assumed he had re-posted something of his own from the past for some reason because the gag seemed familiar. The ensuing reaction from Scipio seems a bit much for a good-natured 'gotcha' from her as a result of two very different bloggers address a variation on a theme several months apart.

To "come down off the fence" as someone put it, Scipio's comments to Marionette were insulting and dismissive. It would have been more productive to see a response more in the line of "Hah? Gosh darn it, how about that! Small world, indeed." instead of a mean-spirited sniping referencing greater site hits and readership over the other (and therefore intrinsic worth and greater justification to exist). The community we are all a part of is small, the thematic sources are limited and the type of humor 90% of bloggers employ is similar enough in style that some duplication of posts is inevitable. The comments by Scipio were rude and uncalled for, especially as they were directed to someone who made the mistake of thinking they are a welcome part of the community when it seems to have been made clear that they were in reality only merely tolerated. I'll remember that for the future.

I'm not going to remove any links or stop reading the work of either Scipio or Marionette as a result of their disagreement as some have pledged to do. One real fight between Fake Internet Friends is not enough to make me consider missing out on good content of two intelligent, funny and insightful authors. The poor attitude displayed by Scipio will however, factor in any personal decision I make to patronize his retail establishment in the future either online or in person. I'm hoping that all the friendly blogging relationships I've experienced so far are actually stronger and more respectful than the most recent event has depicted them to be.

I'd appreciate any rational discourse on the subject tangentially. Say, on how some bloggers are treated by the mainstream or more established players. For example, do feminist or inexperienced bloggers often get the short end of the respect stick and gets treated like the new kid who just wants to have fun and tries to join the Magic: The Gathering games at the local RPG store.

Understandably, Scipio has locked the thread against comments at his site and I have less a problem with that than others do. I understand that he must weigh what is good for his business, which his blog represents like it or not, and the usual free discourse that most visitors expect in a public forum. I think he did the right thing for his site since I suspect any further discussion there would have rapidly degenerated into internet screaming matches with posts written all in Caps. Any discussion of the event itself should please take place over at Marionette's blog, which still has the relevant thread open for comments.

Tags: Comic Book Blogs Thunderdome

Guess I need a new search engine

I just noticed that the results from a Google image search now features a cleaner 'streamlined' page format. Gone is the text that tells me what the image is, where it is from and the size. Now just an abbreviated title appears. Instead of just simply looking to see if you received the desired results of your search the user is now required to mouse-over the image to expand the information about the entry.

It isn't a big deal for some, but going from a 5 second glance to a 30 second physical investigation using a mouse is irritating and counter-productive for us multi-tasking office types. That wasted time adds up, I kid you not.

If this was some sort of settings change on my end, I didn't make it and can't find where to restore the superior view to what I had previously. This looks like another instance of some suit taking up space in an office trying to justify their existence in a company by fixing what ain't broke.

Update 2/234/07: Looks like a lot of people didn't like the new layout because I noticed yesterday the old format was back.

Tags: Internet

Comic Book PSA: What we taught children

Panel excerpt from the single page Worlds of Wonder feature that appeared in Jackpot #8 (Winter 1942),
an educational PSA modeled in the style of the Ripley's Believe It Or Not! format that was a much copied and a common feature in many magazines.

Tags: Racism

Who's that Cap?

From Punisher War Journal #8

Just wondering, has Frank Castle been idolizing the wrong Captain America all these years? In this flashback from a time before Frank went to Vietnam, is this the Commie-Smashin' Captain America in that uniform and not Steve Rogers?

Tags: Captain America Punisher

Pulp Daredevil

Detective Natchios recoiled, her usually deep whiskey and cigarettes voice scaling up momentarily until she caught herself and successfully suppressed a shriek of alarm. She tightened her grip on the service revolver and silently cursed herself for showing weakness. She did not know why she had lost her composure at the sight of the score of grisly trophies secured by copper nails to the the wall of the dark stairwell. Perhaps the eerie atmosphere of the fugitive Murdock's secret hideout had frayed her usually iron nerves. She had witnessed more terrible visions over the span of years as a law officer and the thought of being frightened by Murdock's machinations angered her.

"Foggy" Nelson tipped back the brim of his bowler hat and closely examined the horrible gallery. "Faces, stripped from the bone and tanned. Preserved. Their eyelids missing. Now do you believe me, Detective? This Murdock is involved in the practice of a dark and terrible magic."

"I believe he is a mad man. I am beginning to wonder if you are not also." Gun thrust before her, Detective Natchios continued down the stairwell heading towards the source of light at the bottom. The consultant followed, although more slowly.

"Surely, your world view has been re-defined, Madam. What of the Snail-less Shells? The Burlap Monkeys? You have witnessed them yourself this very night. Our narrow escape from the Rude Jostlers in the empty park this morning certainly confirmed beyond any doubt to me the existence of a shadowy world."

Reaching the final step of the stairwell, Detective Natchios turned upon the portly man. "All I have seen are the skeletons of dead beetles and the movement of curtains by a draft. Inconsiderate patrons of a public recreation meadow does not constitute proof of the existence of demons. Murdock is no wizard. He is a misguided fiend who murders and defiles innocent women in the insane belief their eyes can restore blindness caused by exposure to mustard gas in the Great War. Now be silent and remain still, for we are here."

Stepping cautiously the Detective peered around the door frame, observing awell lighted parlor of Victorian fashion. In the center of the room stood the prey to her hunt, leaning on an ivory cane with his back turned towards her. He was bent over a large tome on a heavy stand of dark, ornately carved wood, studying a page intently. Even from her vantage point several meters distant the detective could see the object of careful examination was heavily illuminated with fanciful illustrations like a bible out of antiquity. Offended that such a devilish, diseased creature would dare to read a bible, Detective Natchios she stepped into the room, leveling her revolver. "Matthew Murdock, you are wanted murderer." Detective Natchios exclaimed forcefully. "I am taking you into custody!"

Slowly, Murdock turned. He appeared unconcerned by the presence of the officer of justice and seemed to enjoy the startled reaction as Detective Natchios viewed his horrible, seamed face. Murdock smiled, a ghastly grimace of insane mirth that did not reach his terrible eyes. Blood-shot orbs, too small for the sockets in which they fitfully rested in spun and writhed, gazing about in wildly differing directions as if they were slaves rebelling against their masters. "The Lord in heaven! Your eyes!" Natchios gasped. The scene was made all the more shocking as Natchios realized one eye was jade green and the other, a piercing cerulean blue.

Murdock laughed. "No, Detective. Not my eyes. I borrowed them, however reluctantly, from their former owners. Alas, as ever, the frail jelly are beginning to fail me once again."

Sick with horror and finally understanding that Nelson, the foolish "expert" in the supernatural forced upon her by her superiors was not such a fool after all, Detective Natchios attempted to squeeze the trigger of her pistol . She was determined to end the madman's reign of terror as of tonight. But her hand was unresponsive and she found it very difficult to draw a breath. A strange paralysis seized her limbs as if they were in the grip of some unseen force. From behind her Detective Natchios heard "Foggy" Nelson, enter the room and shut the door behind him.

"Hello, Matthew." Nelson said jovially. "I hope you approve of my choice. She has such lovely eyes."

fin

Tags: Pulp Comic Books Daredevil

Now with double the entendre!

Popular Teen-Agers was unusual in that the stories were not about normal or average kids who gained riches or solved robberies by luck. This Golden Age series featured over-achievers and gorgeous people all! The unattractive people, if any, were the villains, bit players or goofy sidekicks. Any comic fans with low self-esteem need not read any of the books in this title for worry they will feel inconsequential and worthless.

Try to find the hidden agendas of the creative teams in all these panels. It shouldn't be too difficult. It isn't like this book was written by someone with the subtle powers of Judd Winnick. All flouride-impregnated art is from Popular Teen-Agers #6 (January 1951)

Toni Gay is a crime solving supermodel famous enough to require a full-time bodyguard to protect her. She usually manages to ditch the poor guy long enough to get herself and her very best friend forever, struggling actor Butch Dykeman in lots of trouble.

Midge Martin is a famous reporter who is driven to do anything to get a story, even dress up like a furry and make out with strange men at hedonistic theme resorts. No kidding.

Amazonion uber-babe Honey Bunn is a professional sports player. As a woman competing in a man's world she has to work twice as hard to be considered half the athlete. Honey Bunn is very strong and often beats her teammates in feats of strength and stamina, humiliating them terribly. Oddly, she shares the locker room with her male teammates. Honey is known to lament that she regrets not being soft and feminine like other girls.



Tags: Seduction of the Innocent

Rang-A-Tang killed himself a bar

As promised here is the tale of Rang-A-Tang the Wonder Dog and his ursine-slaying adventures at a lumber camp. In this story Rang-A Tang is traveling with friends Hy Speed and Richy the Ass Pain Boy when they come across a crime scene. During the investigation Rang gets amnesia and goes feral, palling around with another stray dog. While in the hills Rang-A-Tang gets hungry and successfully ambushes a full-grown bear and kills it just for a snack. Rang-A-Tang is hard core.

Don't forget to ambush the picture for a pdf download.

If DC's Rex the So-Called Wonder Dog tried that he'd end up as an undigested bit of white fur stuck to a medium-sized pile of bear feces.

Tags: Rang-A-Tang the Wonder Dog Golden Age Comics